

The bell ringer at a way station in the French Alps, murders a passing horse trader with a thrown rock and relieves him of his bankroll, in order to bribe the daughter of his only friend, a head injury victim considered the village simpleton, into marrying him, despite her love for a lowly woodsman who is, in turn, being cajoled into marriage by the daughter of the wealthy innkeeper.

Lucien Coëdel
The Bellman, Jean-Baptiste
Lead
Fernand Ledoux
Fabret, his friend

Renée Faure
Catherine Fabret

Roger Pigaut
Pierre

Madeleine Robinson
Marthe

Pierre Labry
The Innkeeper (Marthe's father)

Georges Tourreil
The Brigadier of the Gendarmerie

Sinoël
Marie-Thérèse, the old woman
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Christian-Jaque's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
“Every frame feels alive. The Bellman is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”