Le souffle au coeur (1971)

Director:

Louis Malle

Writer:

Louis Malle (written by)

Release Date:

17 October 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

This is a jolly coming-of-age story about a 15-year-old boy named Laurent Chevalier who is growing up in bourgeois surroundings in Dijon...

Plot Keywords:

France | Priest | Dijon France | Coming Of Age | Sex

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Lea Massari	...	Clara Chevalier
Benoît Ferreux	...	Laurent Chevalier
Daniel Gélin	...	Charles Chevalier
Michael Lonsdale	...	Father Henri
Ave Ninchi	...	Augusta
Gila von Weitershausen	...	Freda (the prostitute)
Fabien Ferreux	...	Thomas
Marc Winocourt	...	Marc
Micheline Bona	...	Aunt Claudine
Henri Poirier	...	Uncle Leonce
Liliane Sorval	...	Fernande
Corinne Kersten	...	Daphne
Eric Walter
François Werner	...	Hubert
René Bouloc	...	Man at Bastille Day party

Also Known As:

Herzflimmern (West Germany)
Dearest Love (UK)
Il soffio al cuore (Italy)
Murmur of the Heart (USA)

Runtime:

USA:118 min

Country:

France | Italy | West Germany

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:R | South Korea:18 | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | New Zealand:R18 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:11 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Dijon, Côte-d'Or, France

Company:

Nouvelles Éditions de Films (NEF)

Trivia:

While the incest aspects of the story were not autobiographical, Louis Malle did in fact end up sharing a hotel room with his mother as a child while on a trip to treat his heart murmur due to "bizarre" circumstances.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the opening sequence, Laurent and his friend walk the streets collecting money for charity. Laurent's friend's socks are pushed down, but when they decide to "try somewhere else," the shot of the two walking away shows the socks pulled up. In the next shot, they're down again.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Murphy Brown: Why Do Fools Fall in Love? (#1.12)" (1989)

Unflinching.

A tender, witty and often raw coming-of-age film from Louis Malle.

The film follows Laurent, a 14 year old boy, who is coming to terms with love and sex.

The relationship between the son and his mother is played with brilliant conviction.

The music score has some great jazz on it, from Parker to Gillespie.

Le Soufflé au Cour also has a great script, where the characters are totally believable and have depths beyond your average film-fare. The actors don't need to have a tic or a physical disability to stun you.

The pacing of the film is often very slow and doesn't have much direction, but that doesn't matter.

This is a subtle film, one which I am sure you will enjoy.