Querelle (1982)

The French naval ship, Le Vengeur, based out of Marseille, has just docked in Brest for an extended stay. The ship's captain, Lieutenant Seblon, can see the passion in his men, which can as... See full summary »

Director:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Writers:

Jean Genet (novel), Rainer Werner Fassbinder (screenplay)

Stars:

Brad Davis, Franco Nero, Jeanne Moreau

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brad Davis	...	Querelle
Franco Nero	...	Lieutenant Seblon
Jeanne Moreau	...	Lysiane
Laurent Malet	...	Roger Bataille
Hanno Pöschl	...	Robert / Gil
Günther Kaufmann	...	Nono
Burkhard Driest	...	Mario
Roger Fritz	...	Marcellin
Dieter Schidor	...	Vic Rivette
Natja Brunckhorst	...	Paulette (as Nadja Brunkhorst)
Robert van Ackeren	...	Betrunkener Legionär (as Robert v. Ackeren)
Werner Asam	...	Arbeiter
Isolde Barth	...	Mädchen
Axel Bauer	...	Arbeiter
Neil Bell	...	Theo

Storyline

The French naval ship, Le Vengeur, based out of Marseille, has just docked in Brest for an extended stay. The ship's captain, Lieutenant Seblon, can see the passion in his men, which can as easily manifest itself in violence as it can in sex. Seblon has in part become an officer to remain at arms length from his men, one of them, Querelle, with who he is secretly in love. Querelle goes to La Feria, a bar and makeshift whorehouse owned and operated by husband and wife Nono and Lysiane, one of the whores. La Feria is infamous and notorious as anyone wanting sex with Lysiane must first roll the dice with Nono, Nono winning meaning that he will get to sodomize the loser instead. At La Feria, Querelle is surprised to see his brother, Robert, who is Lysiane's current on-going sexual partner, and who did not have to go through the roll of the dice with Nono is his special position with Lysiane. That passion in Querelle extends to his brother, the two who share more than just a family ...

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Plot Keywords:

homosexuality | sailor | brothel madam | seaman | harbor | 

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Taglines:

It will take you into a surreal world of passion and sexuality, further than most would dare to go. [Video Australia]

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

West Germany France

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 September 1982 (France)

Also Known As:

Querelle

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

DEM4,400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Planet Film, Albatros Filmproduktion, Gaumont

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (Dolby stereo)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title of this movie's source novel "Querelle de Brest" (1935) was changed for this film version dropping the last two words ("de Brest') making the movie's title simply just a shortened form of the book's name, Querelle (1982), a film with a one word title.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lieutenant Seblon: The thought of murder often evokes thoughts of the sea and of sailors. What naturally follows thoughts of the sea and murder is the thought of love or sexuality.

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Connections

Features Super Road Champions (1978)

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Soundtracks

The Cross-Road
Composed By [Musique Composée Par] David Ambach, Peer Raben
Directed By [Dirigée Par], Orchestrated By [Orchestrée Par] Peer Raben
(P) Schlicht Musikverlage, 1982 RCA/Ciné Music
© Schlicht Musikverlage
Published and Licensed by Musikverlage Hans Wewerka

User Reviews

Dreamlike

When reading Genet, the thought that his books are no good for screen adaptation will frequently occur. Fassbinder's "Querelle" might be able to prove otherwise. Still, the movie seems more like a dream to me, like passing images illustrating a story rather than telling it. Great cast!