Murmur of the Heart (1971)

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.

Director:

Louis Malle

Writer:

Louis Malle

Stars:

Lea Massari, Benoît Ferreux, Daniel Gélin

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lea Massari	...	Clara Chevalier (as Léa Massari)
Benoît Ferreux	...	Laurent Chevalier (as Benoit Ferreux)
Daniel Gélin	...	Charles Chevalier (as Daniel Gelin)
Michael Lonsdale	...	Father Henri (as Michel Lonsdale)
Ave Ninchi	...	Augusta
Gila von Weitershausen	...	Freda (the prostitute)
Fabien Ferreux	...	Thomas
Marc Winocourt	...	Marc
Micheline Bona	...	Aunt Claudine
Henri Poirier	...	Uncle Léonce
Liliane Sorval	...	Fernande
Corinne Kersten	...	Daphné
Eric Walter	...	Laurent's friend
François Werner	...	Hubert
René Bouloc	...	Man at Bastille Day party

Storyline

This is a jolly coming-of-age story about a 14-year-old boy named Laurent Chevalier who is growing up in bourgeois surroundings in Dijon, France. This is France in the mid-1950s rather than America in the 1990s. Thus, Laurent is unharmed by events which would irreparably shatter the self-esteem of a modern American adolescent: he gets drunk, he smokes, he has sex, he is smothered by his mother, he is ignored by his father, a priest makes a pass at him, he gets rheumatoid fever, etc. There's enough scandalous behavior in this film to make 100 made-for-TV movies, and yet this is a very happy and oddly innocent tale.

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Plot Keywords:

mother son incest | first time sex | exploring sexuality | mother son relationship | puberty | 

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Taglines:

A souffle of a movie!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

While the incest aspects of the story were not autobiographical, Louis Malle did in fact end up sharing a hotel room with his mother as a child while on a trip to treat his heart murmur due to "bizarre" circumstances.

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Goofs

When Laurent is getting hosed down, he asks which side he should turn to. The attendant says either one because she'll do both. Only his left side gets hosed down.

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Quotes

Clara Chevalier: Why not take things as they come?
Laurent Chevalier: Meaning?
Clara Chevalier: I don't know. Begin at the beginning. Wait to experience things yourself. And there's plenty of time. I'm not rushing you. Everyone has to discover love for himself. Lots of things can happen between a man and a woman. Better to find out for yourself, not from a book.

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Forever Young/Damage/Toys/Scent of a Woman/Used People (1992)

User Reviews

Essentially light but ultimately rather heavy

Essentially light but ultimately rather heavy domestic drama involving an overly motherly mother and a child pushed this way and that by her and his two older brothers. The early scenes in the rich folks household, I assume, are intended to be amusing but looked at today the bullying of servants looks pretty shameful especially with the ongoing background news of French involvement in 'Indo China'. On the other hand the film skips along very nicely and although not a lot happens at first, the film is very well shot and we are always aware that something is going to happen. We also have a good idea what that something might be as mother and child continue their social intimacies. The sexy mum is played by Lea Massari who was the girl who went missing in L'Avventura ten years before and she performs well here, as does the young lad, who seems to be able to do no wrong, played by Benoit Ferreux. Never quite as light and fluffy as one might imagine the denouement, nevertheless, must have stunned audiences back in the day.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site [France]

Country:

France Italy West Germany

Language:

French Italian

Release Date:

17 October 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Murmur of the Heart

Filming Locations:

Dijon, Côte-d'Or, France

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,160,784

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,160,784

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nouvelles Éditions de Films (NEF), Marianne Productions, Vides Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1