''La Symphonie fantastique'' is a 1942 French drama film by

Christian-Jaque Christian-Jaque (byname of Christian Maudet; 4 September 1904 – 8 July 1994) was a French filmmaker. From 1954 to 1959, he was married to actress Martine Carol, who starred in several of his films, including ''Lucrèce Borgia'' (1953), ''M ...

and produced by the German-controlled French film production company Continental Films. The film is based upon the life of the French composer

Hector Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...

. The title is taken from the five-movement programmatic ''

Symphonie fantastique ' (''Fantastic Symphony: Episode in the Life of an Artist … in Five Sections'') Opus number, Op. 14, is a program music, programmatic symphony written by Hector Berlioz in 1830. The first performance was at the Paris Conservatoire on 5 December ...

'' of 1830. The film lasts around 90 minutes and was first shown at the 'Normandie' cinema in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

on 1 April 1942. The posters at the premiere contained the sub-title 'La Vie passionnée et glorieuse d'un génie' (which links with the quote from Hugo at the very end of the film). The French Bibliothèque du film (BiFi) contains an earlier draft plan for the film which envisaged a less realistic, more fantastic treatment of the story, entitled ''La Symphonie du rêve'', with

Pierre Fresnay Pierre Fresnay (; 4 April 1897 – 9 January 1975) was a French stage and film actor. Biography Born Pierre Jules Louis Laudenbach, he was encouraged by his uncle, actor Claude Garry, to pursue a career in theater and film. He joined the company ...

in the central role.Tourre, Franck. L'image de Berlioz au regard du film ''La Symphonie fantastique''. Association Nationale Hector Berlioz - ''Bulletin de liaison'' No 43 janvier 2009 ISSN 0243-3559, p28-40. The cast included several members of the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

(Barrault, Saint-Cyr, Seigner, Berthau, Delamare, Fonteney). Barrault took part in a

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...

programme in 1969 on the centenary of the composer's death, as Berlioz again, and in the autobiographical

Lélio ''Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie'' (English: ''Lélio, or the Return to Life''), Op. 14b, is a work incorporating music and spoken text by the French composer Hector Berlioz, intended as a sequel to his '' Symphonie fantastique''. It is written ...

, sequel to the symphony.The Hector Berlioz Website - Centenary of Berlioz’s death on 8 March 1969- Commemorative programmes on the BBC
accessed 21 June 2015. Shortly after the film was released, Goebbels, having learnt of it, was displeased, considering it too patriotic and determined to summon the German producer Alfred Greven to Berlin to remind him that the French should only have light and superficial new films – and not cultivate French nationalism.

Synopsis

The film is biographical, telling the story of the life and artistic struggles of the French composer

. Berlioz is shown as a recalcitrant medical student in an anatomy class dreaming of becoming a composer; at a demonstration during a performance at the

Paris Opéra The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

conducted by Habeneck; at supper with other young artists ( Hugo, Janin, Dumas, Mérimée, Delacroix); and chasing after his future wife Harriet Smithson, after a performance of ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

''. Also depicted are his life in a

garret A garret is a habitable attic, a living space at the top of a house or larger residential building, traditionally small with sloping ceilings. In the days before elevators this was the least prestigious position in a building, at the very to ...

, while suffering from an illness due to an abscess in the throat; a visit from his mother who curses him; and the composition of the ''

''. The film then shows his marital breakdown, the premiere of his opera ''

Benvenuto Cellini Benvenuto Cellini (, ; 3 November 150013 February 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and author. His best-known extant works include the ''Cellini Salt Cellar'', the sculpture of ''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'', and his autobiography ...

'', his travels throughout Europe, his second marriage to Marie Recio (called "Marie Martin" in the film), public acceptance in old age and reconciliation with his son. The film makes a vivid recreation of important public sites: a lecture theatre at the Faculty of Medicine, backstage at the Théâtre de l'Odéon, the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

lanes as well as salons and cafés.

Cast

Jean-Louis Barrault Jean-Louis Bernard Barrault (; 8 September 1910 – 22 January 1994) was a French actor, director and mime artist who worked on both screen and stage. Biography Barrault was born in Le Vésinet in France in 1910. His father was 'a Burgundi ...

* Renée Saint-Cyr: Marie Martin * Lise Delamare: Harriet Smithson *

Jules Berry Jules Berry (; born Marie Louis Jules Paufichet; 9 February 1883 – 23 April 1951) was a French actor. Biography Early life Berry and his two brothers were born to parents who sold hardware and settled in Poitou. The family moved to Paris in 1 ...

: Maurice Schlesinger * Bernard Blier: Antoine Charbonnel, friend of Berlioz * Gilbert Gil: Louis Berlioz (son) * Julien Bertheau:

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

* Catherine Fonteney: Berlioz’s mother * Louis Seigner: François Antoine Habeneck * Louis Salou: opera director * Georges Vitray: captain * Jacques Dynam: * Marcelle Monthil: Smithson’s dresser * Mona Dol: a maid * Maurice Schutz:

Niccolò Paganini Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini (; ; 27 October 178227 May 1840) was an Italian violinist and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. His 24 Caprices ...

* Pierre Magnier: anatomy lecturer * Roland Armontel:

Eugène Delacroix Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( ; ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French people, French Romanticism, Romantic artist who was regarded as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: ...

* Jean Darcante: Prosper Mérimée * René Fluet: Jules Janin * Georges Gosset:

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

* Joé Davray: a student * Georges Lafon: Russian minister * Martial Rèbe: Smithson’s coachman *

Noël Roquevert Noël Roquevert (born Noël Louis Raymond Bénévent; 18 December 1892 – 6 November 1973) was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 180 films between 1932 and 1972. Roquevert was born in Doué-la-Fontaine and was married ...

: policeman * Lucien Coëdel: printer * Michel Vitold: conductor * Georges Mauloy: the dean

Music

As well as the symphony, the music used in the film includes the ''Invitation to the Dance'' by Weber, '' Roméo et Juliette'' (during the scene where Berlioz and Smithson fall in love), a staged excerpt from the first act of ''Benvenuto Cellini'', the '' Rákóczi March'' from '' La damnation de Faust'' and the ''

Requiem A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is ...

''.

References

DVD release

In 2003 the film was re-issued by René Chateau Video.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Symphonie Fantastique 1940s biographical films 1942 films Films about classical music and musicians Films about composers French black-and-white films Films directed by Christian-Jaque Films set in France French biographical films Films set in the 19th century Hector Berlioz Cultural depictions of Victor Hugo Cultural depictions of Niccolò Paganini 1940s French-language films Continental Films films 1940s French films Films produced by Alfred Greven