LEON MORIN, PRETRE
France, 1961, 119 minutes, Black-and-white.
Jean- Paul Belmondo, Emmanuelle Riva, Irene Tunc, Nicole Mirel.
Directed by Jean- Pierre Melville.
One of the most intriguing films about the Italian, then German occupation of France is the 1961 Leon Morin, Pretre (d. Jean-Pierre? Melville). Leon Morin, played unexpectedly by Jean-Paul? Belmondo, very popular at the time in films like Breathless, is a young priest sent to the French Alps, with a crusader motivation but to save the world starting with a small village. He is one of two curates to an old parish priest who is seen at baptisms. He is ‘old-style’.
One of his challenges is the presence of children of Resistance fighters, some of them half-Jewish, and how they are to be concealed. There is a baptism sequence, a way of shielding the children from the enemy.
But the main drama of the film does not concern the war explicitly. A young widow, played by Emmanuelle Riva, Barny, has a daughter who is half-Jewish. She herself is a Communist and militantly atheist. She decides to confront a priest and randomly chooses Leon Morin, though she thinks his name, Leon, indicates his coming from a working-class family. She goes into the confessional and accosts him instantly with telling him that religion is the opiate of the people. But, Leon Morin is not the kind of priest she was anticipating. He shrewdly opens her up to more honesty and goes along with a number of her criticisms, especially of the church’s lavish furnishings and over-attention to the wealthy, but nevertheless has strong beliefs and stances about the church and his faith.
He is very direct, even brusque in manner, directive in his advice. Despite her wanting to make mischief, he leads her into making a confession and asks her to kneel on the stone floor of the church as her penance. He stresses repentance over penance. She does kneel on the floor.
He invites Barny to continue to see him in his austere rooms, lends her theological books with the heavy intellectual language of the early 20th century, including Karl Adam’s book on Jesus, which she reads at night, working during the day at a Correspondence School. A great deal of the film spent in dialogue about religion, the church, faith, leading to further explorations of faith and challenges to Barny. God is a realistic but benign God. She moves from trying to stir and annoy him to being to a conversion and religious devotion, intrigued, with touches of infatuation.
Perhaps at the time but certainly in later decades, audiences would be expecting some kind of sexual encounter. In fact, there is, but not in the explicit way anticipated. Leon Morin does respond to Barny as a woman but has no intention of a sexual liaison. She has her own background, seeming to relate more strongly to women than men. After her kissing him, she wants to confess. Leon reassures ther that it will not be difficult as he knows what she wants to say. Leon Morin is shown as a man of feelings, who can smile, do practical jobs and play with Barny’s daughter who is charmed by him. He is shown to be an affectionate father-figure.
There are glimpses of his other ministry, especially in his guiding a young woman who works at the school, has fascist ideas and is seen as a collaborator. He brings her to some peace and friendship with Barney whom she had despised.
The trailer for the film, which opts for suggestions about sex, declares that it is ‘passionant, vrai, humaine’. There are suggestions of temptation and of asceticism. There are some suggestions of sexual feeling, mainly touch, words, but the intention of the film is exploration of religion and Leon Morin emerges as a man in the tradition of Bernanos and The Diary of a Country Priest (filmed 10 years earlier than Leon Morin), a serious man, with serious intentions, ascetical as seen when Barney visits him in his sparsely furnished room and his packing his boxes of books. He is a priest trained in an era that was strict and doctrinal, committed to his vow of celibacy, an edifying priest of his time.
1. A World War II film? From the perspective of 20 years later? The Italian occupation? The German occupation? The experience of the population? The particular focus on the church, the priest?
2. The black-and-white photography, the details of the town, the streets, homes, school, presbytery, church? The surrounding countryside? The farms? The homes? The musical score?
3. The title, the focus on Leon? Yet the emphasis on Barney’s story?
4. Barney, her story in perspective, widow and her daughter? The experience of the war, the Italian presence, the German presence? The contrast? The men at war, the women in the town? The old men? The work at the correspondence centre? Her emotions, the attraction to Sabine, the preoccupations and her gaze? Sabine and her job, her absence, return, the experience with Barney, the change? Christine and collaboration? The various girls? The superiors, the Jewish man? Her life at home with her daughter?
5. The religious background, the issues of confession, loss of faith? The baptisms? The children? The fathers absent with the Resistance? The mothers acting as sponsors? The portrait of the old priest, traditional, doing the ministry, the touch of the cantankerous?
6. Barney and her mischievous approach, to the church? Deciding to choose a priest, not wanting the parish priest, Leon’s name because it was a peasant name?
7. Jean- Paul Belmondo as Leon, his age, his experience as curate, a priest of the times, the touch of the tough, his farm background, his discussions about his disciplining growing up? Yet common sensed, brusque in his manner, direct in his communication, directive?
8. The importance of the religious discussions, the image of God, the God language, pre-Vatican II? The language of the early 20th century, the theological language, the books, the focus on books about Jesus, the books of Karl Adam, the catechesis? Explorations of faith? The importance of social teaching, the people and the poor? His lending the books to Barney?
9. Barney going to confession, the formula, taunting Leon, Leon and his questions, his shrewdness, getting Barney to open up, actually going through the confession form, giving her the penance of kneeling on the stone floor of the church? His emphasis that for confession it was not so much penance but repentance? Bernie actually kneeling?
10. Barney, her visits, reading the books, the work during the day, reading the books at night, learning, returning for discussions? The continued visits, the talk, Leon being directive, their arguments, the nature of God, the benign but realistic God? The effect on Barney, an experience of conversion, faith, the experience of the church? Very French religious perspective on these discussions, theology, catechetical books?
11. Leon, his social awareness, the touch of the Catholic Communist? As a priest, his ministry in the parish, the concern about the occupation, the families, the mothers and children? The issue of celibacy – and his realistic approach, not a problem? His commitment? (And later decade audiences anticipating crises about celibacy?)
12. His discussions with the other parishioners, especially Christine, the visits, advice, her collaboration? His response to Barney’s infatuation with Sabine?
13. The issues of love, Leon’s approach, Barney and her infatuation, her approach to Leon, Leon stopping her, her confession, no embarrassment because he knew already what she was to confess about this episode? The significance for her self-estimation?
14. The children, out in the countryside, away from the Germans? The German presence, the guns, patrols, interviews? Barney’s daughter, the old ladies and their finding it difficult to have her at the home, their approach to take her away? Leon and his meeting with the daughter, her rely on him, the fondness, his being a father-figure, influencing Barney on how she should treat her daughter?
15. Leon, his packing up, Barney’s visit, the unembarrassed talk? The sparseness of his goods? The books, the boxes, his meagre empty room? His moving?
16. The film as a war narrative, characters in the context, the women surviving with the correspondence school, the detail of the work there, the corrections, the books, the man in charge, the Jewish man leaving?
17. The film as an exploration of faith, denial of faith, re-discovery of faith? The role of the priest, the pastoral image of French priests and the resonances of Bernanos’ Diary of a Country Priest?
