Das Floß der Medusa (1998): Besetzung, Handlung & Streaming

Released in 1998, Das Floß der Medusa is a drama and historie film directed by Iradj Azimi, running about 130 minutes.

What it’s about. Iranian Iradj Azimi directed this French historical drama re-creating events depicted in the famous 1819 painting The Raft of the Medusa by Jean Louis Andre Theodore Gericault (1791-1824). The ill-fated voyage of the frigate Medusa begins when it departs Rochefort for Senegal in 1816. After striking a sandbar off the African coast, 150 civilians row safely to shore, but Captain Chaumareys (Jean Yanne) orders 140 soldiers and sailors onto a raft (minus supplies) and has it cut loose. Only 14 survive from the 140, creating a scandal back in France. Gericault (Laurent Terzieff) later talks to three of the survivors while researching his painting. Work on this film began in 1987, but sets destroyed by Hurricane Hugo caused delays, so the film was not completed until 1990. However, it then remained undistributed until an incident in which writer-director Azimi slashed his wrists in front of French Ministry of Culture officials.

Who’s in it. Das Floß der Medusa stars Jean Yanne as Chaumareys, Daniel Mesguich as Coudein, Claude Jade as Reine Schmaltz and Philippe Laudenbach as Julien Schmaltz, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.5/10, Das Floß der Medusa has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Das Floß der Medusa page.

If you liked it. Fans of Das Floß der Medusa tend to enjoy Die Verurteilten, Der Pate, Schindlers Liste and Der Pate - Teil II.