The Storm Within

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The Storm Within

Released Apr 22, 1950

1h 45m

Drama

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100%

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8 Reviews

75%

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100+ Ratings

Young Michel (Jean Marais) is in love with the attractive Madeleine (Josette Day), so he decides to tell his parents of his intention to marry her. He thinks his announcement is innocent enough; his engagement, however, threatens to reveal dark secrets lurking within his family's home. Yvonne (Yvonne de Bray), Michel's overbearing mother, concocts an elaborate scheme to drive Madeleine away, thus keeping uncomfortable household truths from being exposed.

Robert Abele

Los Angeles Times

Cocteau's fluid mastery of the material brings aesthetic sanity to the psychological conflicts.

Jul 12, 2018

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Glenn Kenny

New York Times

Cocteau's dramatic model, as ever, never strays too far from Greek tragedy and resolves appropriately.

May 24, 2018

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John DeFore

The Hollywood Reporter

A formally inventive showcase for old-school melodrama.

May 24, 2018

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Lee Jutton

Film Inquiry

A cautionary tale of what happens when familial love and romantic love cross paths, Les Parents Terribles deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Cocteau's other, more widely-seen masterpieces.

Nov 11, 2018

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

By today's standards, the potential salaciousness of Les Parents Terribles may seem rather diminished, but it retains a unique energy thanks to its portrait of hopelessly enmeshed post-WWII bourgeois family ties.

Oct 16, 2018

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Armond White

National Review

"This Oedipal farce, perched on the edge of surrealist poetry, might be the most sophisticated sit-com ever."

Jun 26, 2018

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Audience Member

No me enganché de entrada, ni en el nudo ni al final. Los actores están bien elegidos, pero... me resultó muy teatro-genérico o teatro 'de oficio'.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

When jean Marais 35 tries to cover the part of Michel 22 it is hard to believe. Appart from that even if it doesn't compare in anything to "La Belle et la Bete", it's far more watchable than any of Cocteau surrealist pictures.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

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Jean Cocteau

Director

Jean Marais

Michel

Josette Day

Madeleine

Yvonne de Bray

Yvonne dite "Sophie"

Gabrielle Dorziat

Tante Léo

Marcel André

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Les Parents terribles: 70th Anniversary Re-Release Trailer

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Synopsis

Young Michel (Jean Marais) is in love with the attractive Madeleine (Josette Day), so he decides to tell his parents of his intention to marry her. He thinks his announcement is innocent enough; his engagement, however, threatens to reveal dark secrets lurking within his family's home. Yvonne (Yvonne de Bray), Michel's overbearing mother, concocts an elaborate scheme to drive Madeleine away, thus keeping uncomfortable household truths from being exposed.

Director: Jean Cocteau
Producer: Francis Cosne, Alexandre Mnouchkine
Screenwriter: Jean Cocteau
Distributor: DisCina International
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 22, 1950, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 30, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $11.8K
Runtime: 1h 45m