User reviews

UN CHANT d'AMOUR is a remarkable short: sordid, brutal, provocative; yet as poetic and lyrical as its title suggests. Although not as rich and beguiling as Fassbinder's QUERELLE, and despite its claustrophobic lack of humour, the film lacks the prolixity that often mars Genet's most famous literary works.

Indeed, there are no words in this film at all, or music, or any kind of sound. Just complete silence. This is thematically vital: set in a prison, with inmates in solitary cells, the film explores the idea of the voice - who has the power to speak, and hence represent themselves, in our society. The film begins with the figure symbolic of this power in society - authority - in this case a police warden. Robbed of a voice, he is reduced to the role of a voyeur, becoming OUR representative. The complicity between authority and criminality is a favourite Genet theme. As the audience for this kind of film is predominantly middle-class, it is the warden who sees for us an underworld we would normally run a mile from.

We see frustrated prisoners, trying to communicate: by passing flowers through barred windows; knocking on walls; through special code; or, in the film's most exquisite and arousing sequence, through a shared smoking between a hole in the wall. The film is a melodrama, literalising what Nicholas Ray made figurative - imprisonment and repression. The film, inevitably, honestly, ends as it began, with one crucial, perhaps hopeful, difference. Some men get relief from this intolerable situation through masturbation, others by mad erotic breakdancing. There are scenes which escape this hell into a kind of pastoral arcadia, where two men find happiness amidst sunny verdure. It is difficult to tell whether this sequence is a flashback, flashforward, or merely a dream (the whole thing could be the warden's fantasy), but it too eventually ends in brutality and death.

All this is shown to us from the viewpoint of the warden. His gaze, though, is explicitly fetishised - he is made complicit in what he sees. This is literalised when his arousal becomes unbearable, and he begins whipping a prisoner. The phrase 'climax of the movie' begins to take on more than one meaning.

The inmates themselves are subject to explicit fetishism - being reduced to a series of torsos, limbs, hands, members. Normally in cinema, this kind of spectacle is visited on beautiful women for the delectation of the male viewer. Here the male prisoners are treated to huge close-ups and soft lighting, like the greatest Hollywood starlet, a profoundly subversive gesture. Years before cultural studies, masculinity is systematically shown to a performance, a process of becoming.

The film is bookended with childlike Cocteauesque credits on a blackboard, as if by laying squalor and sexuality so bare and unflinchingly, Genet hopes to return us to a kind of innocence, a new way of seeing.

Anyone who has read any of the novels or plays of Jean Genet will pretty much know what to expect from 'Un Chant d'Amour'. Genet, in works like 'Miracle of the Rose', and 'The Thief's Journal' adhered admirably to the axiom to "write what you know" and drew upon his experiences of a lifetime in and out of French penitentiaries to initiate the reader into a seedy criminal underworld saturated with a poignant homo-erotic light, populated by characters who display vulnerability in their brutality and beauty in the tragic empty determinism of their lives. However, the predictability of the content of 'Un Chant d'Amour' does not detract from the film in the slightest but rather fleshes out (pun intended) Genet's poetic vision and suggests how he could have further elaborated this vision if he had made more than this single short film.

The film begins with inmates blindly attempting to pass a flower from cell to cell, and this poetic metaphor of communication serves as the conceptual heart of the film as we're introduced to a series of inmates, whose needs for expression and communication, whether it be linguistic or sexual, are routinely denied and whose unfulfilled desires becomes all encompassing and unbearable. This realm of repressed desire is overseen by the warden who peers into the cells and ogles the men, enjoying the incarceration he enacts moment-by-moment with sadistic glee, and yet whose own sexual desire is as unfulfilled as that of the prisoners and feels driven to seek consummation through abuse.

The inherent voyeuristic potential of cinema is something which would later be successfully explored by Hitchcock in films such as 'Rear Window' (1954) and 'Psycho' (1960) as well as Michael Powell in the controversial 'Peeping Tom' (1960); this movie predates the work of both and yet seems to be fully aware of its subversive positioning of the viewer as both voyeur and fetishist as the bodies of the inmates are coveted in a pornographic fashion. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that such an explicit depiction of homosexual desire has the potential to alienate some… indeed, curiously Genet himself later disowned the film on the grounds that it is too pornographic! However, begging to differ with Saint Genet, for my money the humane treatment of the characters, the carefully crafted atmosphere, and the cinematography courtesy of Jean Cocteau are easily enough to redeem 'Un Chant d'Amour' as a work of art (in a similar way to how Kenneth Anger's 1947 debut 'Fireworks' escaped a obscenity charge on the grounds of being Art).

However, this said, even at 26 minutes I still felt the film was a tad longer than it should have been and easily could have been trimmed down to be under 20 minutes. Still, what remains is both an important early cinematic exploration of male desire as well as a study of the double-edged sword of torture and solace human desire, independent of sexual orientation, can bestow.

Avant-guard film before the Avant-guard even existed, this film shows homosexual love and fantasm. Pretty mundane stuff in the cyberporn age, but scandalous at the time and the decades after. Had Jean Genet lived 20 more years, his vindication would have been complete.

One of the most memorable of short films, UN CHANT D'AMOUR is also one of the most controversial. Made by the famed gay writer, Jean Genet, it is set in a prison and features uncensored homosexual scenes which may cut a little too close to the bone for some. If, on the other hand, you're not a homophobe, this is a beautiful and cinematically wonderful experience, with the same kind of magical attraction as Jean Cocteau's ORPHEE or LA BELLE ET LA BETE. Highly recommended for people with open minds, regardless of their own personal sexual orientation.

I can't believe that all four reviews here are preoccupied by the homosexual aspect of Genet's short film. I guess being familiar with his novels - Our Lady of Flowers, Funeral Rites, etc - I took it for granted that his film would necessarily be set in a prison and involve human longing manifest in homosexual contact between inmates. Don't be fooled, though. Movies like Brokeback Mountain harp on the homosexual factor, making it a political issue that hammers the viewer over the head. Midnight Express made prison sex a pop-culture joke. Genet seems naive by comparison. It's only a vehicle for his art, though certainly a favored one, owing to fact he spent most of his life in French prisons. Anyway, the setting could function just as well as a fictional netherworld dedicated to isolation. Its a brilliant and deliberately shocking movie and shouldn't be missed by anyone.

Genet's only film is a stunner. A short glimpse into the existence of a tortured soul.It must have elicited some gasps in 1950. If I was gay I would probably watch this film every week. I'm not, so let's just say that the images will haunt me for the rest of my days...

This film by Jean Genet is a very symbolic, surrealistic, and depressing film, presenting, through a series of disturbing and highly erotic images, upsetting metaphors for our desperate human need for love and union with another, and the barriers to fulfillment.

Because Jean Genet's own sensibilities were homosexual, all the characters in the film are male, and the eroticism is more accessible to men who either share his tastes: for such men, many scenes of the film can be very arousing. For others, the film will probably open up a window into the experience, and for still others, many scenes may provoke disgust and revulsion. Again, because of Genet's own tastes, there is an element of sado-masochism mixed into the eroticism: indeed, all the characters but one are oppressed prisoners, literally in "bondage." However, aside from the unusual sensuousness of the film, and the surprising explicitness, the film is full of unforgettably great imagery, honest and deep emotion, and enormous poetic beauty. It is a very slow-moving, dark, oppressive film, and should only be viewed when the viewer is prepared for a contemplative, surrealistic journey; in spite of its short length (about 25 minutes), it is a very compact film, and can feel quite draining, emotionally.

It is a little gem, and I regard it as one of the "essentials" of film.

Imagery and metaphor as well as brutally realistic scenes. Its image of smoke through the wall has been copied in other, lesser films.

So original and daring for its time, the film still has the power to shock seventy five years later.

The power of the imagination to transcend quotidian setbacks and hurts is stunning. During the attack by the prison guard, the older prisoner fantasises about an idyllic afternoon with his beau from the next cell. When the gun is inserted it's at the moment in his mind that he finally gets to pleasure the younger man. The dank prison and the sadistic, jealous guard can't overcome desire, longing and the power of the mind.

The hand catching the flowers at the end is the final triumph. Separated but not separate, connection wins out.

...of course, that depends on what definition of "gay" you're using. In terms of "happiness", this film falls quite flat (although there is a sense of hope in the short's very final moments, specifically the second to last shot), however in terms of homosexuality, this avant garde masterpiece is quite strong. A landmark of queer cinema, "A Song of Love" is a beautiful film no matter what your sexuality (as long as you have at least a mild tolerance for penis imagery), one that conveys the powers of passion like few films ever have. It expresses ones most inner feelings and desires in a fashion that is abstract, but enjoyable and relatable. I'm not gay myself, but I can certainly identify with this film to an extent, it is like a visual representation of the great emotional toll love can have on a person, and it's brilliantly made. The cinematography, acting, lighting, camera-work, editing, and so on are all top notch, and as long as you can get into the film's experimental style, you're most likely to relish in its erotic and emotional glories.

On watching this film I was struck by the timelessness of its message and its continued relevance today. Most surprising to me was that it was made/shown in 1950, but it could easily have been made today. I'm actually rather angry that I had to stumble across this film by accident online, instead of seeing it on any of the numerous gay and short film channels or festivals. It deserves to be seen.

A lot of comments have been written noting its supposed "surrealism" and "metaphor". While that's all well and good, this is quite simply a straightforward and common story of prison loneliness (Kiss of the Spider Woman), homophobic oppression by a closet case (Outrage 2009/II), and love winning over all. Newsflash: Just because it's gay doesn't mean it's mysterious.

The only things preventing me from giving this film the full 10 ... umm ... points, are some jumpy editing, and the fact that both prisoners are knocking on their shared wall, but they are shot from the same angle so it looks like they are knocking on different walls.

Setting something of a benchmark in eroticism, and, in particular, prison-based eroticism - something that would later carry through to everything from 70's exploitation cinema to the work of Todd Haynes - Un chant d'amour (1950) remains the sole cinematic work of poet and dramatist Jean Genet. As with his writing in works such as Our Lady of the Flowers and The Thief's Journal, Un chant d'amour basks in the romanticised fantasy of lurid, low-rent subject matter; taking themes and ideas that were (and probably still remain for some viewers) incredibly controversial and approaching them from an unexpected angle, to find poetry in even the most callous of violence, or beauty in the ugliness of human behaviour. As you would expect from Genet's writing, the film is essentially a poetic-abstraction, relinquishing ideas of narrative and character to create a tone that is stylised and somewhat subjective; with the use of close ups and slow motion in particular creating a world that is part evocative, homoerotic fantasia and part metaphor for human existence.

In the film, the hellish environment of the prison becomes a hotbed for repressed sexuality and complex emotions, as both inmates and guard submit to their feelings of lust (often attached to the ideas of power and domination) that finds an escape in a surreal, claustrophobic nightmare that is punctuated by a scene of pastoral reminisce. Beyond this bold, expressive presentation, the film is also notable for its striking black and white cinematography by artist and filmmaker Jean Cocteau; so as well as being fairly daring in terms of content, it is also something of an influential work in a purely visual sense. For one, you can see the influence on a filmmaker like David Lynch, whose films Eraserhead (1976) and The Elephant Man (1980) in particular draw heavily on the influence of Cocteau's own short films, The Blood of the Poet (193?) and The Testament of Orpheus (1950), both of which share a similar look and feeling to Genet's film in question. You can also see certain thematic influences on the work of R. W. Fassbinder, whose dream project, an adaptation of Genet's Querelle de Brest (1982), would be the acclaimed German filmmaker's final film prior to his death at the age of 37.

Above all, the film should be seen as a metaphor for the nature of unrequited love in general, and not simply as a work of homoerotic fantasy. The themes of the film are universal, dealing with confinement, longing, despair, desperation and eventually escape. Genet would return to a number of these same themes with his later work, Prisoner of Love, but the visual expression of these ideas as presented in Un chant d'amour is really quite special. Yes, the film is still somewhat sexually explicit, even after fifty 50+ years on release, with the depiction of homosexual sex, abuse and expression really pushing the boundaries in terms of male, physical presentation. Regardless, it remains a truly fascinating work, both poetic and disturbing in equal measures and certainly worth experiencing for fans of both Cocteau and Genet.

This 25-minute film – included in the "Wonders In The Dark" poll of the "All-Time Top 3000 Movies" and released on PAL VHS and R2 DVD by the BFI – is highly-touted in gay circles…but therein lies its problem! It has absolutely no value outside of that fact: even if the director is a renowned French author, there is no dialogue throughout – just surprisingly explicit posturing and, well, the promotion of a 'decadent' agenda that, set within the confines of a correctional facility, insultingly suggests that everyone concerned (both prisoners and wardens) indulge in this 'alternate' form of passion! Suffice to say that, while they did not try to hide their particular inclination in their films, neither did the likes of Jean Cocteau (who reportedly shot this uncredited!), F.W. Murnau and James Whale make it the sole purpose of their oeuvre – resulting in limited appeal that can only be described, at best, as narcissistic and, at worst, alienating!

Anyway, the principal liaison comprises a young and a middle-aged convict (both extremely hirsute!), who are detained in adjacent cells: they make flowery gifts to one another through the windows and, intimately share puffs of smoke passed via a straw through a crack in the walls! Eventually, a dream-like atmosphere takes over: naked groping between the inmates, an attempted rape by one of the guardians, and even a countryside idyll between the central couple. For the record, I own three other as-yet unwatched adaptations of Genet's work: THE BALCONY (1963), THE MAIDS (1975) and QUERELLE (1982). By the way, one of the many versions available of this one on "You Tube" – which, oddly, does not require the viewer to log in beforehand (in view of the explicit content involved)! – is accompanied by an Audio Commentary, which I chose to listen to in an attempt to fathom what everyone sees in the film to begin with

A reviewer's homophobia shouldn't delegitimize a film depicting homoeroticism.

Chant d'Amour already explores homosexual paralysis in a homophobic world.

The film's wall—and its metaphorical representation of societal homophobia—obstructs the consummation of love between the two males.

Homophobia hinders love within the film; but a review of the (beautiful, provocative, original) film shouldn't be hindered by homophobia.

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the letter becomes image. the provocative images are only shadows of feelings. crumbs of a world, scenes as parts of a vision about existence. result - a film. maybe, a poem. or only parable. a film about freedom. as desire, as dream, as ladder. and extraordinary music. that is all. at first sigh. because the surrealism is just clothes for a profound story. music can be key. the year of its birth - clue. so, it is a strange dance in heart of interdiction. a cry. or a confession. it is a gay film but this definition is not really enough. because it can be a letter or testimony about each love story out of society rules. touching, cruel, shadow from another time. and way to discover an interesting writer. his universe, his expectations, his courage to say his truth.

Eroticism. music. voyerism. a sort of dialogue. and the map of entire worlds. a film inspired strange states. because each viewer discovers it from different perspective. as homoerotic poem. as provocative. as work of Jean Genet and that fact impose a sort of respect. as a form of pornography. as an early short movie from a long history of a minority. more important, itssavage beauty. proposing nothing except solitude, desire and the sketch of freedom.