Muriel (1963)
Directed by Alain Resnais

Film Review

Widely regarded as one of Alain Resnais' greatest films, Muriel is perhaps the most perfect distillation of the themes of time, place and memory which dominate most of the director's works. Noticeably less abstract that his previous two films, which cover similar ground, (Hiroshima mon amour and L'Année dernière à Marienbad), Murielis set in a world we can all recognise, with characters we can all identify with.   As a consequence, the film has an immediacy and relevance which possibly his earlier films (whilst still being undisputed masterpieces) possibly lacked.

Muriel is mainly concerned with two characters - a lonely middle-aged widow, Hélène (magnificently portrayed by Delphine Seyrig), and her traumatised step-son Bernard.   Both characters live in a present that is strongly influenced by the past and both expend a great deal of time and energy in trying to alter that past.  Whilst Hélène's past has become a fantasy (as she discovers when she compares notes with her ex-lover Alphonse), Bernard's past, more recent, is a living nightmare, scarred by memories of the atrocities he committed whilst serving in Algeria (including the brutal torture of a girl named Muriel). Bernard attempts to alter his past by repeatedly watching a film of his army life he made whilst in Algeria and by gathering "evidence" to justify his current state of mind.  He is no more successful than his step-mother, whose last-ditch bid to return to the past is ultimately thwarted when she turns up at a disused railway station.

As in many of Resnais' films, the location plays a paramount role in the film.  Here, the town of Boulogne-sur-mer is the perfect setting for a film where past memories intrude continually on the present consciousness.   In the haste to rebuild the town after the devastating bombings of World War II, the town planners created an uncomfortable melange past and present, picturesque old streets surrounded by ugly new development.   No town could better encapsulate the film's meaning nor provide a more stark visual metaphor.  Like the confused memories of Hélène and Bernard, Boulogne is a place where past and present sit uncomfortably side-by-side.

Muriel is an immeasurably fascinating and complex film which requires at least three or four viewings to appreciate its genius and subtlety.  Resnais is magnificently served not just by his cast of actors (who give fine performances throughout) but also his technical crew.  Beautifully filmed (this being Resnais' first colour film) and cleverly scripted by Jean Cayrol (who previously worked with Resnais on his documentary short Nuit et brouillard), Muriel is unquestionably one of the most extraordinary cinematic achievements of the Twentieth Century.

Film Synopsis

Hélène lives in the French sea town of Boulogne with her step-son Bernard, running an antiques business from her apartment.  One day, she invites a former lover, Alphonse, to visit her.  He turns up, with a much younger woman who pretends to be his niece but who is in fact his mistress.  As Hélène tries to re-kindle past memories with Alphonse, Bernard is still haunted by his recent experiences of military service in Algeria...