O Verão Assassino (1983)

Oozing sensuality, a young woman arrives in a small town and gets married to the local mechanic. Was it love at first sight? What links her enigmatic presence to the family's piano? Is it curiosity or is it something far more sinister?

Director:

Jean Becker

Writers:

Sébastien Japrisot (based on the novel by), Sébastien Japrisot (adaptation)

Stars:

Isabelle Adjani, Alain Souchon, Suzanne Flon

4 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Isabelle Adjani	...	Eliane Wieck dite 'Elle'
Alain Souchon	...	Fiorimonto 'Florimond' Montecciari - dit 'Pin-Pon'
Suzanne Flon	...	Nine dite 'Cognata'
Jenny Clève	...	Madame Montecciari - la mère de Pin Pon
Maria Machado	...	Paula Wieck Devigne dite 'Eva Braun' - la mère d'Eliane
Evelyne Didi	...	Mademoiselle Dieu, 'Calamité', la maîtresse d'école de 'Elle'
Jean Gaven	...	Leballech - le patron de la scierie
François Cluzet	...	Mickey
Manuel Gélin	...	Boubou
Roger Carel	...	Henri dit 'Henri IV'
Michel Galabru	...	Gabriel Devigne - le père d'Eliane
Marie-Pierre Casey	...	Mademoiselle Tussaud - la garde-malade
Cécile Vassort	...	Josette
Edith Scob	...	La doctoresse
Virginie Vignon	...	Lou Lou Lou

Storyline

Oozing sensuality, the seductively alluring, Eliane Wieck, arrives with her demure German mother and her disabled father in a rural southern French town, in a frilled dress and with a small suitcase in her hand. Pin-Pon, a car mechanic and volunteer firefighter, instantly falls for the charms of the mysterious newcomer--and before long--they get married. However, was it love at first sight for Eliane, too? What links her enigmatic presence to the family's old and dust-covered mechanical piano in the barn? It seems that the stage is set; but, what drives the cryptic young woman? Is it hungry curiosity or is it something far more sinister?

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Plot Keywords:

revenge | sexual manipulation | 1970s | provence | small town | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

M/12

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

15 September 1983 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

O Verão Assassino

Filming Locations:

Mas Bérard, Gordes, Vaucluse, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie (SNC), C.A.P.A.C., TF1 Films Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Second collaboration of Isabelle Adjani with Alain Souchon. Both also formed a couple in All Fired Up (1982) from French director Jean-Paul Rappeneau.

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Connections

Referenced in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)

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Soundtracks

La Madelon
Music by Camille Robert (as C.Robert)
Lyrics by Louis Bousquet (as L.Bousquet)
Ed. L.Bousquet

User Reviews

Adjani at her best

The source of this film is a book of Sebastien Japrisot - a thriller author and script-writer who also directed a a few films by himself. After having seen the film directed by Jean Becker in 1983 I start to wonder whether it would not have been better in this case if Japrisot brought to screen his own novel.

The whole film turns around Isabelle Adjani, By the time she made L'ete meurtrier Adjani was already at her 20th film or such and Truffault's 'L'Histoire d'Adele H'., or Polanski's 'Le locataire' were already behind her. Yet, she has in this film the freshness of a debutante and a sex-appeal that equals few films I have seen (Tornatore's 'Malena' with Monica Belucci comes to my mind). Adjani plays here the role of the victim and of the avenger, her beauty, changes of mood, suffering and mistakes make and destroy everything in the story and in the film itself.

Seen through the perspective of almost three decades the story of the young girl seeking revenge for the rape of her mother may seem conventional and melodramatic. It is however very much into the style and approach not only of the classic French cinema but also of the literature - the characters seem to descend to us from the world of an Emile Zola, with their predestination of giving up to passion and with the tendency of making fatal, destinies breaking mistakes for the seek of love.

If there is anything or anybody to blame for this film not really aging well despite Adjani's fabulous performance (seconded by Alan Souchon, an actor who seems to have all but disappeared after having made this film, and I have a hard time understanding why) I think it's the direction and the director. Similar material has created masterpieces if I am to think about films like 'La mariee etait en noir' - Jean Becker seems to have lacked the daring of taking a 'classical' story and using lesser conventional cinematographic means in order to make the story more credible. And yet, the film is worth seeing, even just for the pleasure of seeing Isabelle Adjani at her best.