The Fire Within
Le Feu follet
France • 1963
Director
#430Criterion Collection →Synopsis
After garnering international acclaim for such seminal crowd-pleasers as THE LOVERS and ZAZIE DANS LE MÉTRO, Louis Malle gave his fans a shock with THE FIRE WITHIN (LE FEU FOLLET), a penetrating study of individual and social inertia. Maurice Ronet (ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS), in an implosive, haunted performance, plays Alain Leroy, a self-destructive writer who resolves to kill himself and spends the next twenty-four hours trying to reconnect with a host of wayward friends. Unsparing in its portrait of Alain’s inner turmoil and shot with remarkable clarity, THE FIRE WITHIN is one of Malle’s darkest and most personal films.
Synopsis
After garnering international acclaim for such seminal crowd-pleasers as THE LOVERS and ZAZIE DANS LE MÉTRO, Louis Malle gave his fans a shock with THE FIRE WITHIN (LE FEU FOLLET), a penetrating study of individual and social inertia. Maurice Ronet (ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS), in an implosive, haunted performance, plays Alain Leroy, a self-destructive writer who resolves to kill himself and spends the next twenty-four hours trying to reconnect with a host of wayward friends. Unsparing in its portrait of Alain’s inner turmoil and shot with remarkable clarity, THE FIRE WITHIN is one of Malle’s darkest and most personal films.
Credits
Crew
DirectorLouis Malle
WriterLouis Malle
CinematographerGhislain Cloquet
ComposerErik Satie
EditorSuzanne Baron
Cast
Maurice Ronetas Alain Leroy
Léna Skerlaas Lydia
Yvonne Clechas Mademoiselle Farnoux
Hubert Deschampsas D'Averseau
Jean-Paul Moulinotas Dr. La Barbinais