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Jean Rochefort goes feral in corporate France and it's weirdly inspiring.
TMDB
45

The Devil in the Box (1977)

office siege thrillerFrench existential crankinessbureaucratic absurdism

Overview

Drama

Alain Brissot, an executive in a major company, was made redundant following a redundancy plan, but decided to put up a fight by continuing to occupy his office against all odds... He soon went on hunger strike, and, after many ups and downs, ended up taking back the job of his former manager, who had himself been ousted following the failure of a lucrative contract with an African country.

Flag of FRFRFrench
Content warning

Standout Aspects

Acting

Rochefort's hangdog dignity carries the entire absurd premise.

Direction

Lary treats office politics like psychological warfare.

Best for:Solo: Rainy afternoon when you hate your job slightly less.·Rewatch: Spot Rochefort's micro-expressions of quiet desperation.
P

Director

Pierre Lary

ReleasedApr 19, 1977
Runtime1h 44m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Paceslow
Intensitymedium
Tonemixed
Feelmedium
France 3
Madeline Films

Top Cast

Jean Rochefort

Jean Rochefort

Alain Brissot

Dominique Labourier

Dominique Labourier

Liliane

Michael Lonsdale

Michael Lonsdale

Georges Aubert

Anouk Ferjac

Anouk Ferjac

Madame Brissot

Micheline Presle

Micheline Presle

Madame Aubert

Alexandre Rignault

Alexandre Rignault

President Lelong

Bernard Haller

Bernard Haller

Gérard Bourdeilles

Bernard Le Coq

Bernard Le Coq

Allard

Victor Garrivier

Victor Garrivier

Sborowsky

Benoît Allemane

Benoît Allemane

Philippe Brizard

Philippe Brizard

Christian Clavier

Christian Clavier

Renaud

Jean Davy

Jean Davy

Ballancourt

David Gabison

David Gabison

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Cultural

Released during France's economic turbulence, it captures white-collar anxiety before it had a name. Rochefort was at peak everyman appeal.

Insight

The hunger strike deliberately echoes 1968 worker protests, but Brissot's individualism betrays the collective spirit—making his 'victory' hollow.

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