A dying mariner, full of regret, is looking for his longtime colleague somewhere on the high seas.A dying mariner, full of regret, is looking for his longtime colleague somewhere on the high seas.A dying mariner, full of regret, is looking for his longtime colleague somewhere on the high seas.
- Awards
- 4 wins & 3 nominations
Aurore Clément
- Aurore
- (as Aurore Clement)
François Dyrek
- Le cafetier-gendarme
- (as Francois Dyrex)
François Landolt
- Le clairon Bochau
- (as Francois Landolt)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOne thing that may be missed by viewers of this beautiful movie is that the French Navy frigate Jauréguiberry is not crossing the North Atlantic waters for an endurance mission (although much endurance is needed). She is actually fulfilling a mission of "Surveillance des pêches" (i.e. Support to the French fishing vessels) in the "Terre Neuve" (Newfoundland) and "Saint-Pierre et Miquelon" waters, a mission that the French Navy has carried on for centuries and still does today. Fishing rights for French vessels in these waters date from before the reign of king Louis XIV, and are among the last remaining rights from the French colonial venture in Canada. It has always been accepted as a truth that the "Terre Neuvas" (fishermen trained to work in these waters) were the best, the toughest recruits for the Navy. The film is about decolonization, of course, but its main theme is duty - carrying on whatever may and however unpleasant it may be. Unglamorous assistance to the "Terre Neuvas" fits in well with this theme. Another trivia : Jean Rochefort is as natural as can be playing the part of captain of the frigate Jaureguiberry : he may have acquired such an ease from watching his brother Pierre, a Naval officer who ended his career as an Admiral.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Rembob'Ina: Le Huguenot Récalcitrant (2023)
Featured review
Beautiful picture about a mythical soldier
There are many war movies, but few movies about war. War movies are usually action movies set during a war. Other movies deal about war itself, why the people do it, why they enjoy it and suffer from it. Like Apocalypse Now or the Thin Red Line, The Crabe-Tambour is about war, though, unlike these movies, it shows little of it. It tells the story of Wilsdorf, a.k.a. the "Drummer-Crab", a French officer in the colonial armies, who witnessed (and took part in) the fall of the French empire after WWII. The man himself has become a legend and lives in the memories of fellow soldiers, who tell different tales - fantastic, ironic - about him. Wilsdorf appears as an elusive and shining ghost, a youthful figure of their past, who is still roaming the world as a free man while they grow old and embittered. Some may find there both a dubious fascination for the military (strongly reminiscent of Hugo Pratt's Corto Maltese series) and nostalgia for the colonies. However, it's so beautifully filmed that this can be easily forgiven.
helpful•111
- gtran
- Oct 19, 1999
- How long is Le Crabe-Tambour?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Drummer-Crab
- Filming locations
- Brest, Finistère, France(interior and exterior locations)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime2 hours
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1
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