Sundays and Cybele (1962)
"Les dimanches de Ville d'Avray" (original title)

After killing a child on a routine bombing mission in Vietnam, Pierre suffers from delayed stress and partial amnesia. Returning to France, he lives like a vegetable until he meets a young ... See full summary »

Director:

Serge Bourguignon

Writers:

Serge Bourguignon (scenario), Antoine Tudal (scenario),

Stars:

Hardy Krüger, Nicole Courcel, Patricia Gozzi

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Hardy Krüger	...	Pierre
Nicole Courcel	...	Madeleine
Patricia Gozzi	...	Françoise / Cybèle
Daniel Ivernel	...	Carlos
André Oumansky	...	Bernard
Anne-Marie Coffinet	...	Françoise II
René Clermont	...	Le facteur
Malka Ribowska	...	La voyante (as Malka Ribovska)
Michel de Ré	...	Fiacre
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
France Anglade	...	Lulu
Florence Blot
Paul Bonifas
Serge Bourguignon	...	Le cavalier
Alain Bouvette	...	L'employé de gare
Renée Duchateau	...	L'épicière

Storyline

After killing a child on a routine bombing mission in Vietnam, Pierre suffers from delayed stress and partial amnesia. Returning to France, he lives like a vegetable until he meets a young girl who has been dumped by her father at a boarding school. Posing as her father, Pierre contrives to meet the girl every Sunday, to play with her and perhaps recover his memory. The innocent friendship is misread by nearly everyone, even people who know Pierre well. A classic of old French art films.

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Plot Keywords:

amnesia | post traumatic stress | betrayal | veteran | innocence | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

France Austria

Language:

French

Release Date:

23 November 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cybele

Filming Locations:

Paris Studios Cinéma, Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fidès, Les Films Trocadero, Orsay Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in The 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Adaggio, for Organ and Orchestra"
Music by Tomaso Albinoni (as d'Albignon)

User Reviews

This film has haunted me since college...

It is a terrible pity that this wonderful film is not on DVD. Alas, had Serge Bourgoinon gone on to make more films of equal quality it would be remembered alongside "Jules and Jim" instead of being just a footnote. The earlier poster who noted that it is precisely because he and Patricia Gozzi were meteors who cooled quickly that this film is forgotten was absolutely right.

Another point is the haunting Maurice Jarre "We're Home" theme. So much of his later soundtrack music was bombastic that is astonishing to find a simple, poignant melody used here to evoke the tenderness, beauty, and vulnerability of the world that these two are able to create in the park.