Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Le Silence de la Mer

Original title: Le silence de la mer
  • 19491949
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 27m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
5.1K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
29,145
765
Le Silence de la Mer (1949)
DramaRomanceWar
1941 in a small town in Nazi occupied France. Against the will of its elderly male and his adult niece residents, the Nazis commandeer a house for one of their officers, Lt. Werner von Ebren... Read all1941 in a small town in Nazi occupied France. Against the will of its elderly male and his adult niece residents, the Nazis commandeer a house for one of their officers, Lt. Werner von Ebrennac, to live in for as long as he is in the area on Nazi business. As a figurative and lit... Read all1941 in a small town in Nazi occupied France. Against the will of its elderly male and his adult niece residents, the Nazis commandeer a house for one of their officers, Lt. Werner von Ebrennac, to live in for as long as he is in the area on Nazi business. As a figurative and literal silent protest against the Nazis and the officer, the uncle and niece do whatever is ... Read all
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
5.1K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
29,145
765
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Jean-Pierre Melville
    • Writers
      • Vercors(novella "Le silence de la mer", 1942)
      • Jean-Pierre Melville(adaptation)
    • Stars
      • Howard Vernon
      • Nicole Stéphane
      • Jean-Marie Robain
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Jean-Pierre Melville
    • Writers
      • Vercors(novella "Le silence de la mer", 1942)
      • Jean-Pierre Melville(adaptation)
    • Stars
      • Howard Vernon
      • Nicole Stéphane
      • Jean-Marie Robain
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 20User reviews
    • 37Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Photos14

    Howard Vernon in Le Silence de la Mer (1949)
    Max Hermann in Le Silence de la Mer (1949)
    Jean-Marie Robain in Le Silence de la Mer (1949)
    Nicole Stéphane in Le Silence de la Mer (1949)
    Nicole Stéphane in Le Silence de la Mer (1949)
    Howard Vernon in Le Silence de la Mer (1949)
    Howard Vernon in Le Silence de la Mer (1949)
    Jean-Marie Robain in Le Silence de la Mer (1949)
    Le Silence de la Mer (1949)
    Howard Vernon in Le Silence de la Mer (1949)
    Le Silence de la Mer (1949)
    Le Silence de la Mer (1949)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Howard Vernon
    Howard Vernon
    • Werner von Ebrennac
    Nicole Stéphane
    Nicole Stéphane
    • La nièce
    • (as Nicole Stephane)
    Jean-Marie Robain
    Jean-Marie Robain
    • L'oncle
    Ami Aaröe
    Ami Aaröe
    • La fiancée
    • (as Ami Aaroe)
    Georges Patrix
    • L'ordonnance
    Denis Sadier
    • L'ami
    Rudelle
    • L'Allemand
    Max Fromm
    • L'Allemand
    • (as Fromm)
    Claude Vernier
    Claude Vernier
    • L'Allemand
    • (as Vernier)
    Max Hermann
    • L'Allemand
    Fritz Schmiedel
    • L'Allemand
    • (as Schmiedel)
    • Director
      • Jean-Pierre Melville
    • Writers
      • Vercors(novella "Le silence de la mer", 1942)
      • Jean-Pierre Melville(adaptation)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Only One Night
    6.5
    Only One Night
    Black Jack
    6.8
    Black Jack
    Demon Pond
    7.0
    Demon Pond
    Belphégor
    7.8
    Belphégor
    A Woman's Face
    7.1
    A Woman's Face
    The Fire That Burns
    7.2
    The Fire That Burns
    The Salamander
    7.3
    The Salamander
    Thunder on the Hill
    6.9
    Thunder on the Hill
    Pierscionek z orlem w koronie
    6.4
    Pierscionek z orlem w koronie
    Hatred
    7.4
    Hatred
    Has Anybody Seen My Gal
    7.1
    Has Anybody Seen My Gal
    Manèges
    7.2
    Manèges

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When the author of the original novel, Vercors, objected to Melville adapting his book without obtaining the rights, the filmmaker made him a deal. The filmmaker would go ahead and make the film without permission, and when it was complete, Vercors would arrange a screening of it for 24 former Resistance members. If even one of the 24 objected to the film, he, Melville, would personally burn the negative in front of Vercors' own eyes. When Vercors arranged the screening, he assumed that only 26 people would be present: himself, Melville and the 24-member "jury." However, much to Vercors' chagrin, Melville "stacked the deck" by instructing his publicist to invite many prominent critics and literary figures, including André Malraux and Jean Cocteau (whose novel Melville would later adapt into the film Les Enfants Terribles (1950)), although Melville feigned innocence in the matter. Of the 24 "jury" members, one dropped out just before the screening, and the editor of the French newspaper Le Figaro was recruited as a replacement. When the film was over, 23 voted in favor of the film and only one against: the Le Figaro editor. However, when Vercors discovered that the man had voted against the film not because of the work itself, but because his vanity was offended at being a last-minute substitute, Vercors discounted his vote, and the film was saved.
    • Quotes

      Werner von Ebrennac: There's a lovely fairy tale that I've read, that you're read, that everyone has read. I don't know if the title is the same in your country. We call it, "Das Tier und die Schöne", "Beauty and the Beast". Poor Beauty, she is at the mercy of the Beast, powerless and imprisoned. She is subjected to his implacable, heavy presence all day long. Beauty is proud, dignified, she has become hard. But the Beast is better than he seems. He doesn't have the finest manners. He is tactless, brutal. He seems vulgar next to the refined Beauty. But he has a heart. Yes, a soul which aspires to higher things. If Beauty wished it so...

    • Connections
      Featured in Melville Steps Out of the Shadows (2010)

    User reviews20

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Melville's first film is filled with silence
    Le silence de la mer (1949) is a French movie scripted and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. This is an unusual film about the French Resistance. It's based on a story by a Resistance fighter whose code name was Vercors.

    You would expect a movie about the French Resistance to be filled with clandestine raids and destruction of railroad tracks. This isn't that movie. The Resistance in this case is silence. When the German army occupied France, army officers were often billeted in private homes.

    A German officer is billeted in the home of an uncle (Jean-Marie Robain) and his niece (Nicole Stéphane). Their method of resistance is to act as if the officer is invisible. They refuse to acknowledge his presence. The officer speaks French well, but they do not answer or even look up when he speaks.

    That is the plot. You'll have to see the movie to learn how it turns out in the end. Even when the German officer speaks, he's quiet and respectful. This is probably the quietest non-silent film I've ever seen.

    It's always written that Melville himself was in the Resistance. However, as far as I can tell, he escaped from France and joined the Free French Army, which wasn't the same thing. He participated in the war as a soldier in Italy. The author Vercors actually was in the Resistance, and wrote the story while fighting the Germans in France.

    Like Citizen Kane, this movie had an effect on many films that followed it. Melville was a pioneer. He was never formally trained in cinema. His belief was that he had seen enough movies to know how to make them. And he made this movie in a way that produced impressive results.

    Melville worked a generation before the auteurs of the French New Wave. However the New Wave directors respected and copied what he did. He's been called the godfather of the New Wave.

    Melville made this movie on a shoestring budget, with scraps of film and no special lighting. His crew fit into a van--director, cinematographer, sound technician, and the three leading actors.

    This movie worked well on the small screen. (We bought the Criterion Collection DVD, which included specials that revealed more about Melville and his style of filmmaking.)

    It's hard to rate Le silence de la mer, because it's so different from other movies--even French movies about the Resistance. The film has a strong IMDb rating of 7.6, which I think is correct. I rated it 8.
    helpful•1
    0
    • Red-125
    • Aug 25, 2020

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 22, 1949 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • France
    • Languages
      • French
      • German
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Tisina mora
    • Filming locations
      • Villiers-sur-Morin, Seine-et-Marne, France
    • Production companies
      • Melville Productions
      • Organisation Générale Cinématographique
      • Société du Cinéma du Panthéon
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 27 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Le Silence de la Mer (1949)
    Top Gap
    What is the English language plot outline for Le Silence de la Mer (1949)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View image
    Photos
    These Stars Are on the Rise
    See the gallery
    View list
    List
    Fall TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list
    View image
    Photos
    Double Take: Celebrity Twins
    See the full list
    Back to top

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more access
    Sign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.