Moderato Cantabile

In Peter Brook's second feature, Jeanne Moreau stars as Anne Desbarèdes, a bored housewife whose mundane life intensifies when she hears a women scream and sees a man being dragged away from her body. The prospect of being a murder witness intrigues Anne and she returns to the bar, which was the scene of the crime. There she meets a friend of the murder suspect Chauvin (broodingly played by Jean-Paul Belmondo). Both share an interest in the murderous event and they speculate about its circumstances until they are drawn closer together.

The innovative English theatre and film director Peter Brook ('The Mahabharata') projects the latent tension of Marguerite Duras' story of secrets and hidden passion onto the screen with a deft touch and sublime widescreen cinematography.
The talents of the original author and film's director are matched by the leading couple, two stars of the groundbreaking New Wave cinema and legends of French cinema, with a look and style unto their own, who provide performances worthy of anything in their long illustrious careers.
Jean-Paul Belmondo offers an engrossing, introspective turn, which reminds us that his comic and action roles, boasting a strong physical style, is part of a wide range this versatile actor.

Likewise, Jeanne Moreau radiates in one of her greatest roles. The intensity of her gestures, gait, look and expression will stay with the viewer long after the film, as she draws out a soul in dire yearning, offering an authenticity of which few actresses anywhere in the world are or have ever been capable. No doubt the likes of Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman (and their directors) have fashioned many a role aspiring to capture the same power that exhumes from Moreau's face in this film.
She was duly awarded the coveted best actress prize at Cannes, but this breathtaking performance in this unique feature has rarely been seen in the UK.
Cinémoi is proud to rectify this wrong and bring a vital piece of cinema to a wider audience worthy of its brilliance.