Un Chant D'Amour (1950)

Two prisoners in complete isolation, separated by the thick brick walls, and desperately in need of human contact, devise a most unusual kind of communication.

Director:

Jean Genet

Writer:

Jean Genet

Stars:

Bravo, Jean Genet, Java

Cast

Uncredited cast:
Bravo	...	Older Prisoner (uncredited)
Jean Genet	...	Prisoner in Duo Fantasy (uncredited)
Java	...	Nude Prisoner / Hand swinging the blossom (uncredited)
Coco Le Martiniquais	...	Black Prisoner (uncredited)
André Reybaz	...	Guard. (uncredited)
Lucien Sénémaud	...	Younger Prisoner (uncredited)

Storyline

Inmates in a French prison are attempting to fulfill their sexual and emotional needs under the confines of their individual cells. Two inmates in particular, who are in adjacent cells, try to make that connection to the other, both physical and emotional, in whatever way they can. In their current attempt to do so, they are so caught up in the fulfillment they receive of that connection that they fail to notice that a voyeuristic guard has been watching them through the small peep holes in their otherwise solid cell doors. The guard was tipped to the activity by one of the two men trying to pass a bouquet of wild flowers to the other via their barred cell windows. The guard confronts one of the inmates. Although their encounter is primarily violently physical, each man copes with the situation by fantasizing about what is truly in his heart.

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Plot Keywords:

dancing alone | voyeurism | man in prison | smoke | penis | 

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Genres:

Short | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

None

Release Date:

1950 (France)

Also Known As:

A Song of Love

Filming Locations:

Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne, France

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

26 min

Sound Mix:

Silent Mono (re-release)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The producer Nikos Papatakis assigned the film to a Distributor, who got it registered in France - visa # 44127 of March 14, 1975. The film, with a musical score, and a few cuts by the producer, was shown at the Cinémathèque Française, and applied for, and won a money prize as a new, quality film from the jury of the CNC (Centre national de la cinématographie). Jean Genet, who had directed and edited the film, and even participated briefly in one scene, was not happy with this.

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Connections

Featured in Quelques fleurs pour un chant d'amour (2006)

User Reviews

A Deeply Disturbing "Must-See"

This film by Jean Genet is a very symbolic, surrealistic, and depressing film, presenting, through a series of disturbing and highly erotic images, upsetting metaphors for our desperate human need for love and union with another, and the barriers to fulfillment.

Because Jean Genet's own sensibilities were homosexual, all the characters in the film are male, and the eroticism is more accessible to men who either share his tastes: for such men, many scenes of the film can be very arousing. For others, the film will probably open up a window into the experience, and for still others, many scenes may provoke disgust and revulsion. Again, because of Genet's own tastes, there is an element of sado-masochism mixed into the eroticism: indeed, all the characters but one are oppressed prisoners, literally in "bondage." However, aside from the unusual sensuousness of the film, and the surprising explicitness, the film is full of unforgettably great imagery, honest and deep emotion, and enormous poetic beauty. It is a very slow-moving, dark, oppressive film, and should only be viewed when the viewer is prepared for a contemplative, surrealistic journey; in spite of its short length (about 25 minutes), it is a very compact film, and can feel quite draining, emotionally.

It is a little gem, and I regard it as one of the "essentials" of film.