Leon Morin, Prêtre

Director: Jean-Pierre Melville Jean-Pierre Melville

Overview

Jean-Paul Belmondo portrays Leon Morin, an altruistic priest in Nazi-occupied France who believes that any sin can be expunged by a good dose of faith. Emmanuelle Riva plays a wayward woman who long ago decided that the easiest way was the best. Morin soon makes it his mission to steer her onto the right path. Given the censorial climate of 1961, it isn't surprising that the picture was shorn of 22 minutes for its American release.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/02/2019
UPC:	0738329238728
Original Release:	1961
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	A
Time:	2:08:00
Sales rank:	42,048

Special Features

Audio commentary by filmmaker and historian Mike Siegel; Interview with assistant director Volker Schlöndorff; Master Class with Phillipe Labro & Rémy Grumbach; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jean-Paul Belmondo	Leon Morin
Emmanuelle Riva	Barny
Irène Tunc	Christine Sangredin
Nicole Mirel	Sabine Levy
Patricia Gozzi	France
Monique Hennessy	Arlette
Gerard Buhr	Gunther
Howard Vernon	The colonel
Gisele Grimm	Lucienne

Technical Credits

Jean-Pierre Melville

Jean-Pierre Melville	Director,Screenwriter
Robert Christides	Set Decoration/Design
Georges de Beauregard	Producer
Henri Decaë	Cinematographer
Daniel Gueret	Production Designer
Carlo Ponti	Producer
Jean Rabier	Camera Operator
Albert Raisner	Score Composer
Volker Schlöndorff	Asst. Director
Martial Solal	Score Composer
Nadine Trintignant	Editor
Guy Villette	Sound/Sound Designer
Marie-Josephe Yoyotte	Editor

Editorial Reviews

Léon Morin, Prêtre was one of the first films to take a serious look at life in France under the Nazi occupation. Writer-director Jean-Pierre Melville uses his priest protagonist (Jean-Paul Belmondo) to chronicle the lives of the residents of the small occupied town, from those who fight in the Resistance to those who simply want to survive. The central story explores the sexual tension between priest and parishioner, with an unusually frank approach for the early 1960s. Melville's detailed, observant portrait imbues the film with a unique credibility, and Belmondo gives a sexy, charismatic performance that enhances the film's thematic contrasts. Léon Morin is also uncommon for the early 1960s in its passionate argument against anti-Semitism. Few films before or after have examined spirituality and religion in so convincing a manner.

All Movie Guide - Richard Gilliam