Murmur Of The Heart

1971 - France
Directed By Louis Malle


SYNOPSIS

14 year old Laurent (Benoit Ferreux) is a gifted student, living in an upper class family in 1950's France. As he becomes a man, experimenting in smoke, drink and sex, he suffers a heart murmur. After he recovers, he attends a sanatorium as he recovers and shares a hotel room with his mother (Lea Massari,) who's the most important woman in his life.

MY THOUGHTS

An amazing French film that should be better known.

Murmur Of The Heart perfectly captures all that is being a 14 year old with all the confusion, awkwardness, and budding sexuality. This is all due to Benoit Ferreux's outstanding performance. It's one of the best performances of a young actor in any language. His performance is the equal of Jean-Pierre Leaud's amazing performance in Francois Truffaut's similarly-themed (but very different) The 400 Blows. Ferreux never appears to be acting and is very natural and realistic in his portrayal of Laurent.

All the other actors also are very believable and help to create this very real world.

Plot-wise the film lacks in comparison to The 400 Blows... but then again this is more of a slice-of-life piece. It doesn't so much tell a story as it is just a peek into the life of a family and a young boy's coming of age.

Director Louis Malle no doubt based this film on his experiences growing up and it has a very autobiographical feel just like Truffaut's 400 Blows. This is made more evident by the film's very cheerful and, at times, silly tone... despite the darker aspects of the story. Laurent gets hit on by a priest, humiliated by his brothers after they set him up with a hooker, and... ahem... resolves part of his Oedipal complex (the non-murderous half.)
Despite the obvious autobiographical nature of Murmur... it's clear Malle is looking back fondly... it thankfully never appears sentimental or maudlin.... or sermonizes against the uglier aspects of the story. It has, in fact, no message. It is just telling a story.

The cinematography augments the autobiographical feeling. The film uses warm lighting and earthy colors to give it a homey, happy feel.

Adding to the autobiographical nature, we're treated to some of Malle's musical heroes like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sidney Bechet whose songs from the era comprise the awesome soundtrack.

To most, the film may be a little slow, but it is a deeply-engrossing, beautiful film that can truly be called "art."