Charles, Dead or Alive

Charles, Dead or Alive
  • Release date: 15 Jan 1970
  • Release year: 1969
  • Runtime: 93 minutes
  • Country: Switzerland
  • Keywords: reference to mikhail bakunin, reference to errico malatesta, reference to peter kropotkin, quotation, anarchism, reference to joan of arc, comma in title, swiss countryside, man leaves family, swiss culture
Plot:
On the 100th anniversary of the founding of a watchmaking company in Geneva, Charles De the founder's 50-year-old grandson has had it: he speaks eccentrically to a reporter, recognizing his grandfather as a craftsman and his son as a businessman, but is evasive about himself. He gives his family the slip and moves in with a young couple he meets by chance, doing the cooking, reading, drinking, and engaging in philosophical discussions with them. The young couple comes to love Charles. In secret, he stays in touch with a daughter, and the rest of the family hires a private investigator to find him, setting in motion a business take-over that threatens his Bohemian happiness.
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