- Murmur of the Heart
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Murmur of the Heart
Theatrical release posterDirected by Louis Malle Produced by Vincent Malle
Claude NedjarWritten by Louis Malle Starring Benoît Ferreux,
Lea MassariMusic by Gaston Frèche
Charlie Parker
Henri RenaudCinematography Ricardo Aronovich Editing by Suzanne Baron Distributed by Orion Classics Release date(s) April 28, 1971(France)
October 20, 1971(Italy)Running time 118 minutes Country France
Italy
West GermanyLanguage French Murmur of the Heart (French: Le souffle au cœur) 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.
Contents
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 murmur 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.
Cast
- Lea Massari – Clara Chevalier
- Benoît Ferreux – Laurent Chevalier
- Daniel Gélin – Charles Chevalier
- Michael Lonsdale – Father Henri
- Ave Ninchi – Augusta
- Fabien Ferreux – Thomas Chevalier
- Marc Winocourt – Marc Chevalier
- Gila von Weitershausen – Freda
Nominations
Murmur of the Heart was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 1973 Academy Awards. It was also in competition, in the French part of the official selection, at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival.[1]
References
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: Murmur of the Heart". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/2412/year/1971.html. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
External links
- Murmur of the Heart at the Internet Movie Database
- Murmur of the Heart at AllRovi
- Criterion Collection essay by Michael Sragow
Interview - archive.org [1]
Films directed by Louis Malle Feature films Elevator to the Gallows · The Lovers · Zazie dans le Métro · A Very Private Affair · The Fire Within · Viva Maria! · The Thief of Paris · Murmur of the Heart · Lacombe, Lucien · Black Moon · Pretty Baby (1978) · Atlantic City (1981) · My Dinner with Andre (1981) · Crackers (1984) · Alamo Bay (1985) · Au revoir les enfants (1987) · May Fools · Damage (1992) · Vanya on 42nd Street (1994)
Short films Crazeologie · Station 307 · Histoires extraordinaires (segment "William Wilson")
Documentaries The Silent World (with Jacques Cousteau) · Vive le Tour · Calcutta · Humain, trop humain · Place de la république · Close Up
Television Bons baisers de Bangkok · Phantom India · Dominique Sanda ou Le rêve éveillé · God's Country · And the Pursuit of Happiness
Categories:- French-language films
- 1971 films
- French films
- 1970s comedy films
- Coming-of-age films
- Sex comedy films
- Films set in the 20th century
- Films directed by Louis Malle
- Incest in fiction
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