Murmur of the Heart (1971)

In the end of the first Indochina War, an open-minded teenage boy finds himself between the urge to discover love and the ever-present, dominating affection of his mother.

Director:

Louis Malle

Writer:

Louis Malle

Stars:

Lea Massari, Benoît Ferreux, Daniel Gélin

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lea Massari	...	Clara Chevalier
Benoît Ferreux	...	Laurent Chevalier
Daniel Gélin	...	Charles Chevalier
Michael Lonsdale	...	Father Henri
Ave Ninchi	...	Augusta
Gila von Weitershausen	...	Freda (the prostitute)
Fabien Ferreux	...	Thomas
Marc Winocourt	...	Marc
Micheline Bona	...	Aunt Claudine
Henri Poirier	...	Uncle Leonce
Liliane Sorval	...	Fernande
Corinne Kersten	...	Daphne
Eric Walter
François Werner	...	Hubert
René Bouloc	...	Man at Bastille Day party

Storyline

This is a jolly coming-of-age story about a 14-year-old boy named Laurent Chevalier who is growing up in bourgeois surroundings in Dijon, France. This is France in the mid-1950s rather than America in the 1990s. Thus, Laurent is unharmed by events which would irreparably shatter the self-esteem of a modern American adolescent: he gets drunk, he smokes, he has sex, he is smothered by his mother, he is ignored by his father, a priest makes a pass at him, he gets rheumatoid fever, etc. There's enough scandalous behavior in this film to make 100 made-for-TV movies, and yet this is a very happy and oddly innocent tale.

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Plot Keywords:

mother son incest | sex | dijon | priest | coming of age | 

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Taglines:

Who Would Have Thought a Film About Incest Could Be So Warm, So Fresh and So Funny?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Arte boutique [France]

Country:

France Italy West Germany

Language:

French Italian

Release Date:

17 October 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Murmur of the Heart

Filming Locations:

Dijon, Côte-d'Or, France

Box Office

Gross:

$1,200,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nouvelles Éditions de Films (NEF), Marianne Productions, Vides Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Writer/director Louis Malle based many aspects of the protagonist Laurent's life on his own experiences growing up. This included his love of jazz, curiosity about literature, the "tyranny" of his two older brothers who tried to introduce him to sex, and having a heart murmur. However, Malle grew up in the 1930's and 40's, not the 50's as Laurent does.

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Goofs

In the opening sequence, Laurent and his friend walk the streets collecting money for charity. Laurent's friend's socks are pushed down, but when they decide to "try somewhere else," the shot of the two walking away shows the socks pulled up. In the next shot, they're down again.

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Quotes

Laurent's Red Cross friend: Did you hear Jelly Roll on the radio yesterday? There was a fantastic piano solo.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: White Man's Burden/Last Summer in the Hamptons/Wild Bill/The Journey of August King/Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995)

User Reviews

delightful, funny, touching classic

Laurent is the youngest, smartest, most sensitive of three boys in a wild bourgeois French family. His brothers are amoral and hysterical. His father could not be more uptight. And his mother is full of laughter, beautiful and irresistible.

The brothers drink, steal, and even replace a valuable original painting just so they can watch their father's reaction when they casually start cutting it to pieces during dinner.

This is the ultimate French counterculture movie. Somehow the way Laurent pleases himself with books and bebop recordings is simultaneously sophisticated and innocent.

The Charlie Parker score is mesmerizing. Some people won't get it. Others will find it evokes everything wonderful about growing up and discovering yourself.