{"id":82196,"date":"2022-03-15T22:28:43","date_gmt":"2022-03-16T05:28:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=82196"},"modified":"2023-09-02T23:48:39","modified_gmt":"2023-09-03T06:48:39","slug":"red-and-the-black-the-1954","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=82196","title":{"rendered":"Red and the Black, The (1954)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Never has sin been committed with less joy.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Poster-225x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-82197\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Poster-225x300.png 225w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Poster-766x1024.png 766w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Poster-96x128.png 96w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Poster-768x1026.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Poster-202x270.png 202w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Poster.png 839w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAfter seducing the mother (Danielle Darrieux) of the children he&#8217;s tutoring, an upwardly mobile aspiring priest named Julien Sorel (G\u00e9rard Philipe) takes a new position in the household of a lawyer (Jean Mercure) whose virginal daughter (Antonella Lualdi) falls for and seduces <em>him<\/em> &#8212; but how will Darrieux react when she learns her former lover has not gone into the priesthood after all?\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Courtroom Drama<\/li>\n<li>Cross-Class Romance<\/li>\n<li>Danielle Darrieux Films<\/li>\n<li>Flashback Films<\/li>\n<li>French Films<\/li>\n<li>Historical Drama <\/li>\n<li>Infidelity<\/li>\n<li>Social Climbers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nFrench director Claude Autant-Lara helmed this adaptation &#8212; named Best Film of the Year by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics &#8212; of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Red_and_the_Black\">Stendhal&#8217;s 1830 two-volume novel<\/a>. The book is known as the first &#8220;psychological novel&#8221;, given Stendhal&#8217;s use of interior monologues for the main character &#8212; a rhetorical structure retained here to surprisingly good effect (i.e., they help us to better understand the thoughts and motivations of this complex character, but aren&#8217;t overused). <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Sorel.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Sorel.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-82202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Sorel.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Sorel-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Sorel-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Sorel-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sorel is an intriguing protagonist &#8212; someone we don&#8217;t especially like, but are curious to learn more about as we see the various moves he makes, especially knowing he&#8217;ll end up in court defending himself (the film is structured as a lengthy flashback occurring during his trial for shooting a woman). We wonder why he wants to be a priest, for instance &#8212; but a key scene when he observes a bishop genuflecting in front of the mirror helps us understand that he&#8217;s eager to climb the heights of this profession and be adored in precisely this way: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Genuflecting.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Genuflecting.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-82201\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Genuflecting.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Genuflecting-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Genuflecting-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Genuflecting-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, his predatory seduction of Darrieux&#8217;s Mme. de R\u00e9nal feels loathesome, yet he does seem to eventually love her in his own way: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Seduction2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Seduction2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-82207\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Seduction2.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Seduction2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Seduction2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Seduction2-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>As the story progresses, we continue to learn more about Sorel&#8217;s ambitions and how calculated he is about every single decision in his life. While he&#8217;s temporarily foiled time and again, he eventually &#8220;succeeds&#8221; in landing a higher spot in society &#8212; only to have it all unravel due to jealousy and passion. <em>C&#8217;est la vie.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> This film has existed in a variety of lengths over the years, ranging from 113 minutes to 194 minutes; the latter is the version I saw, and it never seemed to drag (though I did watch it over several different sittings). <\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fine sets, costumes, and cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Embracing.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Embracing.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-82205\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Embracing.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Embracing-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Embracing-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Embracing-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Still.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Still.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-82198\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Still.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Still-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Still-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Red-and-the-Black-Still-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, though it&#8217;s worth a look if it sounds of interest. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0047432\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.allmovie.com\/movie\/the-red-and-the-black-v40649\">All Movie Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Never has sin been committed with less joy.&#8221; Synopsis: After seducing the mother (Danielle Darrieux) of the children he&#8217;s tutoring, an upwardly mobile aspiring priest named Julien Sorel (G\u00e9rard Philipe) takes a new position in the household of a lawyer (Jean Mercure) whose virginal daughter (Antonella Lualdi) falls for and seduces him &#8212; but how will Darrieux react when she learns her former lover has not gone into the priesthood after all? Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Courtroom Drama Cross-Class&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=82196\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=82196"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91042,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82196\/revisions\/91042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=82196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=82196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=82196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}