The Fire Within

The Fire Within (French: Le feu follet [lə fø fɔlɛ], meaning "The Manic Fire" or "Will-o'-the-Wisp") is a 1963 French drama film directed by Louis Malle. It is based on the novel Will O' the Wisp by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle which itself was inspired by the life of Jacques Rigaut. The film stars Maurice Ronet, Jeanne Moreau—who had previously worked with Ronet and Malle in Elevator to the Gallows—as well as Alexandra Stewart, Bernard Noel, Lena Skerla, Hubert Deschamps and Yvonne Clech. The score features the music of Erik Satie.

This article is about the 1963 film. For the 2001 novel, see The Fire Within (novel)
The Fire Within
DVD Cover (Arte)
Directed byLouis Malle
Screenplay byLouis Malle
Based onWill O' the Wisp by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle
StarringMaurice Ronet
Jeanne Moreau
Alexandra Stewart
CinematographyGhislain Cloquet
Edited bySuzanne Baron
Music byErik Satie
Distributed byGibraltar Productions
Governor Films Inc.
Release date
  • 15 October 1963 (1963-10-15)
Running time
108 minutes
CountriesItaly
France
LanguageFrench

Plot

Alain Leroy is a recovering alcoholic at a rehabilitation clinic in Versailles, and he remains at the clinic, not working, even though his doctors believe he is ready to return to ordinary life. He is pensive and despondent, and is separated from his wife, who lives in New York. He intends to commit suicide, but first decides to visit his friends in Paris one final time, trying to find a reason to live.

After his arrival in Paris, he sees one friend after another and has a series of conversations, some surface-level, some introspective. After one chat at a cafe, he relapses and becomes physically ill, and is taken in by old acquaintances, who then hold a dinner party which Leroy attends. He is given more to drink at the party, and becomes sarcastic and belligerent. The stark contrast and seemingly pointless nature of his friends' bourgeois existence only brings Leroy into a state of even further frustration with his perceived absence of meaning in life.

The following morning, he receives a call from Solange, who was at the party the previous evening. She expresses interest in him, but he rebuffs her, and hangs up on her. He then shoots himself in the heart.

Cast

Reception

The film was selected as the French entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 36th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[1] In his 2006 Movie Guide, Leonard Maltin gives the film 3.5 stars (out of four) and calls it "probably Malle's best early film."[2] Roger Ebert gives the film the same rating, describing it as a "triumph of style."[3]

U.S. director Wes Anderson's works were generally influenced by Malle, with The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) particularly drawing from The Fire Within.[4] A line from The Fire Within is also translated into English and appears as "I'm going to kill myself tomorrow" in The Royal Tenenbaums.[5]

See also

References
  1. Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  2. Leonard Maltin's 2006 Movie Guide, New York: Signet.
  3. Ebert, Chaz. (1969-10-16) The Fire Within Movie Review & Film Summary (1964) | Roger Ebert. rogerebert.com. Retrieved on 2012-07-21.
  4. Monahan, Mark (March 9, 2002). "Film-makers on film: Wes Anderson". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  5. Perkins, Claire (2012). American Smart Cinema. Edinburgh University Press. p. 100. ISBN 978-0748654253.
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