{"id":94624,"date":"2024-01-06T00:13:12","date_gmt":"2024-01-06T07:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=94624"},"modified":"2024-01-06T11:33:10","modified_gmt":"2024-01-06T18:33:10","slug":"muriel-1963","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=94624","title":{"rendered":"Muriel (1963)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Can&#8217;t we be done with the past?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Poster-226x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"226\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-94625\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Poster-226x300.png 226w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Poster-96x128.png 96w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Poster-203x270.png 203w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Poster.png 697w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 226px) 100vw, 226px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen a middle-aged woman (Delphine Seyrig) living with her grown stepson (Jean-Baptiste Thierr\u00e9e) in Boulogne invites her former lover (Jean-Pierre K\u00e9rien) to visit, he shows up with a young woman (Nita Klein) who he first refers to as his niece, but turns out to be his mistress.\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>Alain Resnais Films<\/li>\n<li>Delphine Seyrig Films<\/li>\n<li>French Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAlain Resnais&#8217;s third feature-length film &#8212; after <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=77210\"><em>Hiroshima, Mon Amour<\/em> (1959)<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=94106\"><em>Last Year at Marienbad<\/em> (1961)<\/a> &#8212; was scripted by Jean Cayrol, his collaborator on <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=94558\"><em>Night and Fog<\/em> (1955)<\/a>, and utilizes a similarly non-linear, mosaic-like narrative structure. Susan Sontag pointed out <a href=\"https:\/\/online.ucpress.edu\/fq\/article-abstract\/17\/2\/23\/38012\/Review-Muriel-ou-Le-Temps-d-un-Retour-by-Alain?redirectedFrom=fulltext\">in her essay for <em>Film Quarterly<\/em><\/a> that all three &#8220;share a common subject&#8221; of a &#8220;search for the inexpressible past&#8221; &#8212; indeed, the characters in <em>Muriel<\/em> (as in the other two films) talk and act with desperation, siloed in their delusions, troubles, and world-views:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Phone.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Phone.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"956\" height=\"576\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-94637\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Phone.png 956w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Phone-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Phone-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Phone-768x463.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Phone-448x270.png 448w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 956px) 100vw, 956px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Alphone-Newspaper.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Alphone-Newspaper.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"956\" height=\"576\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-94634\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Alphone-Newspaper.png 956w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Alphone-Newspaper-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Alphone-Newspaper-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Alphone-Newspaper-768x463.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Alphone-Newspaper-448x270.png 448w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 956px) 100vw, 956px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Francoise-Movie-Posters.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Francoise-Movie-Posters.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"956\" height=\"576\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-94636\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Francoise-Movie-Posters.png 956w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Francoise-Movie-Posters-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Francoise-Movie-Posters-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Francoise-Movie-Posters-768x463.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Francoise-Movie-Posters-448x270.png 448w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 956px) 100vw, 956px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Horseriding.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Horseriding.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"956\" height=\"576\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-94635\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Horseriding.png 956w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Horseriding-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Horseriding-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Horseriding-768x463.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Horseriding-448x270.png 448w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 956px) 100vw, 956px\" \/><\/a> <\/p>\n<p>&#8230;  with little of it making longer-term temporal or logical sense. <\/p>\n<p>To that end, the screenplay is filled with what <a href=\"https:\/\/www.criterion.com\/current\/posts\/4140-muriel-or-the-time-of-return-ashes-of-time\">James Quandt, writing for Criterion, refers to<\/a> as &#8220;disorienting ellipses, compressions, attenuations, and&#8230; obsessive repetitions&#8221; &#8212; none of which is inherently compelling to watch unless you&#8217;re eager to engage in ongoing speculative analysis. As Sontag points out in her essay: <\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Resnais denies the viewer a chance to orient himself visually to traditional story terms. We are shown a hand on the doorknob, the vacant insincere smile of the client:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Smile.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Smile.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"956\" height=\"576\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-94646\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Smile.png 956w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Smile-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Smile-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Smile-768x463.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Smile-448x270.png 448w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 956px) 100vw, 956px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; a coffee pot boiling&#8230; [And] when Resnais cuts abruptly, he pulls the viewer away from the story. His cutting acts as a brake on the narrative, a form of aesthetic undertow, a sort of filmic alienation effect.&#8221; <\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The most poignant moment &#8212; though it feels somewhat unearned &#8212; comes half-way through the film, as Thierr\u00e9e sits and watches footage from the recently concluded <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Algerian_War\">war in Algeria<\/a>, sharing pained memories of a young, unseen woman named Muriel whose torture (and implied rape) he partook in. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Watching.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Watching.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"956\" height=\"576\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-94629\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Watching.png 956w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Watching-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Watching-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Watching-768x463.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Watching-448x270.png 448w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 956px) 100vw, 956px\" \/><\/a> <\/p>\n<p>Be forewarned that nothing much resolves in a satisfying way in this film &#8212; though you may want to listen for my favorite random line (&#8220;Don&#8217;t take it out on the azaleas.&#8221;) and watch for a Hitchcock &#8220;silhouette&#8221; in one scene (as can also be found in &#8230; <em>Marienbad<\/em>).  <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Hitchcock.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Hitchcock.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"956\" height=\"576\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-94627\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Hitchcock.png 956w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Hitchcock-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Hitchcock-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Hitchcock-768x463.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Hitchcock-448x270.png 448w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 956px) 100vw, 956px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Delphine Seyrig as H\u00e9l\u00e8ne<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Seyrig.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Seyrig.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"956\" height=\"576\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-94640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Seyrig.png 956w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Seyrig-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Seyrig-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Seyrig-768x463.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Seyrig-448x270.png 448w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 956px) 100vw, 956px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine location shooting<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Storefront.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Storefront.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"956\" height=\"576\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-94628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Storefront.png 956w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Storefront-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Storefront-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Storefront-768x463.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Storefront-448x270.png 448w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 956px) 100vw, 956px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Storefront2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Storefront2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"956\" height=\"576\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-94631\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Storefront2.png 956w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Storefront2-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Storefront2-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Storefront2-768x463.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Storefront2-448x270.png 448w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 956px) 100vw, 956px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Sacha Vierny&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Car.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Car.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"956\" height=\"576\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-94630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Car.png 956w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Car-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Car-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Car-768x463.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Muriel-Car-448x270.png 448w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 956px) 100vw, 956px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo; you can skip this one unless you&#8217;re a Resnais fan. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0057336\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2235muri.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1963\/10\/31\/archives\/screen-dust-of-nazism-in-presentday-germanycondemned-of-altona.html\">NY Times Original Review (scroll down to second review) <\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.criterion.com\/current\/posts\/4140-muriel-or-the-time-of-return-ashes-of-time\">Criterion Essay<\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=12939&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Can&#8217;t we be done with the past?&#8221; Synopsis: When a middle-aged woman (Delphine Seyrig) living with her grown stepson (Jean-Baptiste Thierr\u00e9e) in Boulogne invites her former lover (Jean-Pierre K\u00e9rien) to visit, he shows up with a young woman (Nita Klein) who he first refers to as his niece, but turns out to be his mistress. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Alain Resnais Films Delphine Seyrig Films French Films Review: Alain Resnais&#8217;s third feature-length film &#8212; after Hiroshima, Mon Amour (1959)&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=94624\"> 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-94624","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\/94624","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=94624"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94671,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94624\/revisions\/94671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=94624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=94624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=94624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}