MURMUR OF THE HEART (LE SOUFFLE AU COEUR)

France, 1971, 122 minutes, Colour.
Lea Massari, Benoit Ferraux, Daniel Gelin.
Directed by Louis Malle.

Murmur of the Heart is a French comedy of manners, 50's style. Although this film was made in 1971 the permissiveness and sexual sequences would have been rather daring had it been shown 20 years earlier. This film could create an interesting discussion on the change in society and its outlook from the 50's to the present day.

1. This was a comedy of manners, French 50's style. How seriously was it meant to be taken?

2. Did you feel that this was an accurate and perceptive re-creation of the lifestyle and attitudes of people like those of Dijon at the time? How did the film take the trouble to make the reconstruction accurate? Did the film aid in the understanding of the mentality of the times? (Note the Indo-China? war situation).

3. How ordinary a family were the Chevaliers? How typical were their attitudes and behaviour? The professional work of the father, his distance from his sons, relationship with his wife? The wife, her Italian background, young, with lovers, doting on her children especially Laurent? Marc and Thomas ? adolescence, average intelligence, sexually curious? Laurent ? serious, reading Camus, stealing Charlie Parker records, love for his mother, serving Mass yet non-religious, sexually developing, delicate health?

4. How were the family relationships shown in the film, meals, overheard conversations, the boys fooling around in their mother's room, fooling around together?

5. Who was the main character in this film? Why?

6. What role did religion play in this family life ? Mass, Confession, going to a Catholic school? Did religion have any real influence on or relevance to them?

7. The family took sexuality lightly, How important was sexuality in the film? The film was certainly not puritanical. Was it permissive?

8. Did Laurent change much during the film? Schoolboy. young, at his brother's party (drink, smoke, kiss), studies. illness and being looked after, his experience at the Spa, Helen, sophistication, his relationship with his mother (disappointed in her infidelity to him), the incest sequence? The film did not take this sequence over seriously, was this right? Was the agreement between mother and son the best way to handle the situation?

9. What of the ending and the laughter at Laurent?

10. This family and film seem very 'worldly'. Was the film just a mirror of France at that time; a mirror of the world and nothing more?