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The Big Departure poster
6.0 / 10(4 votes)IMDb19721h 11mFrance

The Big Departure

Le Grand Départ

Synopsis

This is the only feature directed by the famed French painter and sculptor Martial Raysse. In keeping with the revolutionary spirit of the time, the movie has no plot to speak of and appears to have been largely made up on the spot. We follow the cat man into a bizarre fantasy universe presented in negative exposure that reverses color values (black is white and vice versa) and written words. The cat man steals a car and then picks up a young girl he promises to take to “Heaven.” Heaven turns out to be a country chateau inhabited by several more animal mask wearing weirdoes...

Key Information & Fast Facts

Director
Martial Raysse
Screenplay & Story
Martial Raysse
Original Score
Gong
Original Title
Le Grand Départ
Country of Origin
France
Spoken Languages
French
Runtime
1h 11m
Production Studios
Sunchild Productions

Creative Leadership & Key Crew

Director

Martial Raysse

Screenplay & Story

Martial Raysse

Original Score & Music

Gong

Director of Photography

Jean-Jacques Flori

Film Editing

Monique Giraudy, Martine Kalfon

Department Leadership Roster

Martial Raysse

Martial Raysse

Writer

Jean-Jacques Flori

Director of Photography

Monique Giraudy

Editor

Martine Kalfon

Editor

Martial Raysse

Martial Raysse

Director

Official cinematic photography and background stills for The Big Departure.

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Big Departure

Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.

What is The Big Departure about?

This is the only feature directed by the famed French painter and sculptor Martial Raysse. In keeping with the revolutionary spirit of the time, the movie has no plot to speak of and appears to have been largely made up on the spot. We follow the cat man into a bizarre fantasy universe presented in negative exposure that reverses color values (black is white and vice versa) and written words. The cat man steals a car and then picks up a young girl he promises to take to “Heaven.” Heaven turns out to be a country chateau inhabited by several more animal mask wearing weirdoes...

Who directed The Big Departure?

The Big Departure was directed by Martial Raysse.

Who stars in The Big Departure?

The principal cast of The Big Departure includes Sterling Hayden, Anne Wiazemsky, Gilles Raysse, Lucienne Hamon, Alexandre Raysse.

When was The Big Departure released and how long is it?

The Big Departure was released in 1972 with a total runtime of 1h 11m.

Who composed the musical score for The Big Departure?

The original motion picture soundtrack for The Big Departure was composed by Gong.