Léon Morin, prêtre (Léon Morin, Priest). 1961. Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville

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Léon Morin, prêtre (Léon Morin, Priest). 1961. France. Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. Courtesy Rialto Pictures/Studiocanal

Léon Morin, prêtre (Léon Morin, Priest). 1961. France. Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. In French, English subtitles. 117 min.

Screenplay by Melville, from the novel by Béatrix Beck. With Jean-Paul Belmondo, Emmanuelle Riva, Nicole Mirel. In occupied France, the widow of a Communist resistant (Emmanuelle Riva), who has been forced to send her half-Jewish daughter into hiding, is further troubled by her powerful attraction to her female boss (Nicole Mirel) and her dying faith in God. Comfort comes in the unexpected form of a young Catholic priest (Jean-Paul Belmondo), whose attempts to rekindle the widow’s faith stir other awakenings as well. Melville’s film places two newly minted stars of the French New Wave in a spare, classical context, charged with suppressed eroticism. Riva, familiar to contemporary audiences for Michael Haneke’s Amour, creates a strikingly complex character for a director not usually known for his characterizations of women.

This film accompanies Scorsese Screens.

Past events

Sun, Aug 23, 2015, 2:30 p.m.

MoMA, Floor T1, Theater 1

The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 1
Thu, Aug 20, 2015, 7:00 p.m.

MoMA, Floor T2, Theater 2

The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2

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