The Machine (1994)
This deftly made French psychological thriller terrifies with its exploration of an experiment gone horribly wrong. Dr. Marc Lacroix, a psychiatrist specializing in brain functions, is obsessed with the link between mind and spirit. To find his link he studies the criminally insane. He builds a secret machine, known only to his mistress Marianne, in which he hopes to exchange minds between humans. He simultaneously wants to help the mentally ill recover, and he wants to experience their madness. He chooses the psychotic killer, Zyto, a man who stabbed at least three women, for his experiment. The initial experiment is successful and the two exchange minds. But trouble ensues when Zyto refuses to reverse the switch. There is little Marc can do when Zyto takes over Marc's life, and more ominously his wife and child whom are unknowingly in mortal danger. Marc, encased in Zyto's body, is returned to the asylum. Will Marc's wife recognize the danger? Will Zyto kill again?
Director: François Dupeyron
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Gérard Depardieu as Dr. Marc Lacroix |
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Nathalie Baye as Marie Lacroix |
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Didier Bourdon as Michel Zyto |
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Natalia Wörner as Marianne |
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Julie Depardieu as A nurse |
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Claude Berri as Hugues |
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Erwan Baynaud as Léonard Lacroix |
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Marc Andréoni as Le gardien |
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Alain Azerot as Un infirmier |
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Wilfred Benaïche as Le patient |
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Christian Bujeau as Martial |
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Patty Hannock as Marie-Thérèse |
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Arsène Jiroyan as Le réceptionniste |
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Christian Ruché as Cédric |
| Directing | François Dupeyron | Director |
| Writing | René Belletto | Novel |
| Writing | François Dupeyron | Writer |
| Sound | Michel Portal | Original Music Composer |
| Production | Patrick Bordier | Producer |
| Production | Bernard Bouix | Producer |
| Production | René Cleitman | Producer |
| Production | Ingrid Windisch | Producer |
| Camera | Dietrich Lohmann | Director of Photography |
| Editing | Noëlle Boisson | Editor |
| Production | Jeanne Biras | Casting |
| Art | Carlos Conti | Set Decoration |
| Costume & Make-Up | Elisabeth Tavernier | Costume Design |
| Costume & Make-Up | Thi Thanh Tu Nguyen | Makeup Artist |
| Sound | Pierre Gamet | Sound |
| Sound | Gérard Lamps | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Sound | Nadine Muse | Sound Editor |
| Sound | Jean-Noël Yven | Sound Effects Editor |
