I intervene surgically on my original comment to announce that this film, over and above appearing frequently on a certain number of French TV channels since December 2009, hast just been ISSUED ON DVD (yes, you heard right !!)in France. The DVD only has a French Audio soundtrack but there are optional French AND English subtitles which should henceforth make it accessible to anglo-saxon enthousiasts of French cinema. The quality of the film is a slight improvement on the version I saw in 1983 but we are not talking here of a pristine restoration job ! Indeed, the beginning and end credits seem no different from the former version but the body of the film seems to have been "cleaned up" although the audio is no great shakes. The two main protagonists, Gérard Philipe and Micheline Presle, were two of the finest French actors of their day. The film distills a truly weird atmosphere where parts of the soundtrack are played backwards to indicate flashbacks - the music played during the funeral scenes, sung by a sort of wailing choir, must rank amongst the weirdest and most sinister music I've ever heard in a film. The sheer insignificance of Marthe's death in relation to the overall joy at the Armistice being signed is striking. Gérard Philippe is experiencing internal sadness which is incomprehensible for the rest of the world around him. It appears that the original book by Raymond Radiguet caused quite a scandal at the time.The title theme music by René Cloarec is quite haunting and is available on a CD. A remake was made in the late 90's but is not a patch on the original. The film starts with an aeroplane overflying Eastern Paris and several well known buildings such as the Gare de Lyon are instantly recognizeable ! Most of the action, the situation of the school and the boat trip takes place at Nogent-sur-Marne, a few miles east of Paris in the guinguette country.
10 Reviews
Autant- Lara's career path
dbdumonteil1 September 2007
Fact 1:Claude Autant-Lara's mother was a pacifist activist.She was a thespian of la Comedy Française and she was fired because of her opinions in WW1.She was even jailed.
When it was released,"le Diable au Corps" caused a scandal;well-meaning people were saying that the Army ,the Red Cross,the soldiers and their wives were dragged through the mud.Autant Lara was a rebel at the time:conformism was not his way ,as such works as "Douce" had already shown.Raymond Radiguet's novel was tailor made for him.
Gerard Philipe was too old for the part:he was supposed to be 17,and he was actually born the same year as his co-star Micheline Presles!That's why such lines as "When you're young,I'll be old" cannot be taken too seriously by those who know the two French actors.But anyway Philippe's youthful looks can delude people quite well.
The film is a long flashback,with a prologue ,a scene in the middle of the film and an epilogue in the present.François attends her lover's funeral .Autant-Lara ,who was first a film editor ,makes the best of the sound effects and the fuzziness of the pictures when he introduces the three long flashbacks.This woman was married to a soldier gone to war.
Lines have warned us before the cast and credits;in brief,this is par excellence a romantic movie;some scenes are quite remarkable:
-The lovers in front of the fireplace,then boating on the lake where they are not sheltered from the outside world .
-The landing-stage ,which plays a prominent part in the story:when she leaves,it may be the last goodbye;the night they pretend they did not come to the rendezvous (and they both did).
FACT2: in the late fifties ,A.L.,who had not yet lost his bite,planned to make a movie about a burning subject:the contentious objector "Tu ne tueras Point".Gerard Philippe had agreed to play the lead,but he died before the movie could begin to be filmed (the censorship was harsh in the Algeria War years)and was replaced by Laurent Terzieff.
As an user points out,"Le Diable Au Corps" seems to have vanished into thin air.It has not been screened for years (more than 20 years).Is it because of the remake?Or like "Tu ne Tueras Point" which was never broadcast,is the subject still too scandalous?
FACT 3:A.L could never get over the Nouvelle Vague's (and others)attacks and if my memory serves me well,he gave some of his works to the Swiss government -"cause there(France) they ignore me,they despise me"-As an user wrote,he did support the far right wing circa 1980 till his death.(in spite of such works as "Le Franciscain de Bourges" (1967) an extraordinary performance by Hardy Kruger playing a Nazi priest,a saint in a living hell)
When it was released,"le Diable au Corps" caused a scandal;well-meaning people were saying that the Army ,the Red Cross,the soldiers and their wives were dragged through the mud.Autant Lara was a rebel at the time:conformism was not his way ,as such works as "Douce" had already shown.Raymond Radiguet's novel was tailor made for him.
Gerard Philipe was too old for the part:he was supposed to be 17,and he was actually born the same year as his co-star Micheline Presles!That's why such lines as "When you're young,I'll be old" cannot be taken too seriously by those who know the two French actors.But anyway Philippe's youthful looks can delude people quite well.
The film is a long flashback,with a prologue ,a scene in the middle of the film and an epilogue in the present.François attends her lover's funeral .Autant-Lara ,who was first a film editor ,makes the best of the sound effects and the fuzziness of the pictures when he introduces the three long flashbacks.This woman was married to a soldier gone to war.
Lines have warned us before the cast and credits;in brief,this is par excellence a romantic movie;some scenes are quite remarkable:
-The lovers in front of the fireplace,then boating on the lake where they are not sheltered from the outside world .
-The landing-stage ,which plays a prominent part in the story:when she leaves,it may be the last goodbye;the night they pretend they did not come to the rendezvous (and they both did).
- Marthe's coffin taken out of the church,when the crowd cries out of joy ,rejoices and applauds.Is it to celebrate the Armistice or to the adulteress 'death."Now,it's women's turn to die" a man yells.
FACT2: in the late fifties ,A.L.,who had not yet lost his bite,planned to make a movie about a burning subject:the contentious objector "Tu ne tueras Point".Gerard Philippe had agreed to play the lead,but he died before the movie could begin to be filmed (the censorship was harsh in the Algeria War years)and was replaced by Laurent Terzieff.
As an user points out,"Le Diable Au Corps" seems to have vanished into thin air.It has not been screened for years (more than 20 years).Is it because of the remake?Or like "Tu ne Tueras Point" which was never broadcast,is the subject still too scandalous?
FACT 3:A.L could never get over the Nouvelle Vague's (and others)attacks and if my memory serves me well,he gave some of his works to the Swiss government -"cause there(France) they ignore me,they despise me"-As an user wrote,he did support the far right wing circa 1980 till his death.(in spite of such works as "Le Franciscain de Bourges" (1967) an extraordinary performance by Hardy Kruger playing a Nazi priest,a saint in a living hell)
My favourite film of all time
c-seamarks10 August 2006
This was on BBC television, dubbed into English, in the early sixties. No other film has had quite the same effect. I remember begging my father not to start watching the film as it was already 10.15 p.m. and we had to get up the next day for school and work respectively. In the end we were totally captivated by the harrowing story of a young man (Gérard Philipe) who causes the death, through adultery, of the wife of a serving WW1 soldier.
Particularly memorable is the use of flashbacks, introduced by the eerie sound of church bells winding down, as one might slow down a gramophone record, and the historical background, including a scene of premature celebration of the end of the war.
It is sad that the director, Claude Autant-Lara, turned out to be the French equivalent of a Nazi, and you wonder if that fact has led to a virtual embargo on the film, and that is why it seems to have disappeared. That is a pity. If that criterion were applied to works of art in general then a number of books or pieces of music, or whatever, would be banned because of the activities or opinions of their creators. 'Devil in the Flesh' is a shattering masterpiece, and deserves to be seen again. It is my favourite film of all time.
Particularly memorable is the use of flashbacks, introduced by the eerie sound of church bells winding down, as one might slow down a gramophone record, and the historical background, including a scene of premature celebration of the end of the war.
It is sad that the director, Claude Autant-Lara, turned out to be the French equivalent of a Nazi, and you wonder if that fact has led to a virtual embargo on the film, and that is why it seems to have disappeared. That is a pity. If that criterion were applied to works of art in general then a number of books or pieces of music, or whatever, would be banned because of the activities or opinions of their creators. 'Devil in the Flesh' is a shattering masterpiece, and deserves to be seen again. It is my favourite film of all time.
Satan Never Sleeps
writers_reign22 March 2007
Warning: Spoilers
There are - or were - probably aspiring directors who would kill for a CV like that of Claude Autant-Lara, littered as it is with such gems as Fric Frac, Douce, L'Auberge Rouge, Marguerite de la nuit, Le Ble en herbe and La Traversee de Paris to name only a handful, yet Le Diable au corps is a strong contender for his masterpiece. In the Radiguez novel the boy is several years younger than the woman and whilst Gerard Philippe and Micheline Presle were the same age - both 25 when the film was made - this is irrelevant such is the luminosity of the acting. It is doubtful whether Micheline Presle ever did anything to eclipse this despite a long and distinguished acting career. Thankfully she is still with us and still gracing the screen via cameos in her highly talented writer-director daughter, Tonie Marshall's often brilliant films whilst co-star Gerard Philippe died tragically young. Autant-Lara skillfully blends drama and lyricism and one would go a long way to find the equivalent of the scene on the river with Presle at the oars in striped jacket and picture hat as Philippe relaxes with his head on her lap. The moral climate of the time probably played its part in dictating the shot where the couple first consummate their love, the camera panning away from them and lingering on a fire which slowly bursts into full flame and a subsequent scene is shot from behind the fireplace with the flames rising gently between us, the audience, and their faces in close up. Autant-Lara uses the fire for a third time when the camera pans from Presle's death-bed to that same fire as the flames slowly dwindle to nothing. Equally inventive is Lara's handling of flashbacks which are invariably triggered via bells winding down whilst Presle's first appearance - she materializes out of a mirror into which Philippe is gazing - arguably owes something to Cocteau. This is, quite simply, a stunning film and cannot be recommended too highly.
Sublime.
brogmiller25 February 2024
This brilliant adaptation by Jean Aurenche and Pierre Bost of eighteen year old Raymond Radiguet's controversial novel published shortly before his death of typhoid fever, provoked no less a scandal when first released, being described by self-appointed guardians of morality as 'sordid, suggestive' and even 'a flood of filth'. Such opinions of course only served to increase public interest, the film gained international recognition and established Gérard Philippe as THE romantic actor of his generation.
The exceptionally gifted Philippe initially expressed reluctance to play Francois as he felt that he was too old for the role. He succeeds however in portraying the turmoil of adolescence and to have cast an immature teenage actor in the part would have been unthinkable. His leading lady, Micheline Presle, although roughly the same age, has a maturity way beyond her years and this exquisite artiste's performance as Marthe is deeply touching. Great support is provided by Denise Grey and the always-good-value Jean Debucourt.
Always one to challenge conventional morality, this is arguably Claude Autant-Lara's finest achievement, aided immeasurably by Michel Kelber's somber cinematography, Max Douy's atmospheric sets, René Cloerec's passionate score and the screenplay by Aurenche and Bost which depicts this love affair as 'a sand castle which the tide will carry away.'
Best to leave the final words to the director: "It was not an easy film to make but we claim the merit of handling the story without flinching."
Micheline Presle(1922-2024) "May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."
The exceptionally gifted Philippe initially expressed reluctance to play Francois as he felt that he was too old for the role. He succeeds however in portraying the turmoil of adolescence and to have cast an immature teenage actor in the part would have been unthinkable. His leading lady, Micheline Presle, although roughly the same age, has a maturity way beyond her years and this exquisite artiste's performance as Marthe is deeply touching. Great support is provided by Denise Grey and the always-good-value Jean Debucourt.
Always one to challenge conventional morality, this is arguably Claude Autant-Lara's finest achievement, aided immeasurably by Michel Kelber's somber cinematography, Max Douy's atmospheric sets, René Cloerec's passionate score and the screenplay by Aurenche and Bost which depicts this love affair as 'a sand castle which the tide will carry away.'
Best to leave the final words to the director: "It was not an easy film to make but we claim the merit of handling the story without flinching."
Micheline Presle(1922-2024) "May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."
A gem!
mayarovina-606-2855513 December 2009
I am very glad to hear that a restored version of this beautiful and moving film is finally available! Having read the book at the age of sixteen ( MANY years ago! ) I was very surprised that the hero's feelings of intensely conflicting emotions were so perfectly conveyed - I shouldn't have been surprised seeing as it was the great Gerard Philipe. All we can hope for now is that this version will be made available on DVD as the only version around at the moment is a dubbed one. Let us also hope that more French films made in the era before the so called "New Wave" will be released so that a new generation (and the odd old fogey)can enjoy some great film making!
I've seen this gem yesterday, in Quartier Latin...
didierfort10 November 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I have seen this wonderful film yesterday, in well-known theater for movie lovers, in Paris Quartier Latin.
The story is based on Raymond Radiguet's novel of same title, and, as far as I remember the book, pretty close to it.
October 1917, in a bourgeois suburbia of Paris. François is a 16 year old "lycéen" ; in his high school, now partly an auxiliary hospital (the Great War is all around), he meets Marthe, whose mother is chief-nurse in the hospital. Marthe faints at her first contact with the wounded arriving en masse. François supports her and express his desire to see her "never get used to the horror". Seeing her the day after, understanding she is going to spend the day in Paris, François skips the classes to come along...
This film has very remarkable characteristics. The interpretation, first. Micheline Presle is impressive in the difficult part of a woman going from a submission to another, and conscious of this. She is even better than in "Falbalas". Gérard Philipe is quite alright, even when he has to cope with teenage attitudes (the actor is much older than the part, but very convincing nevertheless). Denise Grey and Jean Debucourt, old thespians, are a little bit declamatory but quite effective and their parts are complex enough to escape stereotypes. Palau is wonderful as Marthe's landlord, a mean old conformist. The rest of the cast is excellent, as it happened quite often in French movies of that time (let's think about the bunch of waiters in the scene at the restaurant).
Scenery and locations are perfect. The river and the platform, the scenes at the lake, all is fine and more than fine. Two details are wrong (one "transparence" and a short shot with a model river boat are the two technical flaws of the film, to me). The cinematography is very classic, even in some rather sophisticated movements of camera. The construction is classic too, the use of flash-back being far from revolutionary at this time. But all of this routine and well-crafted filming is very very effective, permitting the concentration on the story and the evolution of the characters. One word about the score, signed by René Cloërec : a very beautiful romantic theme.
One of the great qualities of the film is the depiction of progress and variations of love, by touches, elliptic and precise. Passion burst out quite early in the 110 minutes of the film, but the writers - well then ill then well again famed Bost and Aurenche - know how to show the evolution of the lovers : François enjoying his new power and the overwhelming, contradictory sensations it procures to him. And the writers give to Marthe the best part of their talent : shy fiancée, then reluctant, then betrayer and would-be passionate lover, then betrayed, then true wife, then falling again, then passionate lover, she seems to understand, as soon as the events are happening, who really is the man who takes her in perdition ("I have two children", she said, holding François on her pregnant woman's lap, when in the train). And she understands everything about the destiny of a woman of her time and of her condition, a future she fights anyway, albeit weakly.
Now that a restored copy is available, this movie is being watchable again. Do not miss it! Do not! It's a great film.
Didier_fort at hotmail.com
The story is based on Raymond Radiguet's novel of same title, and, as far as I remember the book, pretty close to it.
October 1917, in a bourgeois suburbia of Paris. François is a 16 year old "lycéen" ; in his high school, now partly an auxiliary hospital (the Great War is all around), he meets Marthe, whose mother is chief-nurse in the hospital. Marthe faints at her first contact with the wounded arriving en masse. François supports her and express his desire to see her "never get used to the horror". Seeing her the day after, understanding she is going to spend the day in Paris, François skips the classes to come along...
This film has very remarkable characteristics. The interpretation, first. Micheline Presle is impressive in the difficult part of a woman going from a submission to another, and conscious of this. She is even better than in "Falbalas". Gérard Philipe is quite alright, even when he has to cope with teenage attitudes (the actor is much older than the part, but very convincing nevertheless). Denise Grey and Jean Debucourt, old thespians, are a little bit declamatory but quite effective and their parts are complex enough to escape stereotypes. Palau is wonderful as Marthe's landlord, a mean old conformist. The rest of the cast is excellent, as it happened quite often in French movies of that time (let's think about the bunch of waiters in the scene at the restaurant).
Scenery and locations are perfect. The river and the platform, the scenes at the lake, all is fine and more than fine. Two details are wrong (one "transparence" and a short shot with a model river boat are the two technical flaws of the film, to me). The cinematography is very classic, even in some rather sophisticated movements of camera. The construction is classic too, the use of flash-back being far from revolutionary at this time. But all of this routine and well-crafted filming is very very effective, permitting the concentration on the story and the evolution of the characters. One word about the score, signed by René Cloërec : a very beautiful romantic theme.
One of the great qualities of the film is the depiction of progress and variations of love, by touches, elliptic and precise. Passion burst out quite early in the 110 minutes of the film, but the writers - well then ill then well again famed Bost and Aurenche - know how to show the evolution of the lovers : François enjoying his new power and the overwhelming, contradictory sensations it procures to him. And the writers give to Marthe the best part of their talent : shy fiancée, then reluctant, then betrayer and would-be passionate lover, then betrayed, then true wife, then falling again, then passionate lover, she seems to understand, as soon as the events are happening, who really is the man who takes her in perdition ("I have two children", she said, holding François on her pregnant woman's lap, when in the train). And she understands everything about the destiny of a woman of her time and of her condition, a future she fights anyway, albeit weakly.
Now that a restored copy is available, this movie is being watchable again. Do not miss it! Do not! It's a great film.
Didier_fort at hotmail.com
Ah, memories!
hendersonhall9 January 2010
Why 9 instead of 10? Because films seen long ago are not always, on re-viewing, as good as they seemed at the time, when one was younger; and I have no idea whether or not this will be the case here. The restaurant scene in which Philipe, to impress Presle, returns the wine lingers still in my memory as both comic and touching. I don't remember when I saw it (and returned to see it again). While I think I was between 18 and 21, I may have been older. Needless to say, I loved it. I even went to the library and read the Radiguet book on which it was based. More recently, I've searched for it on VHS and DVD. No luck. With The Charterhouse of Parma and Fanfan the Tulip now out on DVD, perhaps this one will appear soon. And The Red and the Black not cut for US distribution. One can only hope.
special
Kirpianuscus1 December 2017
it is not say why. sure, for Gerard Philipe and for the ideal director for Radiguet adaptation. for beautiful flash backs and for the bitter taste of the end. for Micheline Presle and for of romanticism who , defining the period of a war, gives right perspective about the expectations after the end of the other. it is a film who you feel more than see. because it gives entire force of a novel, the spirit of an young writer, the genius of a great actor and the French respiration of tragic stories about love, errors, fear and fall.so, a gem. a real special one.
Devil in My Flesh
HarlequeenStudio4 March 2024
The star of this film, Micheline Presle, has passed away.
I watched this film a year ago and I couldn't believe how fresh, how not-boring, how full of emotions were all these films made before the New Wave. What was New Wave trying to fix, anyway? Perhaps only the production design costs.
This film about a younger man dating older woman sets an ominous tone right from the start. It's Gerard Philipe's acting that gives away the immaturity of the young man. It's not that he is so much younger than her, it's just that he's too young to act maturely, to be able to make decisions and stick to them. He's a child. Back then, this story was scandalous, today it would even be criminal. I enjoyed every minute of it! The cinematography is such that one can feel Gerard Philipe's skin when Micheline Presle caresses him. What more could you want?
I watched this film a year ago and I couldn't believe how fresh, how not-boring, how full of emotions were all these films made before the New Wave. What was New Wave trying to fix, anyway? Perhaps only the production design costs.
This film about a younger man dating older woman sets an ominous tone right from the start. It's Gerard Philipe's acting that gives away the immaturity of the young man. It's not that he is so much younger than her, it's just that he's too young to act maturely, to be able to make decisions and stick to them. He's a child. Back then, this story was scandalous, today it would even be criminal. I enjoyed every minute of it! The cinematography is such that one can feel Gerard Philipe's skin when Micheline Presle caresses him. What more could you want?
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