Léon Morin, prêtre

I discovered this one recently in my local market on a double DVD with a film called "Les Grandes Gueules". It was interesting to see Belmondo in the rôle of a priest and I thought his dialogue and ideas were very convincing indeed ! Emanuelle Riva, I know less but she put in a good performance too. The outcome, nevertheless, is predictable and, as is often the case in French films unfortunately, ends on a pessimistic note ! Although the film is in black and white and from 1961, picture and sound quality are reasonably good. I was most pleased to see Belmondo in this rôle which changes somewhat from stuntman and the usual commissaires de police ! I am moderately religious so was interested in the theme and ideas of the film. That said, on the other hand, to someone who is anti-religion, heathen or atheist, the film might indeed appear uninteresting and boring !

For years now,the over all theme of religion in cinema has managed to touch more than it's share of raw nerves,both in the U.S.A.,as well as Europe (does anyone remember the brou-ha-ha that was raised over Jean Luc Goddard's 'Hail Mary',back in the mid 1980's,or 'The Last Temptation Of Christ',in 1988,or even 'The Life Of Brian'in 1979?). Long before all of that,there was a film that I'm sure raised some folk's eyebrows in 1961. That film was 'Leon Morin,Priest'. The story concerns a newly widowed young woman known as Barny,played by Emmanuel Riva,who is a self avowed atheist,who is seeking advice from a local priest,named Leon Morin,played by (then)France's matinée idol,Jean Paul Belmando ('Breathless',and way too many to mention here). The time is world war 2,and the small village Barny lives in is being invaded by Germans,Italians & later,American soldiers. What starts out as a series of conversations on spiritual matters,turns to unrequited love,which turns more serious as the story unfolds. Jean Pierre Melville (who was generally more known for his film noir crime epics, such as 'Le Cercle Rouge','Le Samourai','Army Of Shadows',etc.)directs & writes the story & screenplay,based on the novel by Beatrix Beck, in a film that tests one woman's temptation for the heart of another man. The rest of the cast (unknown by yours truly)turn in fine performances. The crisp,black & white cinematography by Henri Decae makes real good use of light & shadow (especially if the print quality is good to excellent),and the use of distance between the two characters,which eventually merge closer as the story goes on. Not exactly top shelf Melville,but none the less,still worth a look. Most European prints of this film originally ran 130 minutes,but unfortunately,the North American distributed print clocks in at 117 minutes (including the newly printed re-issue edition). Spoken mostly in French,with a wee bit of German,with English subtitles. Not rated by the MPAA,this film contains some minor adult content,and a rude word,or two.

The film is about the relationship between an atheist woman and a local priest. It seems she's come to the church not out of a desire to convert but to join in order to protect herself from the Nazi occupiers, as communist atheists would not be safe. Yet, oddly, during the classes she has with the priest, the woman slowly begins enjoying her meetings and actually gets quite a bit out of them. What happens next, see for yourself.

"Léon Morin, Priest" is a very well made but very unusual film that took me by surprise. The biggest surprise was the casting of Jean-Paul Belmondo as the title character. In so many other films, Belmondo is cast as rogue--cocky, self-absorbed and charming. This isn't a criticism, but it is odd that the same guy from "Breathless" now plays a very humble and decent priest! As I said, this is NOT what I expected. The notion of an uplifting religious drama and Jean-Paul Belmondo going together is a bit of a shock to me! The other big surprise is how slow the film is and how unexciting it was considering most of it took place during the Nazi occupation of France--yet, the film was still very interesting and compelling! This is no action film but one that is very deliberate and satisfying if you give it a chance. In fact, it's exceptionally well written and acted and I enjoyed it considerably. And, you certainly don't need to be a Catholic to enjoy this one.

I generally do not go much for Melvilles's works:a lot of them deal with manly friendship among hoodlums ;they were influenced by the American film noir genre ,as for instance Robert Wise's "odds against tomorrow" but they do not equal them.There are sometimes gigantic metaphysical pretensions ("le cercle rouge" (1970);"le samouraï (1967)).Besides, these works are overlong,slow-moving and dull.

Paradoxically,his works I find the most intriguing and interesting are his non-gangsters movies:both "le silence de la mer" (1948) and "l'armée des ombres" (1969) deal with French resistance during WW2 and they are both commendable."Les enfants terribles" (1950)perfectly captures Cocteau 's spirit .And then there's "Leon Morin prêtre".

This movie is a different matter ,because its main purpose is religion.A cast against type Jean-Paul Belmondo (whom Melville would direct again the following year in "Le doulos" )rises to the occasion and thus shows he could have been more ambitious in his future career.But facing Emmanuelle Riva ("Hiroshima mon amour" ) was not an easy task,because ambitious she definitely is:one of the subtlest actresses French cinema had ever known,she never had the career she deserved because her playing was too brilliant and probably scared most of the directors .Here she delivers the goods:her part of an atheist who meets a priest during WW2 is very austere and may repel some,but her performance is thoroughly fascinating.The first line she says to priest Morin is "Religion is the opium of the people:then begins a bewildering story,during which she regains faith.And this renaissance is ambiguous:is-it because of the tragical events that stem from the war that surrounds them -one of her friend's son is sent to a concentration camp ,and he'll never return-? Is it because she is madly in love with the priest -one scene shows her try to get him into her bed-?Is it because hers is such an unfulfilled life -a daughter,but no partner-?Is it because of the priest's convincing words ,now simple,now very intellectual?The movie consists of very long conversation about faith -a whole scene revolves around Christ's famous words :"my God why have you forsaken me?"-.

That's why I would recommend the movie to people interested in theology ,or simply to believers.The others may yawn their head off.

Director Jean-Pierre Melville, a French independent, had two great films in the 50s, but is best known for Le Samouraï, Le Cercle Rouge, and Le Doulos. I particularly liked his Army of Shadows.

Le Doulos also stars Jean-Paul Belmondo, who plays a priest out of type in this film set during the German occupation of France. Those expecting more of Melville's film noir, will be disappointed.

The film is mostly a series of theological discussions with Emmanuelle Riva (Hiroshima Mon Amour, Three Colors: Blue), whom he turns from her communist, atheist ways.

It was an interesting film from the beginning. Father Morin was a most interesting Priest, and one constantly wonders what will happen. After all, you never see him teaching men. It is always young women, and he has no hesitation in taking them into his room and closing the door. He is free with his hand, touching them often. Where will this lead?

A very good film, and ranks among Melville's best.