Dieu a besoin des hommes

Henri Queffelec was a 'catholic' novelist who wrote extensively of the sea and of his native Brittany. 'The Rector of the Isle of Sein' has here been adapted by Pierre Bost and Jean Aurenche and directed by Jean Delannoy. Everything about this film is bleak in terms of setting, subject matter and the harsh lives of the protagonists. What makes it bearable is the performances. Here we have another courageous and uncompromising portrayal by Pierre Fresnay as the Sacristan who takes over the running of the church once the villagers have been deserted by their distinctly non-compassionate Rector, played by Jean Brochard. Excellent performances also from Daniel Gélin, Madeleine Robinson, Germaine Kerjean and the utterly mesmerising Andrée Clement so tragically taken by tuberculosis in her thirties. Although directed and performed with the utmost conviction this grim, doom-laden and strangely Godless film is completely devoid of hope and will no doubt continue to languish in obscurity.

Shall I tell once again that the new wave,by putting former talents down,was not always the holy writ?

Once again, a movie crying to be seen!The story is absolutely original and even a risqué one for 1950:the island of Sein,in the nineteenth century,in Brittany.A crude population lives here,on these windy shores ,estranged from the rest of the world.No priest comes here anymore,because they are sinners,wreckers.So the sacristan (Pierre Fresnay)will act as a priest.The inhabitants from the island do need religion,even if theirs is close to superstition.And they do believe in their new officiant,even if the latter does not dare to do everything a priest does(the sacraments).But little by little ,he would ,were it not for the coming of a true religious figure,escorted by... gendarmes.

The movie can be interpreted as a critic of the bourgeois,organized religion,a return to the pristine, primitive faith of the first Christ followers.The OCIC (international catholic cinema office)made no mistake when they awarded Delannoy's movie their prize in Venice. Sometimes the irony and the fierceness of the lines do not fit well with Delannoy's conventional(not meant pejoratively)directing.I would go as far to say that some scenes recall ...Bunuel.But there's a crucial difference:Delannoy's faith cannot be denied:he preaches a religion which would come from the heart,whereas for the Spanish director,religion is a nuisance to live with at home.Far from being a blasphemy,the funeral without a priest becomes a communion with God,the sea being the mediator.The pictures of the boats sailing away from the so-called civilized Christian world are admirable.

There's an impressive cast apart from Fresnay:Madeleine Robinson,Sylvie,Daniel Gélin,Germaine Kerjean,Daniel Ivernel and more.Actually,they should speak the Breton language (which a non-Breton French cannot understand at all),but,as it would take subtitles, all the actors use a very pronounced accent,which makes their renderings convincing.One can sometimes regret a theatrical side,but it's a minor flaw.

Nowadays in France,Jean Delannoy 's work is ignored or despised.Turn your back on the official criticism and watch this movie.You will not regret it.

There's something grittily authentic about this story of life on a remote Breton island in the nineteenth century. We start with an establishing aerial shot that illustrates just how cut off this place was. A rather large hamlet on what is little more than a spit of land, surrounded by the sea. The society is hierarchical, but not in any way civilisation would willingly acknowledge. Indeed there's no longer even a priest as the church has given up on this nest of evil and depravity. That is until the strong-willed "Gourvennec" (Pierre Fresnay) determines to wrest their souls from the grip of the Devil and put them back on some sort of path of truth! He faces quite a task. Though there is some degree of religiosity on the island, it's more based in superstition. Pagan, even. His powerful oratory has much work to do. What ensues now is a pretty savage critique on the relevance of organised faith, and on it's doctrines - and the burial at sea scene does much to calibrate not just the opinions of the islanders but also of the audience when considering what God actually might be - and is there any consistency to that purported identity? That in itself serves as quite symbolic to the viability of life itself amongst this disparate yet oddly conjoined community. If you are looking for anything remotely redemptive or joyous, then this isn't for you. As a dark and unforgiving assessment of a church and a society then Fresney and a strong ensemble cast deliver quite a thought-provoking film that offers many of the hallmarks of being quite real!