Murders on the Friulian Islands: Francis Haster and Jeremy Bunster father-son in “Murders … Who Are Like No Other”

Following the transfer of Meurtres à Blois and Meurtres au Mont Saint-Michel earlier this year, France 3’s successful detective collection returned tonight with a new opus called Meurtres sur les îles du Frioul, which sinks Frances Huster (here it all begins) and Jeremy Bunster (Un Si Grand Soleil) in the investigation as another, against the background of father-son rivalry, buried secrets and Alexandre Dumas.

Directed by Sylvie Aime (Meurtres à Toulouse, Les Ondes du Souvenir) and written by David Crozier and Camille Gischar, the murders on the Friulian Islands begin with the death of the famous Marseille publisher, who was killed on the Friulian Islands in the middle of the theater. Performance of Count Monte Cristo.

Victor Marian, the young SRPJ captain from Marseille, who is in charge of the investigation, is surprised to find his father, Pierre Marian, the legendary retired Lyon commissioner, at the crime scene. The victim, as a former military service comrade who has not seen him in 50 years, Pierre is appointed as an investigation consultant. Which is not to the taste of Victor, who did everything he could to get rid of this overly catchy father.

But, first of all, Victor is far from presenting the tragic secret that connects his father with the victim, as well as with his own origin …

At the Monte Carlo Television Festival last year, a few months after filming, Francis Huster and Jeremy Banser tell us more about this TV movie and their duo on screen and on set.

AlloCiné: What do you like right away in the movie Murders on the Friulian Islands when France 3 offered you the game of Pierre and Victor Marian?

Jeremy Bunster : That was all. The characters and the script are primarily because there is a real rivalry between this father and this son and a lot to be said. Finally, this somewhat coercive joint investigation forces them to admit a few truths to each other, it is fascinating and very well written.

Then there is Marcel, of course it was a pleasure to shoot in such an environment. Led by Sylvie Aim, who is an excellent director. And with Francis Huster as a partner. What could be better? When I received the script, I did not hesitate for a second.

In addition, there is a theme that I adore, this affiliation, this father-son transmission. This is something that appears very often in every film I have been able to defend, even as a director and screenwriter. It was unbelievable that I was not part of this adventure.

Francis Haster : For my part, what fascinated me about these murders on the Friulian Islands is that I was finally able to get out of the frame. Anne Holmes has created this collection with incredible success. I think there were more than 70 episodes. Sylvie Aime has already filmed “Meurtres à…”, the murders in Toulouse, which was a record for the collection.

And when I read the script that draws a parallel with the Count of Monte Cristo, I told myself that this would be the only “murder …” that did not look like any other. This is a 1950s film, à la Hitchcock, à la Kazan, i.e. it gives a completely modern image of Marcel.

Again, we can not find all the clichés about Marcel that we see so often on screen. We are totally relevant, far from the image of a French union dating. The TV movie offers magnificent views of Marcel. Police stations are located in huge, ultra-modern buildings. Despicable, indeed. The supporting characters in a TV movie are similar to Hollywood movies, they are unusual. This is a hellish movie and a movie of hellish characters.

Did you know each other before playing in this TV movie?

Jeremy Bunster: We met, but we did not know each other. We really got to know each other at work. We worked a lot before filming, we met on the weekends, all three Sylvie with Aime. We were able to cut out the script, deepen the characters. So when we got to the set, we were already completely confident. We were online. It only took a few glances for Sylvie to refine her acting direction towards us.

And obviously it was a pleasure to play with Francis. He is a very generous person. The fact of shooting with a similar actor definitely pushes us to surpass ourselves and give our best, during each shooting.

Frances Haster: It was a joy. But, you know, during this shoot I had to take it (laughs). Every morning I counted the number of close-ups that Sylvie was going to make on Jeremy Bunster. Because well, to be honest, we missed counting the moments when he was making close-ups of him or the scenes where he was half-naked (laughs).

Do you have a feeling that this “Meurtres à …” also stands out from the other opuses in the collection thanks to this father-son duo and all of its characters?

Frances Haster: Of course. You know, the duo exists first and foremost, thanks to the other actors. So it was with Steve McQueen and Jules Brenner in The Glorious Seven, or Gabin and Ventura. And this TV movie is another proof of that.

I guess Sylvie Aim’s courage is not satisfied with the duo of her actors. He knows how to trust all his actors, each one making his own film. The success of this film comes from this very situation. As in Agatha Christie’s novels, we have secondary characters who fascinate us and who almost forget about her Marple and Hercule Poirot.

Jeremy Bunster: True, all are very fair. Everyone has their moment, their score to play. Sylvie managed to highlight and emphasize each one. And it does not always appear in a TV movie. This movie is part of the “Meurtres à …” collection and at the same time it exists by itself thanks to Marcel, this duo of cops and the wonderful characters around them.

We have not seen Marcel so filmed in a long time. In a positive sense. We often see him portrayed quite darkly. We have the bright city of Marseille, we have Friuli, we have the Chateau d’If, we have the Mediterranean Sea and the districts of Marseille. And it’s good to see that on screen.