Léon Morin, Prêtre (1961)

France/Italy
Feature Film
Original Title: Léon Morin, prêtre
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville
Writers: Jean-Pierre Melville, Béatrix Beck
Cinematographer: Henri Decaë
Composer: Martial Solal
Cast: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Emmanuelle Riva, Irène Tunc, Nicole Mirel, Gisèle Grimm

Provocative, absorbing, and strangely erotic, Melville’s adaptation of Béatrix Beck’s autobiographical novel, exploring the fascinating relationship between a sceptical, young communist woman and a handsome, young liberal priest in German occupied France, is a work of quiet power and adept artistry. Iain.Stott