The Silence of the Sea

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Christopher B Le Silence de la Mer was often called an anti-cinematic film by it's aspiring new Director, Jean-Pierre Melville. He went outside the film industry in order to make the film and didn't even have the rights to the source material when he filmed it. The film itself is one in which a lot happens and is narrated by the German officer and his interactions with a French man and his daughter, with whom he lodges. The German's are invading France and while under occupation they are stuck with this German officer with whom is very outspoken. While most of what the officer says is simply concerning music, art, cultures, other topics include philosophical observations and ideals. The man and his daughter are silent the entire film as this officer goes on and on and it's only out of defiance they maintain their silence. Near the end of the film the officer is finally awakened to the true cruelty of the Nazi party and his superiors views and it's this that enlightens him and he decides to depart to the front lines, disenchanted and dumbfounded. We hear the daughter utter goodbye to him, the first and only word spoken to him in the entire film. Le Silence de la Mer or The Silence of the Sea is very simplistic, both in it's filming technique and it's characters but it's entirely lyrical and thought provoking in it's subject matter. This is one of the only films in which the French resistance is shown and the German officers, at least some of them, are not all shown as monstrous brainwashed machines. Granted, our central character is the only one that isn't a true monster but this depiction is what I believe to be honest and true as not every single one could have been so heartless. Certainly the film shows their crimes and terrible inhuman ideals but also that not every one was truly in the know about Hitler's true intentions, at least outside the inner circle. The film was not only beautiful but also showed something rarely seen and had a profound effect on many other French directors afterwards, including Robert Bresson and Alain Resnais. While mostly lost on the American audiences, the film was well received in its native country and was prolific as the debut film of Melville. This was a pleasure to watch and truly an eye opening and inspiring film. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/24/22 Full Review s r It was good, but slow. A cultured Nazi soldier living with a French family struggles to come to terms with the occupation. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Melville's first but one of his more cleanly crafted films that, as usual, is no match for Army of Shadows, but still among the most insightful into the shrouded humanity of German soldiers, and a painful reminder of the Holocaust. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member And so Jean-Pierre Melville's career began with this very impressive feature debut. While not quite the same kind of film from him as I'm used to (keep in mind the only other Melville films I've seen are Le Deuxième Souffle and Le Samouraï), it delivers every bit of quiet tension and restrained filmmaking I've come to love from this director. The vast majority of the film is either narration directly out of the book on which the film was adapted, or Howard Vernon delivering hauntingly beautiful monologues. Vernon's performance is flawless and never fails to draw you in. All of this great stuff aside,Le Silence de la Mer has some room to grow. Biggest issue being that it's basically a stage play. The medium is hardly utilized and it makes for a semi-dull viewing. This isn't the fault of Melville or anybody else, that's just what the source material calls for. As perfectly executed as Vernon's monologues were, I just can't help but feel that the story could have had so much more to offer. But this, again, is the fault of the author of the book, not Melville. All in all, Le Silence de la Mer is a very good start to Melville's career and definitely one not to let pass you by. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Poetic French masterpiece. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member A naive and idealistic Nazi officer (Howard Vernon) is quartered in the home of an elderly Frenchman (Jean-Marie Robain) and his niece (Nicole Stephane) during the German occupation of France. The pair's only possible defiance in the wake of their unwelcome guest is cold, contemptuous silence. Le SIlence De La Mer was faithfully adapted from a popular novel clandestinely published under the nose of Vichy France. Its director, who was involved in the French Resistance, began shooting the movie a mere two years after World War II ended; the emotions about the Nazi occupation were still very raw and this is felt in every frame of the film. Despite (or because) of all this, Jean Pierre Melville's feature debut is a powerful and intense film in many ways. However, thanks in no small part to the spot-on cinematography and some great acting, Le Silence De La Mer is also understated and deeply humanizing in many of its other aspects. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Silence of the Sea

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