Les anges du péché (1943)

Rich young Anne-Marie thinks she has found her vocation when she joins a Dominican convent as a novice. The convent specialises in rehabilitating female prisoners, and Anne-Marie becomes ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Bresson

Writers:

Robert Bresson (scenario), Raymond Leopold Bruckberger (scenario) (as R.L. Bruckberger 'dominicain')

Stars:

Renée Faure, Jany Holt, Sylvie

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Renée Faure	...	Anne-Marie Lamaury
Jany Holt	...	Thérèse
Sylvie	...	La prieure
Mila Parély	...	Madeleine
Marie-Hélène Dasté	...	Mère Saint-Jean
Yolande Laffon	...	Madame Lamaury
Paula Dehelly	...	Mère Dominique
Silvia Monfort	...	Agnès
Gilberte Terbois	...	Soeur Marie-Josèphe
Louis Seigner	...	Le directeur de la prison
Georges Colin	...	Le chef de la P.J.
Geneviève Morel	...	Soeur Berthe
Christiane Barry	...	Soeur Blaise
Jean Morel	...	L'inspecteur de police
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jacqueline Champi	...	Une religieuse

Storyline

Rich young Anne-Marie thinks she has found her vocation when she joins a Dominican convent as a novice. The convent specialises in rehabilitating female prisoners, and Anne-Marie becomes especially fascinated with Therese, trying to get her to join the convent to redeem her for her sins - but Therese protests her innocence. However, when released, Therese shoots the man who committed the crime for which she was imprisoned, then joins the convent, where she is reluctant to tell anyone her secret, least of all Anne-Marie. Meanwhile, outside the convent, a police search is widening...

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Plot Keywords:

convent | police | novice | burning photograph | burning letter | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

16 January 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los ángeles del pecado

Company Credits

Production Co:

Synops

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First feature film directed by Robert Bresson.

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Connections

Referenced in 2 x 50 Years of French Cinema (1995)

User Reviews

Nuns story

This first Bresson effort has not worn well.The director himself did not like it,and it is sure easy to see why.A non -French audience will not notice it,but the actresses here are professional,some of them were stars of the era.The great Sylvie,Renée Faure,Jany Holt were famous in France when they starred in "les Anges du Péché" .Some were to become ,like Silvia Montfort,whose whining acting is in direct contrast to everything RB would do afterward .

Can today's audience relate to those characters?I have my doubts.This is an excellent documentary : a nun's life is no laughing party (for that matter,see also Zinnemann's "a nun's story" and Alain Cavalier's "Thérese").But the nun from the bourgeoisie who tries to redeem a criminal 's soul will not convince anybody,unless he absolutely loves the director.

It's little more than a Sulpician melodrama.