Diary of a Country Priest
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| Diary of a Country Priest | |
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| Directed by | Robert Bresson |
| Produced by | Léon Carré Robert Sussfeld |
| Written by | Georges Bernanos (novel) Robert Bresson |
| Starring | Claude Laydu Jean Riveyre André Guibert |
| Music by | Jean-Jacques Grünenwald |
| Cinematography | Léonce-Henri Burel |
| Editing by | Paulette Robert |
| Distributed by | Brandon Films Inc. |
| Release date(s) | February 7, 1951 |
| Running time | 110 min. |
| Language | French |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Diary of a Country Priest (original French title: Journal d'un curé de campagne) is a novel by Georges Bernanos. Published in 1937, the novel received the Grand prix du roman de l'Académie française. It tells the story of a young, sickly priest, who has just arrived in his first parish, a village in northern France.
A 1951 French film directed by Robert Bresson, and starring Claude Laydu, was based on the novel. Two other French directors, Jean Aurenche and Bost had wanted to make film adaptations of the novel. Bernanos rejected Aurenche's first draft, and by the time Bresson got around to the task, Bernanos had died. Bresson said he "would have taken more liberties" if Bernanos was still alive.[1]
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[edit] Film plot summary
A young priest arrives at Ambricourt, his new parish. He is not welcome. The girls of the cathechism class laugh at him, his colleagues criticize his diet of bread and wine, etc. Concerned about the daughter of the Countess, the priest goes to speak to the Countess, who dies after their conversation, sparking rumors that the priest's harsh words tormented her to death. The older priest from Torcy talks to the young priest about his poor diet and lack of prayer. After his health worsens, the priest goes to the city to visit a doctor, who diagnoses him with stomach cancer. The priest goes to a former colleague who is now an apothecary. He dies in the druggist's house after being blessed by him.
[edit] Awards
The film won eight international awards, including the Grand Prize at the Venice and Cannes Film Festivals, and the Prix Louis Delluc.
[edit] References
- ^ François Truffaut, "A Certain Tendency of the French Cinema" Film Theory: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies ed. Philip Simpson. New York: Taylor & Francis (2004): 11
[edit] External links
- Diary of a Country Priest at the Internet Movie Database
- Plot summary and insight at RottenTomatoes
- The Diary of a Country Priest at the Arts & Faith Top100 Spiritually Significant Films list
- Criterion Collection essay by Frederic Bonnaud
- DVD review of film
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