ThePlagueStill01Introduction

“The Plague” (also known as “La Peste”) is a 1992 film drama written and directed by Luis Puenzo for which Vangelis composed an original score. Starring William Hurt, Sandrine Bonnaire, Robert Duvall and Raul Julia, “The Plague” tells the story of a city in quarantine due to an outbreak of the bubonic plague. The film, which screenplay is based on the 1947 novel “La Peste” by Albert Camus, was released in cinemas on the 26th of August 1992, the same year it entered the competition at the 49th Venice International Film Festival.

Vangelis is not credited in the film’s titles, but the film score is confirmed to be his work. Not surprisingly the music in the film has a very dramatic and unsettling undertone, and despite the fact that the music is mixed at a low volume and most of the time drowned in dialogue and effects, it has several haunting themes supported by a large choir and a boy soprano. Unfortunately the music Vangelis composed for “The Plague” was never officially released, except for the track ‘Psalmus Ode’ on the “Reprise 1990-1999” (1999) compilation album, which actually is a newly arranged version of the theme heard in the film during a dramatic scene of a funeral procession.

After its theatrical release “The Plague” was only scarcely made available on home video formats, and if in need of a copy of the film the Polish DVD (titled “Dżuma”) is recommended, as it is the longest version available with the original English narration. The longest available version of the film (142 minutes) was released in Italy on a VHS video cassette, but as it is dubbed in Italian not recommended for everyone. 

 

ThePlaguePosterFRDetails and credits

  • Title: The Plague (La Peste)
  • Year: 1992
  • Country: Argentina, France and UK
  • Length: 148 minutes
  • Written and directed by Luis Puenzo.
  • Music by Vangelis (uncredited)
  • Camera: Félix Monti
  • Camera assistant: Jorge Behnisch
  • Editing: Juan Carlos Macías
  • Sound: Jean-Pierre Ruh
  • Costume design: María Julia Bertotto
  • Production design: Jorge Sarundiansky and Juan Carlos Diana
  • Production manager: Raul Outeda (Argentina) and Leo Guignier (France).
  • Produced by Cyril de Rouvre, Christian Charret, John R. Pepper and Jonathan Prince.
  • Co-produced by Oscar Kramer.
  • Executive producer: Christin Levraud and Larry Sugar.
  • Associate producer: Eric Altmayer
  • Assistant director: Rodrigo Furth
  • Produced by Compagnie Française Cinématographique (CFC), the Pepper-Prince Co. Ltd. and Oscar Kramer S.A.
  • Co-production in association with Cinemania Films Group and with the participation of Canal Plus.

ThePlagueStill02Cast

  • William Hurt: Dr. Bernard Rieux
  • Sandrine Bonnaire: Martine Rambert
  • Jean-Marc Barr: Jean Tarrou
  • Robert Duvall: Joseph Grand
  • Raul Julia: Cottard
  • Jorge Luz: Old Man With The Cats
  • Victoria Tennant: Alicia Rieux
  • Atilio Veronelli: Dr. Horacio
  • Francisco Cocuzza: Miguel
  • Laura Palmucci: Miguel's Wife
  • Norman Erlich: Dr. Castel
  • Marcos Woinsky: Dr. Grunewald
  • Duilio Marzio: Judge Orbon
  • Pancho Ibáñez: Newscaster
  • Horacio Fontova: Attendant
  • Bruno Chmelik: Felipe, Judge Orbon's Son
  • Monica Tozer: Dr. Rieux's receptionist
  • Lautaro Murúa: Father Paneloux
  • Peter McFarlane: Horse
  • Lidia Catalano: Sara
  • Fabiana Uria: Teresa
  • Norman Briski: The Preacher
  • China Zorrilla: Emma Rieux
  • Juana Hidalgo: Mrs. Castel
  • Silvina Chediek: Newscaster
  • Verónica Llinás: Stripteaser

 

DzumaDVDMedia

DVD

  • 2001 Hollywood HADVD-187 Hong Kong (115 minutes, end titles cut short)
  • 2006 Bibliotheka Gazety Wyborczej Poland (titled “Dżuma”) (137 minutes) 

VHS

  • 1990s released worldwide.
  • Penta Video Italy (142 minutes, dubbed in Italian)
  • Emik EMKV08055D Italy (142 minutes, dubbed in Italian)

 

Synopsis

Refusing the government’s demand to conceal an alarming outbreak of bubonic plague in the city of Oran, Dr. Bernard Rieux (William Hurt) unwittingly sounds the battle cry...rompting government officials to send in the troops and quarantaine the city. Rieux is joined in his fight against the plague by Dr. Castel (Norman Erlich), a research colleague, and Mr. Grand (Robert Duvall), a government statistician who charts the progress of disease. Together they set up an emergency facility which becomes the heart and hope of a city slowly suffocating. Jean Tarrou (Jean-Marc Barr), a stranded French TV cameraman inspired by the doctor’s efforts to end the suffering, volunteers as a medical assistant while his anchorwoman Martine Rambert (Sandrine Bonnaire), desperate to return to her loved ones in France, employs Cottard (Raul Julia), a man of questionable ideals, to assist her in her escape. But escape for anyone is uncertain... and the survival of Oran rests on the determination of its citizens to find the solution together.

 

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