As I said in a previous post, it looks like my Jean-Pierre Melville film series is beginning. Last night I watched his first film, 1946's Le Silence de la Mer. It's one of those films that would, sadly, never be made in the US. It tells the story of a German officer, who claims to be a true Francophile, moves in with an elderly Frenchman and his niece in the early days of the war. They respond by never talking to him, or even making eye contact. Howard Vernon, as Werner von Ebrennac, has to do the heavy lifting, and almost the entire film is him carrying on an almost stream of conscious dialogue every evening to two people who won't respond. The uncle (Jean-Marie Robain) provides some voiceover, and the younger niece (Nicole Stephane), who is clearly being drawn to the German officer, says one word to the officer at the end which is devastating. Highly recommended, and expected to see more Melville films popping up here soon.
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