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:

Matrosen och stjärnan

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

DEM 4,400,000 (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

Initial costume tests of Brad Davis and two other actors in their snug fitting sailor britches were determined to be too revealing for mainstream audiences and so they all wore tight underwear on film afterwards to avoid unsightly bulges. At least one photo from these costumes tests survives as evidence. As things turned out, Davis's personal enthusiasm is still very apparent in several scenes.

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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

Edited into Spisok korabley (2008)

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Soundtracks

Each Man Kills The Thing He Loves (Instrumental)
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

Queer Masterpiece

Jean Genet's queer theory is still cutting edge and controversial. The film version can't begin to encompass all the ideas in the novel, but it stands on its own. This film is stylized and poetic, raw and crass. Tenderness and brutality blend until you can't tell one from the other. Betrayal becomes an act of affection. Submission is empowering.

Characters travel to extremes in their journeys of self discovery. One man seduces his young lover with lecherous statements about the boy's sister, "Imagine what I'd do to her if I were holding her like I'm holding you right now." The same man later rants in a bar, "I'm all man!!! I even f*** guys!" This dichotomy of gender-play and defiant same-sexuality is at the root of Genet's queer theory. Even someone with no knowledge of Genet's philosophy will be struck by its power in this film.