Name: Le coeur battant
Genre: Drama
Released: 1960-12-26
Duration: 1 h 26 min
Rating: 6.2
Cast: Françoise Brion, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Pénélope Portrait

Jacques Doniol-Valcroze was a co-founder of Cahiers du Cinema. A respected reviewer and cinéaste but no great shakes as an actor and as a director did not exactly set the world alight!

It is well-nigh impossible however not to like this unassuming, tender and unashamedly romantic opus which he has also written. It is essentially a 'will they, won't they' movie and stars Jean-Louis Trintignant and the director's future wife Francoise Brion. Individually both actors have charisma and together a distinct 'chemistry' which results in fascinating viewing. They represent two sides of the love triangle whilst all we see of the third side is his hand and the back of his head. The emotional soul-searching is balanced by moments of gentle humour.

Editing is by Nadine Marquand, sister of actor Christian and Trintignant's wife at the time. Plenty of seascapes and surprisingly deserted, sandy beaches captured by cinematographer Christian Matras. The rather saccharine score is what we have come to expect from Michel Legrand but at least no one bursts into song.

As for Jacques Doniol-Valcroze it is indeed ironic that one who promoted the New Wave failed to cause much of a ripple.

French-language cinema, whether in France, Québec, or other Francophone regions, explores cultural identity, social change, and the tension between the individual and society. French cinema is not only celebrated for its intellectual experimentation and auteur traditions, but also its success in mainstream comedy, romance, and commercial entertainment. In Québec, films often focus on questions of language, belonging, and community within a distinct cultural landscape.

Jean-Pierre Léaud in The 400 Blows (1959)

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)

Jean-Louis Trintignant and Françoise Brion in Le coeur battant (1960)

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood's perfect pairs.

Hollywood Power Couples

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s perfect pairs.

See which big screen releases you can watch from the comfort of your couch.

Theatrical Releases Coming to Streaming

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Presqu'île de Giens, Hyères, Var, France

Anicée Alvina in Une femme fatale (1976)

Anouk Aimée, Robert Forster, Michael York, Dirk Bogarde, and John Vernon in Justine (1969)

Jean-Louis Trintignant, Pascale Audret, Jean Babilée, and Dany Saval in Spotlight on a Murderer (1961)

Mais où est donc passée la 7ème compagnie

Now Where Did the Seventh Company Get to? (1973)

Now Where Did the Seventh Company Get to?

Mikheil Gomiashvili and Dachi Orvelashvili in The President (2014)

Le coeur battant

Photos4

Top Cast7

User reviews2

More like this

Related interests

Storyline

Did you know

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed