Under Satan´s Sun

Colour, 35 mm
France, 1987, 103 min
Section: Homage to Maurice Pialat

Synopsis

Like Robert Bresson before him with Diary of a Country Priest (1951), Maurice Pialat took up the challenge of adapting French Catholic writer Georges Bernanos’ unfilmable work. Outwardly it appears as a faithful adaptation, but underneath the film brims with ambiguous and explosive creative energy – similar to the young villager Donissan: despite his rough exterior and the warnings of the “select,” he stubbornly persists in his plans to become a priest. At first unliked by both his superiors and the parishioners, plagued by doubts, and struggling with pride, mediocrity and carnality, Donissan chooses his own method of attaining salvation: it involves Germaine, a young seamstress with a bad reputation (whose death the young priest is unintentionally responsible for), as well as a fellow traveller along life’s way – the tempter Satan. He appears to the priest as a horse trader as the latter journeys thought the countryside to a distant parish in Etaples. Satan “gives” him his own harrowing ability – to see into the souls of his fellow men. In spite of the fact that Donissan eventually gains a reputation among his new parishioners as a holy man, up to the last moments of his life he continues to strive for perfection unattainable and victory over hell’s ever-present minions. The film won the Palme d’Or at the 1987 Cannes IFF.

About the director

Maurice Pialat (1925 – 2003)

Filmografie - režisér / Filmography - director:

L´enfance nue / Nahé dětství / Naked Childhood, 1968
La maison des bois / Srub / The House in the Woods,  TV, 1970
Nous ne vieillirons pas ensemble / Nezestárneme spolu / Break-Up, 1972
La gueule ouverte / Otevřená huba /The Mouth Agape, 1973
Passe ton bac d´abord / Nejdřív udělej maturitu / Graduate First, 1979
Loulou / Loulou / Loulou, 1980
A nos amours / Našim láskám / To Our Loves, 1983
Police / Policie / Police, 1985
Sous le soleil de Satan / Pod sluncem satanovým /Under Satan´s Sun, 1987
Van Gogh / Van Gogh / Van Gogh, 1991
Le garçu / Klučina / Le garçu, 1995

Filmografie - herec / Filmography - actor:

Que la bête meure / Bestie musí zemřít / The Beast Must Die (režie / dir. Claude Chabrol, 1969)
La maison des bois / Srub / The House un the Woods (režie / dir. Maurice Pialat, TV, 1970)
Les lolos de Lola / Lolini chlapci / Lola´s Lolos (režie / dir. Bernard Dubois, 1974)
Mes petites amoureuses / Moje malé milenky / My Little Loves (režie / dir. Jean Eustache, 1975)
A nos amours / Našim láskám / To Our Loves (režie / dir. Maurice Pialat, 1983)
Sous le soleil de Satan / Pod sluncem satanovým /Under Satan´s Sun (režie / dir. Maurice Pialat, 1987)