IMDb RATING
6.6/10
6.6K
YOUR RATING
A handsome sailor is drawn into a vortex of sibling rivalry, murder, and explosive sexuality.A handsome sailor is drawn into a vortex of sibling rivalry, murder, and explosive sexuality.A handsome sailor is drawn into a vortex of sibling rivalry, murder, and explosive sexuality.
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
6.6K
YOUR RATING
- Director
- Writers
- Jean Genet(novel "Querelle de Brest")
- Rainer Werner Fassbinder(screenplay)
- Burkhard Driest(screenplay)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- Jean Genet(novel "Querelle de Brest")
- Rainer Werner Fassbinder(screenplay)
- Burkhard Driest(screenplay)
- Stars
- Awards
- 4 nominations
Videos1
Natja Brunckhorst
- Pauletteas Paulette
- (as Nadja Brunkhorst)
Robert van Ackeren
- Betrunkener Legionäras Betrunkener Legionär
- (as Robert v. Ackeren)
Karl-Heinz von Hassel
- Arbeiteras Arbeiter
- (as K. H. v. Hassel)
- Director
- Writers
- Jean Genet(novel "Querelle de Brest")
- Rainer Werner Fassbinder(screenplay)
- Burkhard Driest(screenplay)
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
- All cast & crew
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 resemblance. Outwardly, Querelle goes to La Feria as a place to sell opium. However, the opium may only be a pretense as Querelle is trying to discover who he is as a man. Everyone in this collective is also on a similar sense of discovery, some who may be more aware and open about their own thoughts about the lines between sex, desire and love, those who are not as open possibly feeling shame which leads to ways to deal with that shame. Including those already mentioned, this collective includes a local stone mason named Gilles who purports to desire Paulette, a young man named Roger, Paulette's brother, with who there is unspoken sexual tension with Gilles, and Mario who, at least in appearance, "polices" the activities at La Feria. —Huggo
- Taglines
- It will take you into a surreal world of passion and sexuality, further than most would dare to go. [Video Australia]
- Genre
- Certificate
- R
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaIn its first three weeks in theatrical release in Paris, France, more than 100,000 tickets were sold. According to "Genet: A Biography" (1993) by Edmund White, this was the first time that a film with such a strong gay theme had achieved this kind of box-office success.
- Quotes
Lieutenant Seblon: We have Jesus to thank that we are able to glorify humility, for He made it the sign of the divine. The godhead in our innermost depths. For why should we renounce the violence of this world? If this Godhead is to confront violence, then it must be strong if it is to achieve the victory. And humility can only be born of humiliation. Otherwise it is nothing but vanity.
- ConnectionsEdited into Spisok korabley (2008)
- SoundtracksThe Tears Of The Lady
Composed By David Ambach, Peer Raben
Orchestrated By Peer Raben
(P) Schlicht Musikverlage, 1982 RCA/Ciné Music
© Schlicht Musikverlage
Published and Licensed by Musikverlage Hans Wewerka
Top review
A COMPELLING HOMOEROTIC FILM
German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder's final film before his untimely death at the age of 37 from a drug overdose of cocaine and sleeping pills. Adapted from the novel "Querelle De Brest" by Jean Genet this film is a visually striking surrealistic homoerotic fable, which starred the late bisexual American actor Brad Davis who was tragically ravaged by AIDS and died at the age of 41 some nine years after this film's release by assisted suicide. This highly stylized film concerns a handsome muscular amoral French sailor named Georges Querelle, played brilliantly by Davis who injects a raw and animistic complexity into role, he comes to terms was his latent homosexuality when his ship docks in the coastal town of Brest, and he makes his way to a local brothel which is run by Madame Lysiane, superbly played by the late great Jeanne Moreau, whose lover is Querelle's brother Robert, well played by Hanno Poschi, whom he has an odd love-hate relationship with. During his time in the coastal town Querelle will become a murderer and a magnet for a bunch of unsavory characters whom he meets for rough gay sex. Franco Nero superbly plays an officer from Querelle's ship that is enamored with him and worships him secretly from afar, and records his feelings on tape. Good direction by Fassbinder with impressive cinematography by Xaver Schwarzenberger and Josef Vavra. A disturbing art-house motion picture which is not for all tastes.
helpful•40
- dannyrovira-38154
- Jan 9, 2021
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Querelle: A Film About Jean Genet's 'Querelle de Brest'
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- DEM 4,400,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 48 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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