Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
7 new from £9.68
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Le Silence de la mer (Masters of Cinema) [DVD] [1949]
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images

Le Silence de la mer (Masters of Cinema) [DVD] [1949]

DVD ~ Howard Vernon
4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
RRP: £19.99
Price: £9.68 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £10.31 (52%)
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, July 7? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
7 new from £9.68
Learn about Lovefilm
Amazon's choice for DVD rental.
With a 14 day FREE trial. Learn more

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this item with The Silence of the Sea / Le Silence De La Mer: A Novel of French Resistance During the Second World War by 'vercors' by Lawrence D. Stokes

Le Silence de la mer (Masters of Cinema) [DVD] [1949] + The Silence of the Sea / Le Silence De La Mer: A Novel of French Resistance During the Second World War by 'vercors'
Price For Both: £19.67

Show availability and shipping details

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Le Silence de la mer (Masters of Cinema) [DVD] [1949]
88% buy the item featured on this page:
Le Silence de la mer (Masters of Cinema) [DVD] [1949] 4.7 out of 5 stars (3)
£9.68
Tell No-One (Ne Le Dis A Personne) [DVD] [2006]
4% buy
Tell No-One (Ne Le Dis A Personne) [DVD] [2006] 4.0 out of 5 stars (57)
£2.98
Edvard Munch [Masters of Cinema] [DVD] [1976]
3% buy
Edvard Munch [Masters of Cinema] [DVD] [1976] 5.0 out of 5 stars (1)
£9.68
Bellissima (Masters of Cinema) [DVD] [1951]
3% buy
Bellissima (Masters of Cinema) [DVD] [1951]
£9.68
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Actors: Howard Vernon, Jean-Marie Robain, Nicole Stephane
  • Directors: Jean-Pierre Melville
  • Format: Black & White, Full Screen, PAL
  • Language French
  • Subtitles: English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: PG
  • Studio: Eureka Entertainment Ltd
  • DVD Release Date: 25 Jun 2007
  • Run Time: 85 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000PFUBMM
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 4,633 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

    Popular in these categories:

    #64 in  DVD > World Cinema
    #87 in  DVD > Classics > War and Westerns
    #96 in  DVD > Action & Adventure > War

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Reviews

Product Description
Le Silence de la mer Jean-Pierre Melville's debut film is an adaptation of the novella of the same title by celebrated French Resistance author Vercors (the pen name of Jean Bruller). Clandestinely written in 1942 during the Nazi occupation of France and furtively distributed, it captured the spirit of the moment, and quickly became a staple of the Resistance. Melville's cinematic adaptation partly shot in Vercors' own house tells the story of a German officer, Werner von Ebrennac (Howard Vernon), who is billeted to the house of an elderly man (Jean-Marie Robain) and his niece (Nicole Stephane) in occupied France. Resisting the intruder, the uncle and niece refuse to speak to the German officer, who warms himself by the fire each evening espousing idealistic views about the relationship between France and Germany. These propagandised illusions are shattered, however, when a trip to Paris reveals the truth of what is really going on. One of the most important French films to deal with World War II, and a landmark in Melville's distinguished oeuvre, Le Silence de la mer is a lyrical, timeless depiction of the experiences and struggles of occupation and resistance. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Melville's debut film for the first time on home video or DVD in the UK. Special Feastures on the DVD - Exclusive video discussion by Ginette Vincendeau, professor of French cinema at King's College London [18 minutes], 44 page illustrated booklet including an extended article by Ginette Vincendeau, author of Jean-Pierre Melville: An American in Paris, and a vintage Melville interview by Rui Nogueira, author of Melville on Melville

Synopsis
The debut film from acclaimed French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville (LE SAMOURAI, LE CERCLE ROUGE), LE SILENCE DE LA MER is considered by many to be one of the most important films to deal with the German occupation of France during World War II and is based upon on the novella by French Resistance author Vercors.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

L'Armee Des Ombres [1969] [DVD]

L'Armee Des Ombres [1969] [DVD]

DVD ~ Jean-Pierre Melville
4.6 out of 5 stars (8) 
A Man Escaped [DVD] [1956]

A Man Escaped [DVD] [1956]

DVD ~ François Letterier
5.0 out of 5 stars (5)  £12.38
Diary of a Lost Girl [1929] [DVD] [2007]

Diary of a Lost Girl [1929] [DVD] [2007]

DVD ~ Louise Brooks
5.0 out of 5 stars (3)  £9.68
Bellissima (Masters of Cinema) [DVD] [1951]

Bellissima (Masters of Cinema) [DVD] [1951]

DVD ~ Anna Magnani; Walter Chiari
£9.68
Judex/Nuits Rouges [Masters of Cinema] [DVD] [1963]

Judex/Nuits Rouges [Masters of Cinema] [DVD] [1963]

DVD ~ Edith Scob
4.8 out of 5 stars (5)  £14.98
› Explore similar items

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
(3)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars "I bid you good night.", 8 Jul 2007
By Trevor Willsmer (London, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)      
Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Silence de la Mer now seems an atypical work in light of his later, more widely-known gangster films, but this 1949 adaptation of Vercors' hugely popular WW2 novella can lay claim to having influence both Robert Bresson and the Nouvelle Vague filmmakers both in terms of its style and its production. The book was written under an assumed name by Jean Bruller and published by a (literal) French underground press during the Occupation, and it's a surprising work to have been written during the war, not demonising its central German character but rather making a kind of plea for understanding - but not understanding the enemy, rather making him understand why even his best and idealistic assumptions are so wrong.

The story is simplicity itself: Howard Vernon's German officer is billeted at a French farmhouse where the owner (Jean-Marie Robain) and his niece (Nicole Stéphane) resist in the only way they can - by refusing to say a single word to him. Introduced as a figure out of a horror film yet transformed in the same shot into a less threatening figure the moment he crosses their hearth, he's not a stereotypical Nazi thug, but rather a more sensitive and naively idealistic figure. Soft spoken and polite, he never imposes his will on his reluctant hosts but rather tries to win them over through conversation, never losing his temper at their refusal to respond like a patient suitor. He dreams of a marriage between Germany and France that will take both nations to a higher level, achieving through the reluctant use of force what pre-war politicians failed to do with diplomacy. He doesn't want an empty conquest but, rather, wants France to come willingly to its embrace. He sees the Occupation in terms of Beauty and the Beast, with the proud Beauty destined through time to see that the ill-mannered Beast is not nearly so brutal as it appears. He even admires their silence, taking it as a sign that France is not some easily won over craven coward but rather worthy of Germany's attentions and the effort to woo her to its side. Yet after an ill-fated trip to Paris it is their silence that ultimately wins him over to the realization that the Beast is far worse than he imagined, a rapacious, soulless figure without redemption, eating away at his idealism with the same ingrained contempt with which it destroys the culture and character of those it conquers.

The film itself had a bizarre history: refusing to sell the screen rights, Vercors eventually agreed to allow Melville to shoot the film after the director promised to submit it to a jury of prominent resistance figures and destroy the negative if any were opposed to the finished film being shown. Made completely outside the studio system over a period of months as and when he could raise the money and film stock for a few days shooting, shot with a non-union crew and going through two cinematographers (Luc Mirot and André Vilar) who objected to Melville's unconventional lighting request before striking lucky with Henri Decae (making his first fictional feature after working in documentaries), and filmed in Vercors' house in the very same room the author had shared with the real German officer who inspired the story, in many ways it's an exemplary no-budget film, a virtual three-hander that makes a virtue of its economy, although it's not a perfect one. There is far too much narration at times, particularly in the early scenes where what we can see is constantly described (Ginette Vincendeau makes a particularly unconvincing argument that this isn't the case simply because there could have been even more narration in the booklet accompanying the DVD) and the relationship with the niece isn't particularly well-handled: there's little sense in Nicole Stéphane's performance that she's trying to hold emotions back, and even small moments like her missing a stitch at a crucial moment in one of Vernon's monologues seems muffed in the execution.

Yet the strengths outweigh the limitations. The situation is a compelling one, the act of passive resistance more intriguing than the more conventional heroics of resistance cinema, and the minimalist treatment is often fascinating. In many ways the film is a bridge between the classic tradition of quality style of pre-War French cinema while heralding a more adventurous and stylised approach, with Henri Decae's often strikingly modern cinematography giving notice of why he would become one of the great cinematographers of French cinema with films like The 400 Blows, Lift to the Scaffold, Plein Soleil and several more collaborations with Melville such as Le Samourai and Le Cercle Rouge. Indeed, Decae's importance to the film cannot be underestimated: as well as being willing to experiment and at once be `anti-cinematographic' yet `classical' as Melville demanded (or to risk the film "looking like crap" as Mirot allegedly put it) he would even work on the post-production and editing of the film alongside Melville. To those unfamiliar with Melville's early work it's a world away from his later crime films (although a brief prologue with resistants exchanging a suitcase with copies of the book on a street corner offers a hint of what was to come), and it's not as powerful or accomplished as his masterpiece L'Armee des Ombres, but it's still a remarkably assured and accomplished debut.

Although it has to be said that the film works better on the big screen than the small one, the Eureka Masters of Cinema PAL DVD is absolutely stunning quality: not only is it better than any of the theatrical prints available for years or Waterbearer's NTSC video release but, considering the technical problems that plagued its production, probably looks better now than it did in 1949. Aside from an interview with Melville expert Ginette Vincendeau, the DVD also includes an excellent 56-page booklet including and extract from her book on Melville about thefilm and, better still, Rui Nogueira's interview with Melville about the film from the long out-of-print 'Melville on Melville.'
Comment Comments (2) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Melville's first resistance movie, 26 Jun 2008
By Markus Gossas "Markus Gossas" (Stockholm, Sweden) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Le Silence de la mer is Melville's first film, and in his "resistance" genre dealing with France during the nazi occupation. The film is very well made, actually one of Melville's better films. Also this MOC DVD has an excellent transfer, and the extras are really interesting with Jeanette Vincendeau introducing Melville as a film maker. Highly recommended!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Blanket Guilt - Blanket Innocence, 22 Sep 2007
By John Eyon "Little Raven" (Seattle - USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
There is nothing subtle about the message in this movie. It starts out with a gentle but blatant rebuke of Germans for allowing Nazism to take over. Even the "good" Germans like the German officer in his film -- a Francophile who is understanding enuf to tolerate the silent treatment given by the old Frenchman and his niece who have been forced to allow him to board with them.

The film also seeks to exonerate the majority of French people who didn't actively join the Resistance. It seems as if the two Resistance veterans Vercors (pseudonym of Jean-Marcel de Brullers, author of the story this film is based on) and Jean-Pierre Melville are saying that those who didn't give comfort while being forced to give aid shouldn't be considered complicitous. This consolation was much needed by the French population whose cultural memory of WWII was heavily tinted by shame.

The dramatic possibilities of this story are fascinating at first. The German officer (Swiss-born actor Howard Vernon) dressed in civilian clothes joins the French couple in the evenings by the fireplace and offers monologues exploring his motives and, as proof of his civility, ending each with a bow, saying "I bid you good night". But it's a difficult plot to sustain. Fortunately the film is relatively short and ends before becoming unedurable, and in a dramatically satisfying way.

This is Jean-Pierre Melville's first movie if you discount his short documentary on the 24 HOURS IN THE LIFE OF A CLOWN (which I enjoyed). He had the director's gift right from the first altho I thought there were weak directorial moments (especially the German's visit to Paris), the fault maybe of a slim budget. I wasn't fond the the cinematography by Henri Decaë, important contributor to the French New Wave who was making his first film as cinematographer -- but Decaë's and Melville's peak visual style would come with color (eg, LE SAMOURAÏ). Still, I prefer this and Melville's other very personal WWII films (LÉON MORIN, PRÊTRE and the utterly brilliant L'ARMEE DES OMBRES) to his derivative gangster films -- as enjoyable as they are.

The Eureka DVD has a lecture by Ginette Vincendeau with behind-the-scenes information which shouldn't be missed.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject








i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Health & Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

Elemis Resurface and Renew Skin Care Gift Set of 4 Products
From soap to shavers, massagers to mascara, stock up on your daily essentials or truly pamper yourself.

›Discover Health & Beauty

  

Up to 75% off Shoes

Shoe Clearance - 75% off Shoes
Save up to 75% on shoes for the whole family.

›Shop clearance shoes

  

Train Hard...Play Hard

Nike, Gola, Converse, and more
Gear up with up to 60% off athletic and outdoor shoes.

›Shop now

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates