Product Details

• Actors: Jacques Tati, Gerard Philipe, Micheline Presle
• Directors: Claude Autant Lara
• Format: Black & White, Dubbed, NTSC
• Number of tapes: 2
• VHS Release Date: November 1, 2002
• Run Time: 121 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00009ZK4W
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #530,510 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

With MICHELINE PRESLE, GERARD PHILIPE. Directed by CLAUDE AUTANT LARA. Back in the 1950s, Gerard Philipe was one of the hottest actors in French cinema. Sadly, he was soon dead of a heart attack at the age of 36. Nonetheless, his talent shines through brightly in this, the film which made him an international star. The time is the last days of World War I and Philipe plays Francois, a high school student whose interests are way beyond girls his own age. Francois becomes instantly smitten with Martha, an older woman who arrives in town to assist her mother as a nurse at the hospital which is next door to Francois school. Soldiers who have been wounded in battle are brought to this hospital directly from the front. As Francois and his classmates observe them, they are well aware that if the war continues, they too will soon be finding themselves among the wounded and the dead. At the same time, Francois zealously pursues the sensitive and tenderhearted Martha, even though she is engaged to marry a soldier. The boy does not let up even after Martha marries her fiancŽ and he returns to battle. The story follows the evolving relationship between Francois and Martha and the result is an impassioned and deeply felt love story, a classic tale of tangled emotions and heartbreak. Because they place their feelings above all else, are Francois and Martha weak and selfish? Or should they be commended for attempting to cling to love in time of war and chaos? You decide. The story was re-made in 1987 as an X-rated, non-pornographic film, but was not nearly as moving as this version. Look for JACQUES TATI in a bit part as a soldier! One of the many highlights is a sensuous love scene by a fireplace, which director Claude Autant Lara partially repeats near the films finale - but for an entirely different effect! Dubbed in English. 121 minutes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It' time., April 23, 2007

By 

Manuel Pascher - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Devil In the Flesh (1946-France) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

When is this title going to be released on DVD in its original lenguage?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tantalizing and disturbing!, October 19, 2006

By 

Hiram Gomez Pardo (Valencia, Venezuela) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Devil In the Flesh (1946-France) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Devil in the flesh was one of the most provocative, challenging and controversial films in those ages. Gerard Philippe was widely known for this fine performance in this love affair between a hard to wait married woman and a sensitive high school, while his husband is in the War.

Claude Autant Lara inspired direction and fluid camerawork make of this film one of the obligated referential movies of France along that decade.

4.0 out of 5 stars A terrific film, but I agree that this dubbed version loses something, July 22, 2011

By 

K. Gordon - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Devil In the Flesh (1946-France) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Very involving melodrama of a17 year old boy having an affair with a
woman in her late 20s during WW I, while her husband is away fighting
the war.

Strong and relatively restrained performances, some inventive visual
and audio techniques, and a much more libertarian and realistic
attitudes towards sex and passion then most films of its day out-weigh
the slightly inevitable feeling to the story's twists.

But the dubbing, while well done, is still dubbing, creating a slightly false
air to the delicate performances. Worth seeing, but even more worth
seeking out the original French version, which was available, with English
subtitles on Amazon.fr among other places.