A poetic, spiritual film exploring with elegance and simplicity the great human dilemmas in the context of one of 20th Century's France's greatest challenges -- the Occupation.
Leon Morin, Priest (1961)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:12
Fresh:11
Rotten:1
Average Rating:7.6/10
Theatrical Release:Nov 30, 1999 Limited
Synopsis: Jean-Paul Belmondo (BREATHLESS) stars in this film as Leon Morin, a handsome young priest who captures the attention of an attractive and flirtatious young widow named Barny (Riva). A communist and... Jean-Paul Belmondo (BREATHLESS) stars in this film as Leon Morin, a handsome young priest who captures the attention of an attractive and flirtatious young widow named Barny (Riva). A communist and an agnostic, Barny enters Morin's church on a whim one day and engages him in a conversation during which she severely criticizes his faith. Intrigued by his replies, Barny develops a relationship with the priest that both approach with some apprehension, though Morin does what he can to try and set Barny on the right path. [More]
Starring: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Emmanuelle Riva
Starring: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Emmanuelle Riva
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville
Screenwriter: Jean-Pierre Melville
Story: Beatrix Beck
Composer: Martial Solai, Albert Raisner
Studio: Rialto Pictures
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Reviews for Leon Morin, Priest
Not an unqualified success, the film remains strong for its performances, its inventive editing and framing, and its evocative rendering of the French occupation.
A fascinating, unexpected movie that fans of French film in general, and Melville in particular, will not want to miss
This extraordinary drama doesn’t just play games with sexual disorientation and philosophical argument; it’s also implicitly about life turned upside down.
Melville's eye for exacting detail here is expected. What is remarkable is the depth of feeling he exacts from the juxtaposition of these ordinary moments with their extraordinary context.
It’s a giddy bit of blasphemy to see Jean-Paul Belmondo dressed in priest’s garb.
Tale [from Beatrix Beck's 1952 novel] of a young agnostic woman's conversion to Catholicism and her physical love for a priest during the Nazi occupation of France is handled with tact and talent.
The result is a movie that moves with the diamond-cut precision and carefully constricting tension of Melville's trademark gangland sagas, the precious booty here being nothing less than the human soul.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
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| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
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