Leon Morin, Priest

I watched a movie called Leon Morin, Priest, directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, released in 1961. It is based on the novel, The Passionate Heart. It stars Jean-Paul Belmondo, and Emmanuelle Riva. It is a story about a woman who lives in a small French town, which first gets occupied by Italian military and then the German military. During this time, the woman, played by Riva, who has a daughter, goes to the church to hurrang the priest about the hypocrisy of organized religion. She chooses the priest purely based on his name, Leon and goes to the confessional. She says her piece and is confronted with an intelligent discussion from the priest, Leon, played by Belmondo. Thus, it becomes a story of her friendship and life of that period with the priest. It is a simple story but it has many twists and turns. Since it is told from her perspective, there is a more nurturing aspect to the story that is interesting. The thing I like most about this kind of movie is that the woman will tell a little bit of the story, it will fade out and fade in, much like many French movies. I wouldn’t consider this French New Wave as it has a linear story that is pretty easy to understand. It has a lot of religious debate in it which was interesting since Riva’s character is an atheist. However, it is not beating the viewer over the head with theological concepts or trying to convert anyone. It is well thought out and well developed dialogue that should be part of any religious discussion (though I know that is not the case in real life). There was no mention of her husband, though I may have missed that part in the introduction as it was subtitled and the translation might’ve been off. It was interesting because it approached a subject that might be/is considered taboo in an adult manner. Riva is beautiful in this movie, an unconventional beauty as compared to some of her costars but that is what works for her character, she brings an inner strength and intelligent beauty that brings out her outer beauty and you fall in love with her as the movie progresses. Belmondo is very handsome indeed and it was strange seeing him as a priest though very believable.  It does end on kind of a blank, which is I suppose, a movie like this should end.
Overall, I thought it was very well written, the scenes were shot very well, and the dialogue was quite interesting to hear. I recommend this if you can find it.

Shadowlands

I watched a movie and it is called Shadowlands, directed by Richard Attenborough, released in 1993. It stars Anthony Hopkins, Debra Winger and Edward Hardwicke. It is the story of the later part of professor and author C.S. Lewis’s life with his wife, Joy and how her death challenges his faith. It is an interesting movie in that it portrays Lewis as a man of particular traits and habits until he gets a letter from a woman in America that challenges him at every turn when they meet. It treats their story as something organic and indeed it builds and ebbs and flows in such a way that doesn’t seem forced in a movie conventional way. I’m not sure how much of it is truly based on their lives (as with all “true stories” kinds of movies and generally how people remember things) but it seemed genuine enough to me. I am familiar with C. S. Lewis through his critical work rather than the Narnia books. In fact, I owe him a debt of gratitude as his book, Miracles, helped me write a paper about the subject and get a decent grade on it at one of the colleges that I was attending while attempting to get my Master in Philosophy.
Attenborough uses an economy of shots but still using long takes of faces and places that really convey the human spirit of this movie. The acting is superb all around, from Hopkin’s Lewis being so aloof and so intellectual, Winger being so humble, abrasive but so loving after having such a terrible previous marriage, their chemistry so believable. The score is light and not at all overbearing.
I had seen this movie a few years ago on cable and was captivated by it and spent a number of years trying to find it again (I suppose it is out of print or something) because I didn’t get to finish it. I finally did and I feel better for it.
Like I said before, it may or may not hold true facts here and there but it might be a nice little movie to watch, if you are interested in some love story, heavy drama and want to see a little of what C.S. Lewis might’ve been like. Get some tissues though, fair warning.