Muriel ou Le Temps d'un Retour (1963)
Genre: Drama
Duration: 115 minuten
Alternative title: Muriel
Country:
France / Italy
Directed by: Alain Resnais
Stars: Delphine Seyrig, Jean-Pierre Kérien and Nita Klein
IMDb score:
7,0 (4.130)
Releasedate: 1 October 1963
Muriel ou Le Temps d'un Retour plot
A woman tries to break out of the daily grind by reviving a pre-war childhood sweetheart. At the same time, her stepson tries to forget the Algerian war.
Actors and actresses
Hélène Aughain
Alphonse Noyard
Bernard Aughain
Françoise
Roland de Smoke
Claudie
Marie-Dominique, aka Marie-Do
Robert
Ernest
L'homme à la chèvre / The Goat Man
Reviews & comments
Spetie
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- 38871 messages
- 8252 votes
A difficult film to get into. Ultimately, it worked out well, and if you appreciate stylish editing, with the director making extensive use of jump cuts, then this is definitely the film for you.
In Muriel, the main characters essentially "travel" back into their past. We see how they view their childhood and how it ultimately influences their future. A quest to discover who you truly are. Not everything is perfectly clear, but it essentially boils down to this. Resnais's presentation is quite remarkable. Resnais doesn't focus so much on the story itself, but rather, through his style and editing, he tries to induce a kind of trance-like state. He partially succeeded in this for me.
The soundtrack is also worth mentioning. It's unique and atmospheric, and in a way, very relaxing. A film as multi-layered as this is difficult to fully grasp on a first viewing. You also have to be open to it, because some films demand more from the viewer, and this is clearly one of those. For now, my rating remains at three and a half stars. It's quite good, but I haven't (yet) been able to find any real genius in it. Who knows, maybe I'll find it again in the future.
3.5*
Translated from Dutch · View original
CornelisHeijkant
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- 7 messages
- 4 votes
Resnais is an intellectual filmmaker. He doesn't just tell a story, but plays with the medium itself. However, I found Muriel a messy, almost unenjoyable film about nervous, bored bourgeois people, constantly busy digging up old relationships or introducing new ones, slipping each other money, lying and cheating. So much insincerity! You sense a secret somewhere in the background. You can't figure it out. The music underneath was dysfunctional and hilarious. Intentional? I couldn't finish it. A serious disappointment after seeing the brilliant, focused, and moving Hiroshima mon amour.
Translated from Dutch · View original
mjk87 (moderator films)
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- 14602 messages
- 4555 votes
Tried Resnais again, this time in color. It's less detached than his other two films I saw, but otherwise not at all captivating (I also saw a documentary about Auschwitz, which was incredibly strong). It's not bad, but also not particularly special in either plot or look. Perhaps it's the annoying editing, which, while functional, is mostly irritating. But it's noticeable. All the emotional turmoil and the endless dialogue held little interest for me, and this is a long film. 1.5 stars.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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