Cul-de-Sac

Sunday, January 13, 2019

35mm Print

Roman Polanski’s bleak and brutal comedy starts with an American gangster (Lionel Stander) and his gut-shot partner (Jack McGowan) seeking refuge after a botched robbery with a meek Englishman (Donald Pleasance) and his sexy French wife (Françoise Dorléac), who live in an isolated castle. The movie then becomes a hostage drama, a quasi-sex farce and a study of contrasting social classes and world views, each scene weirder than the next. Beloved by Sopranos creator David Chase for its pitch-black sense of humor, Cul-de-Sac is also a timeless portrait of small-minded people tearing into each other instead of facing themselves—a feast of dysfunction worthy of Livia herself. Introduced by Matt Zoller Seitz.

Part of “The Sopranos Film Festival,” presented by Split Screens. To buy a 10-film pass, click here.
Watch all episodes of The Sopranos® Series on HBO Go/HBO NOW.

• Country UK
• Year 1966
• Running Time 113 minutes
• Director Roman Polanski
• Writer Roman Polanski, Gerard Brach
• Editor Alastair McIntyre
• Cinematographer Gilbert Taylor
• Cast Donald Pleasence, Francoise Dorleac, Lionel Stander, Jack MacGowran, Iain Quarrier

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.