 |
At the age of 26, Louis Malle directed his second fiction feature, "Les Amants". The star, Jeanne Moreau, had been the focus of "Ascenseur pour L'echefaud", and their collaboration continued here. In this delicately woven tale of frustrated love & passion, Malle utilizes long takes, an elegant cast, and the music of Brahms to create a tale that incredibly, created much controversy upon its release. The sexual themes challenged conventions of the day. Watching today, it's extraordinary to believe that in Ohio, a cinema owner was taken to court for screening the film. There is argument that the themes of feminine liberation also caused alarm. The DVD viewer, two and a half generations after the release will be less alarmed but, we hope, equally as charmed as the substantial audiences that greeted the film's release in 1958.
|
