Murmur of the Heart
Encyclopedia
Murmur of the Heart is a 1971 French film
by French director Louis Malle
that tells a coming of age
story about a 14-year-old boy growing up in bourgeois surroundings in post-World War II
Dijon
, France
. The film proved to be a box office success across Europe
, gaining 2,652,870 admissions in France
, and even 62,172 admissions in Hungary
. The film was also a modest hit in the United States
, grossing US$1,160,784.
after a bout of scarlet fever
, he goes with his mother to a sanatorium
, where a series of circumstances lead to a sexual encounter with his mother. Jazz music by Charlie Parker
and Dizzy Gillespie
, along with books by Bataille, Proust and Camus
, feature prominently in the film.
. It was also in competition, in the French part of the official selection, at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival
.
Interview - archive.org http://www.archive.org/details/InterviewWithLouisMalle
Cinema of France
The Cinema of France comprises the art of film and creative movies made within the nation of France or by French filmmakers abroad.France is the birthplace of cinema and was responsible for many of its early significant contributions. Several important cinematic movements, including the Nouvelle...
by French director Louis Malle
Louis Malle
Louis Malle was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer. He worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. His films include Ascenseur pour l'échafaud , Atlantic City , and Au revoir, les enfants .- Early years in France :Malle was born into a wealthy industrialist family in Thumeries,...
that tells a coming of age
Coming of age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from childhood to adulthood. The age at which this transition takes place varies in society, as does the nature of the transition. It can be a simple legal convention or can be part of a ritual, as practiced by many societies...
story about a 14-year-old boy growing up in bourgeois surroundings in post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The film proved to be a box office success across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, gaining 2,652,870 admissions in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and even 62,172 admissions in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. The film was also a modest hit in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, grossing US$1,160,784.
Synopsis
The film starts by showing the adventures of the boy in school and his first sexual experience at a brothel. When the boy is found to have a heart murmurHeart murmur
Murmurs are extra heart sounds that are produced as a result of turbulent blood flow that is sufficient to produce audible noise. Most murmurs can only be heard with the assistance of a stethoscope ....
after a bout of scarlet fever
Scarlet fever
Scarlet fever is a disease caused by exotoxin released by Streptococcus pyogenes. Once a major cause of death, it is now effectively treated with antibiotics...
, he goes with his mother to a sanatorium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
, where a series of circumstances lead to a sexual encounter with his mother. Jazz music by Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
and Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, along with books by Bataille, Proust and Camus
Albert Camus
Albert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...
, feature prominently in the film.
Cast
- Lea MassariLea MassariAnna Maria Massetani better known as Lea Massari is an Italian actress.She was born Anna Maria Massetani in Rome, but when she was 22, she changed her name to Lea Massari after the death of her fiancé Leo...
– Clara Chevalier - Benoît FerreuxBenoît FerreuxBenoît Ferreux is a French film and television actor who is possibly best recalled for his role in the 1971 film Murmur of the Heart....
– Laurent Chevalier - Daniel GélinDaniel GélinDaniel Yves Alfred Gélin was a French actor, occasional director and screenwriter.-Early life:Gélin was born in Angers, Maine-et-Loire. When he was 10 his family moved to Saint-Malo where Daniel went to college until he was expelled for 'uncouthness'. His father then found him a job in a shop that...
– Charles Chevalier - Michael LonsdaleMichael LonsdaleMichael Lonsdale , sometimes billed as Michel Lonsdale, is a French actor who has appeared in over 180 films and television shows....
– Father Henri - Ave NinchiAve NinchiAve Ninchi was an Italian supporting actress who played character roles on stage, television, and in over 98 feature films that included Tomorrow Is Too Late and Louis Malle's Lacombe Lucien . She has worked with some of Italy's top movie stars, including Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni,...
– Augusta - Fabien Ferreux – Thomas Chevalier
- Marc Winocourt – Marc Chevalier
- Gila von WeitershausenGila von WeitershausenBaroness Gila von Weitershausen is a German actress. Born in Trebnitz, , Lower Silesia, Germany into an aristocratic family, she has three brothers and two sister and is the great-granddaughter of Georg Graf von Hertling....
– Freda
Nominations
Murmur of the Heart was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 1973 Academy AwardsAcademy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
. It was also in competition, in the French part of the official selection, at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival
1971 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Michèle Morgan *Pierre Billard *Michael Birkett *Anselmo Duarte *István Gaál *Sergio Leone *Aleksandar Petrović *Maurice Rheims *Erich Segal...
.
External links
Interview - archive.org http://www.archive.org/details/InterviewWithLouisMalle