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IMDbPro

Murmur of the Heart

Original title: Le souffle au coeur
  • 19711971
  • RR
  • 1h 58m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
10K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
6,783
325
Murmur of the Heart (1971)
ComedyDrama
As France is nearing the end of the first Indochina War, an open-minded teenage boy finds himself torn between a rebellious urge to discover love, and the ever-present, almost dominating aff... Read allAs France is nearing the end of the first Indochina War, an open-minded teenage boy finds himself torn between a rebellious urge to discover love, and the ever-present, almost dominating affection of his beloved mother.As France is nearing the end of the first Indochina War, an open-minded teenage boy finds himself torn between a rebellious urge to discover love, and the ever-present, almost dominating affection of his beloved mother.
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
10K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
6,783
325
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Louis Malle
    • Writer
      • Louis Malle
    • Stars
      • Lea Massari
      • Benoît Ferreux
      • Daniel Gélin
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Louis Malle
    • Writer
      • Louis Malle
    • Stars
      • Lea Massari
      • Benoît Ferreux
      • Daniel Gélin
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 49User reviews
    • 54Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 2 wins & 3 nominations total

    Videos1

    Bande-annonce [OV]
    Trailer 3:08
    Bande-annonce [OV]

    Photos84

    Murmur of the Heart (1971)
    Murmur of the Heart (1971)
    Murmur of the Heart (1971)
    Murmur of the Heart (1971)
    Murmur of the Heart (1971)
    Louis Malle in Murmur of the Heart (1971)
    Murmur of the Heart (1971)
    Murmur of the Heart (1971)
    Murmur of the Heart (1971)
    Murmur of the Heart (1971)
    Murmur of the Heart (1971)
    Murmur of the Heart (1971)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Lea Massari
    Lea Massari
    • Clara Chevalier
    • (as Léa Massari)
    Benoît Ferreux
    Benoît Ferreux
    • Laurent Chevalier
    • (as Benoit Ferreux)
    Daniel Gélin
    Daniel Gélin
    • Charles Chevalier
    • (as Daniel Gelin)
    Michael Lonsdale
    Michael Lonsdale
    • Father Henri
    • (as Michel Lonsdale)
    Ave Ninchi
    Ave Ninchi
    • Augusta
    Gila von Weitershausen
    Gila von Weitershausen
    • Freda (the prostitute)
    Fabien Ferreux
    • Thomas
    Marc Winocourt
    • Marc
    Micheline Bona
    • Aunt Claudine
    Henri Poirier
    Henri Poirier
    • Uncle Léonce
    Liliane Sorval
    • Fernande
    Corinne Kersten
    • Daphné
    Eric Walter
    • Laurent's friend
    François Werner
    • Hubert
    René Bouloc
    René Bouloc
    • Man at Bastille Day party
    Jacqueline Chauvaud
    Jacqueline Chauvaud
    • Helene
    Jacques Gheusi
    • Hotel receptionist
    Yvon Lec
    • Father Superior
    • Director
      • Louis Malle
    • Writer
      • Louis Malle
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Writer/director Louis Malle based many aspects of the protagonist Laurent's life on his own experiences growing up. This included his love of jazz, curiosity about literature, the "tyranny" of his two older brothers who tried to introduce him to sex, and having a heart murmur. However, Malle grew up in the 1930's and 40's, not the 50's as Laurent does.
    • Goofs
      During the chess match, the boys are sitting on what should be the spectator sides of the board, rather than the player sides. It appears that the chessmen were set up along the files rather than the ranks. (The lower right hand corner squares are black, when they should be white.)
    • Quotes

      Michel, Laurent's friend: They punished my whole class Saturday.

      Laurent Chevalier: What for?

      Michel, Laurent's friend: We put a bra on the statue of St. Thérèse.

      Laurent Chevalier: You're such babies. You know what my brothers did? You know that big statue of St. Ignatius? They hoisted it onto the chapel roof. My parents were furious.

      Michel, Laurent's friend: Were they caught?

      Laurent Chevalier: Someone squealed. They tried claiming it was a miracle. They got expelled anyway.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: White Man's Burden/Last Summer in the Hamptons/Wild Bill/The Journey of August King/Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995)

    User reviews49

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    a beautiful coming of age story
    There have been a million coming of age stories in the history of the world, most of them probably in the film medium. What a pathetic thing to have to endure something as trite as the American film American Pie when something like The 400 Blows exists. Murmur of the Heart will remind most of that classic, and, akin to French films such as Zero for Conduct, The 400 Blows, and Malle's own Au Revoir Les Enfantes, it is excellently acted, both by the adults in the film and the children (here, though, they're teens), and it is infinitely more truthful than most American films of the same genre. Murmur of the Heart falls just short of The 400 Blows, but it is a worthy successor to it. Beware, though. This film's main theme is sexuality, and there are some very disturbing scenes, even thought the mood of the film is quite light-hearted. 9/10
    helpful•19
    17
    • zetes
    • Jun 30, 2001

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 17, 1971 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • Italy
      • West Germany
    • Official site
      • Official Site (France)
    • Languages
      • French
      • Italian
    • Also known as
      • Herzflimmern
    • Filming locations
      • Dijon, Côte-d'Or, France
    • Production companies
      • Nouvelles Éditions de Films (NEF)
      • Marianne Productions
      • Vides Cinematografica
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,160,784
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,160,784
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 58 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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