This is not the kind of film I expect from Jean-Pierre Melville based on the films of his I’ve seen. Taking place in Nazi-occupied France, who would’ve ever thought Melville would present a “life during wartime” drama and seemingly focus so little on the war? Instead, he focuses on a woman (Emmanuelle Riva) and her relationship with a local priest played by Jean-Paul Belmondo (Breathless). The film serves as a lesson in tension, building as Melville explores the growing sexual attraction this woman has for a man she cannot have. Embedded in the narrative the audience is also left to question the priest’s motivations. Is he just messing with her? Does he know the effect he has on her and her friends? Religion obviously plays a role and the war isn’t as forgotten as you may initially believe, but to look at the film on a surface level you’d hardly think it about war or religion.
Don’t attempt to look for an overt message concerning from Leon Morin. Melville doesn’t paint a black-and-white picture, instead he uses subtle strokes and the closer you examine the effect the film has on you as an audience, the more you begin to understand it.
Belmondo as the titular Leon Morin is, for the most part, the only male in the film. At least, he’s the only male with a prominent role. The reason being, all the other men have gone to war or are being held in concentration camps. As a result, Riva’s portrayal of Barny, a sexually-frustrated widow, is heightened, especially when you consider the Melville quote offered up in Gary Indiana’s essay included with this release: “The main idea was to show this amorous priest who likes to excite girls but doesn’t sleep with them.”
As much as the film is not necessarily about religion, I found Morin’s opinion of the church and religion to be fascinating. He would say the opposite of what you would ever expect a priest to say when confronted by a skeptic, which is how Barny first presents herself, attempting to goad the priest. However, when Morin agrees with some of Barny’s opinions her interest grows to the point she can’t help but accept God into her life. As a viewer, you too are fascinated no matter your beliefs. It’s a truly impressive bit of manipulation, and it is only the beginning as you are seduced deeper into the narrative where contradiction meets desire and the moral line begins to blur.
As for Criterion’s Blu-ray presentation of this 1961 feature, it’s quite beautiful. Considering the narrative and the film’s look (it was shot by Henri Decae who also filmed The 400 Blows and Le Samourai), it has something of a Gothic feel at times. Taking into account the sexuality running through the feature, I couldn’t help but look at Morin as a vampire of sorts, enticing women to his room at the top of a winding stairway. It’s as if Dracula had put on a frock and through subtle suggestions he would have women offering themselves even though they knew they shouldn’t.
Supplements include a brief, five-minute archival interview with Melville and Belmondo, an interesting selected scene commentary by film scholar Ginette Vincendeau, a pair of deleted scenes and the original theatrical trailer. The release is capped off with the 28-page booklet I referenced earlier with the essay from critic and novelist Gary Indiana.
When it comes to recommendations, this isn’t a film I can immediately say should be added to your collection, but it is a film that has stuck with me since watching it for the first time. There are many ways to describe and decipher the ambiguity of the story, though the longer you think on it the more you come to a realization that it’s not about any one thing as much as it is about all things. It’s about war, depression, love, sex, desire, loneliness, deception, and on and on. It’s all there and the more you run the narrative through your head the clearer it becomes.
This is not a traditional Melville feature like I had come to expect. When I think of Melville I think of crime thrillers and political features including Le Samourai, Le Doulos, Le Cercle Rouge and Army of Shadows. Seeing Leon Morin, Priest was a surprise and a breath of fresh air, and while it didn’t immediately feel like a Melville feature, once you sit back and examine the technical brilliance, it all becomes quite clear.
