Léon Morin, Priest

I haven’t watched a movie that pushed me intellectually like this in a long time. Watching Léon Morin, Priest was a delight – I could understand and empathize with both sides, embodied by the marvelous dueling performances of Belmondo and Riva.

Melville demonstrates his mastery of the medium throughout the film and him not being more well known in the popular canon and consciousness. The most important move he makes in Léon Morin, Priest is the way he transitions from scene to scene: most of the scenes end in a fade to black then a back back in. The effect is like watching a series of vignettes – they reminded me of going to church every week and how the service never seemed to end even the time in the pews had concluded. Leaving the building was merely a pause in that eternal reflection that would be picked up again at the beginning of the following week.

Watch this film and be challenged by it – Léon Morin, Priest is worthy of your time and thought. Melville challenged my notions of story-telling conventions and the final shot left me with more questions than answers, a feeling that I know some hate but that I love. The film will on in my mind for a while yet.