Le silence de la mer

This is one of the most touching romance films I have seen.

To me, this is a typical french movie (for TV in this case), which only shows you the normal life, nothing glamour or adventurous. Even during wartime, people lived their lives as usual, although someone got arrested, someone escaped, someone starved, but it is still the everyday life. Either the french piano teacher or the German captain, they went to work, they got food. Love grows without external excitement, between two human beings who are supposed to be enemies. Some of my friends found their love baseless, since the protagonists rarely talk to each other. Yet, I find that the love cannot be more natural. For young people, beautiful and youthful faces, strong and graceful gestures, poetic words and loving eye contacts, these are more than what love needs.

The movie is also very erotic in some ways without nudity, hugs, kisses etc . The actors are very good at talking with their eyes. This movie is such a delight. I have watched too many movies to be easily moved, and I am so glad I found this one. Also because of the background of the plot, the conversations are quite simple, and easy to understand even when you know only a little french.

'I like the sea because of its tranquility', 'I am very happy to meet a dignified old man and a silent girl here'. For the German officer, silence is the highest appreciation. All the emotions flow violently in silence and restraint, so beautiful to watch.

"Le silence de la mer" is based on the book de Vercors , a French writer and member of the French Résistance that tells an impossible love story between a young French piano teacher and an German officer of the Wehrmacht. It's really a great and touching story: she plays German classic music . He is fully francofile and tries to have a conversation, but the only answer is always silence !! The performance of Thomas Jouannet, Julie Delarme and Michel Galabru are extraordinary.

I regret to admit that I know very little about Director Pierre Boutron, having only seen one of his works before - LES ANNÉES SANDWICHES, which I so enjoyed that I eagerly pounced on the opportunity to watch this 2004 effort, a reprise of the debut of one of my all-time favorite French directors: Jean-Pierre Melville.

I am no fan of remakes, so I approached Boutron's film with some misgiving and uncertainty, promising myself that I would stop the moment I found it clearly the inferior of the famous original.

I am happy to say that I did not. In fact, I found it an improvement on the Melville effort. It flows better and acting is definitely more polished. Julie Delarme, who was 26 at the time but plays a young woman in her late teens, carries a great deal of feeling, conveyed mainly through glances, silences, and repressed emotions. Galabru also deserves plaudits, although his is a much smaller and less demanding part. Thomas Jouannet, portraying Werner, the respectful, well-mannered, music- and art-loving German officer who occupies one of the rooms in the house owned by Galabru, emerges as a honest, civilized figure as France sinks deeper and deeper under the grip of German occupation. Unlike Vernon Howard in the 1949 original, he does not try to atone for his fatherland's faults, he does not wander through the streets of Paris admiring the architecture and what it expresses about the French "soul" that Germany purportedly sought to eradicate through occupation and brainwashing. Jouannet sensitively tunes in to the human beings whose house he occupies against his own will. Marie Bunel also delivers a fine performance as the woman who places geraniums on her window sill when she receives Resistance fighters.

Effective, simple, well done cinematography by Alain Levent. Great script by Anne Giaferi, keeping dialogue to short sentences. Through looks, tears, and silence, Boutron fills in the viewer on emotions and deeper states of mind.

Definitely worth more than one viewing. 9/10.

What a truly wonderful film. I have never seen the original but if it is better than this version it must be very,very good. I enjoyed the performances of the three main characters immensely and have watched the film time and time again. The strange thing is that I a don't actually speak French yet have been moved by the storyline and acting to want to watch it over and over again. I think I'm right in saying that this film hasn't been shown in England but with the addition of subtitles there is no reason it shouldn't. Channel Four Television recently had a 100 best war film programme that included many great films of that genre. In my opinion this is right up there with the best of them. Thanks to Pierre Boutron(Director) and stars Thomas Jouannet, Julie Delarme and Michel Galabru for a film that is simply a treasure.