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 | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

French visa # 44127.

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Connections

Edited into Motherland (2018)

User Reviews

desire

Eroticism. music. voyerism. a sort of dialogue. and the map of entire worlds. a film inspired strange states. because each viewer discovers it from different perspective. as homoerotic poem. as provocative. as work of Jean Genet and that fact impose a sort of respect. as a form of pornography. as an early short movie from a long history of a minority. more important, itssavage beauty. proposing nothing except solitude, desire and the sketch of freedom.

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