To a secular eye, Jean-Pierre Melville’s sixth feature film, Léon Morin, Priest (1961), is about almost anything except religion: the deleterious effects of sexual repression, the moral bleariness of wartime and life under occupation, the harsh inflections of history in ordinary lives. [font=Century Gothic]In "Leon Morin, Priest," Barny(Emmanuelle Riva) has a crush on Sabine(Nicole Mirel), the office manager at the correspondence school where she works. Set during occupied France, a faithless woman finds herself falling in love with a young priest. He speaks of an elitist God who loves everybody but keeps certain things in secret for the concept of faith to acquire a meaning. Highly Recommended, especially if you are a Melville fan! What is remarkable is the depth of feeling he exacts from the juxtaposition of these ordinary moments with their extraordinary context. The trio proceed to plot an elaborate heist. | Rating: 8/10 So, she and some of her friends work together to get their children of Communists and Jews baptized. Don't have an account? Melville's extraordinary excursion into Bressonian territory, set in a provincial town during the World War II German Occupation of France. The lovely Riva is exquisite as the subdued yet emotional young lady and Belmondo gives a respectful, restrained performance as well. As spiritual guardian of his tiny French town during the Nazi occupation, priest Leon Morin is convinced that anyone can be saved. 1941 in a small town in Nazi occupied France. In World War II, the widow Barny sees the Italian soldiers arriving in occupied Saint Bernard while walking to her job. All Critics (23) However, I do think there is more to Barny's infatuation with Sabine than simply that.[/font]. A peculiar combination of intellectual and instinctive, but it works beautifully. Barny, although a Marxist, is intrigued by the mysteries of religion. Well, I actually believe she does, but lives in frustration for not being able to understand and believe in an intangible God. There are no approved quotes yet for this movie. Film. Leon Morin, Priest is a 1961 film from France directed by Jean-Pierre Melville.. Barny (Emmanuelle Riva) is a widow living with her young daughter France during World War II, in an unnamed village somewhere in Italian-occupied France (so, the southeastern corner of the country).The time under Italian occupation is not that onerous, as no one takes the comic-opera Italians very seriously. The percentage of Approved Tomatometer Critics who have given this movie a positive review. This is Melville at his most dramatically straightforward and emotionally mature. In World War II, the widow Barny sees the Italian soldiers arriving in occupied Saint Bernard while walking to her job. Otherwise, Barny has only ridicule for the Catholic Church and she decides to play a joke on one of the priests. |, September 8, 2014 | Rating: 4/5 During World War II, Italian soldiers are occupying Saint Bernard, a small French community. We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future. The ceremony reminds Barny of the absurdity of religion, and inspires her to pick a fight with parish priest Leon (Jean-Paul Belmondo). Maybe she took this path as the easiest way to make a sense out of her life. “Léon Morin, Priest,” an erotically charged tale of occupied France by Jean-Pierre Melville, is revived in a new digital restoration. Title: His beliefs are contradictory, often carrying some weight of intellectualism over the true doctrine of God's Word, but often criticizing the purely empirical obtention of knowledge, and therefore denying epistemological philosophy as the most proper doctrine to find God in this earthly life. Barny converts to the Catholicism and becomes closer to Léon, feeling an unrequited desire for him. His beliefs are contradictory, often carrying some weight of intellectualism over the true doctrine of God's Word, but often criticizing the purely empirical obtention of knowledge, and therefore denying epistemological philosophy as the most proper doctrine to find God in this earthly life. "Léon Morin, Prêtre" stands out in Jean Pierre Melville's body of work. Barny lives with her daughter and works correcting tests and feels a great attraction toward her boss Sabine. | Rating: 3/4 MORIN But Leon Morin(Jean-Paul Belmondo) is not who she expects and speaks to her on her level. So, when communist militant Barny barges into his church and tears his religion apart, he reacts with compassion. I'll just also mention the interesting cinematography with interesting shots and Henri Decaë's great photography. After leaving prison, master thief Corey crosses paths with a notorious escapee and an alcoholic former policeman. Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. You're almost there! In Léon Morin, prêtre (1961; Leon Morin, Priest), for example, a sequence of harsh chords represents the German occupation forces, and a dancing bugle motif represents the Italian troops.Organ music is used in scenes showing the heroine with the priest in church, piano music when they are in his… Read More It is a different kind of cadence and rhythm developing its own sense of a world and the related themes to go with it. The atheist Barny decides to baptize her daughter to protect her and chooses priest Léon Morin to discuss with him themes related to religion and Catholicism and Léon lends books to her. The atheist Barny decides to baptize her daughter to protect her and chooses priest Léon Morin to discuss with him themes related to religion and Catholicism and Léon lends books to her. [/font] Melville films the religious dialectics with remarkable but dispassionate skill, and he uses the story of Barny and Morin to skew the postwar political context ... [Jean-Paul Belmondo is] a broken-nosed devil in disguise, and in Jean-Pierre Melville's masterpiece, religious dogma is his weapon of choice. One event leads to another, until she meets the priest, Léon Morin, in what is for her a subconscious attempt of confession, even if she consciously denies it. Barny then decides to start discussing with Morin themes about religion, the human condition and the existence of God. b) As mentioned, he had intense feelings for Morin. Emmanuelle Riva is Emmanuelle Riva, immaculately beautiful with eyes so bright they speak a language unto themselves. Léon Morin, Priest The Time Out New York Project: Issue #707, April 16-April 22, 2009 Set in an occupied French town during WW2, with convincing period detail, Emanuelle Riva plays the widowed mother, who stumbles upon Jean Paul Belmondo's Catholic priest and over the course of the film starts to question herself. She decides to hide the girl on a nearby farm and have her baptized as a cover. Jean-Pierre Melville's quietly affecting film-and Emmanuelle Riva's performance-deserve rediscovery. Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! This FAQ is empty. Just confirm how you got your ticket. Melville here wears his Bresson influence on his sleeve and proves he can successfully stray from the crime drama. An account of underground resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied France. Jean-Paul Belmondo delivers a subtly sensual performance in the hot-under-the-collar Léon Morin, Priest (Léon Morin, prêtre), directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. Was this review helpful to you? Curzon, BFI Player, Mubi reveal latest viewing data during UK lockdown, 1960's Movies (1960'lı Yılların Filmleri). | Rating: 5/6 When the Germans arrive, she decides to baptize her and chooses priest Léon Morin to do so; after spending some time with him and converting to Catholicism, she starts feeling an unrequited desire for Léon. Sign up here. We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your account. With no marital love, no family support, confusion because of her attraction to her female boss, atheism, and her increasing feelings towards Morin, she felt cornered. Morin is a sincere priest who is prepared to accept a posting in a remote district where no one will be interested in his books. She is an atheist. Time Out says. 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