“Olmi eschews prosaic realism in his evocation of Paris, seen as an oddly timeless, universal city; the lyricism matches the almost magical coincidences of the plot...”
Rutger Hauer is Andreas Kartack, an alcoholic homeless man living under the bridges of Paris, who is lent 200 francs by an anonymous stranger (Anthony Quale). Andreas is determined to pay back his debt, but circumstances and his alcoholism forever intervene... Adapted from the novella by Joseph Roth, The Legend of the Holy Drinker is a quietly moving film which has the resonance and innocence of a parable.