After my mostly stellar week of rentals in the first week of November, week 2 was a somewhat iffy, though by no means bad, follow-up. My recent string of French film viewings continued with two classics, both of which left curious impressions on me:
Murmur of the Heart (1971) dir. Louis Malle:
It's hard to accuse Malle of doing the same thing twice. This is my third film of his, and it couldn't be more different than the previous two: adultery thriller Elevator to the Gallows and WWII coming-of-age tale (and masterpiece) Au Revoirs Les Enfants. In Murmur of the Heart, Malle once again focuses on a young male protagonist, but one of a very different nature. Where Au Revoir's protagonist was far from grown up (both in age and experience) and loses his innocence without choice, Murmur's is desperately trying to rid himself of innocence. Laurent Chevalier, youngest son of a bourgeois family, is trying his best to lose his virginity, but various and sundry obstacles keep getting in they way, including his older brothers. While Malle's story here is less overtly eventful, he still has a skill for keeping your attention, even in a low-key manner. The scenes with the brothers ring true, as does the portrayal of young boys trying to make themselves feel like adults. The problem, though, is simply that the film is just a little too long for its own good. Boring? Not at all. In need of some trimming here and there? Yes. The film's stronger second half, focusing mostly on the boy's relationship with his loving but unfaithful mother, could have arrived sooner, and we could be spared some of the three brothers' obnoxious antics; after a while it stops being interesting. Not a bad film. Actually quite the opposite. It's a very understated and mature work, complete with a surprisingly scandalous ending, but it just doesn't feel as accomplished as the other two Malle films that I've seen.
Grade: B/B+
Le Samourai (1967) dir. Jean-Pierre Melville:
Let me make one thing perfectly clear: I have no problem with slow "minimalist" movies. That said, I just couldn't get into Melville's supposed masterpiece about a usually perfect hitman (Alain Delon) who finally makes a mistake. The problem for me is that the film's dialogue is often too functional, while the quieter moments feel empty as opposed to introspective. Alain Delon's stoic gaze, while appropriate for the character, fails to communicate whatever feelings or thoughts Melville was trying to get across. And unlike Murmur of the Heart, Melville's film did cross the dreaded line into boredom, and on multiple occasions. Not that there aren't things to like. The opening that leads up to the kill that sets off the story proper is wonderfully composed and structured. Unfortunately, once Delon's Jef Costello is identified as a possible suspect, the film loses the quiet magnetism that it had before. The result leaves the plot's minimal bursts of violence without impact or tension, and the poetically designed/written ending without real poetry. An interesting work with a handful of moments, but otherwise a well-made disappointment.
Grade: B-
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