The Fire Within
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''The Fire Within'' (, ; "The Manic Fire" or "
Will-O'-the-Wisp In folklore, a will-o'-the-wisp, will-o'-wisp, or ; ), is an atmospheric ghost light seen by travellers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes. The phenomenon is known in the United Kingdom by a variety of names, including jack-o'- ...
") is a 1963
drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
film written and directed by
Louis Malle Louis Marie Malle (; 30 October 1932 – 23 November 1995) was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. Described as "eclectic" and "a filmmaker difficult to pin down", Malle made document ...
. It is based on the 1931 novel ''
Will O' the Wisp Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
'' by
Pierre Drieu La Rochelle Pierre Eugène Drieu La Rochelle (; 3 January 1893 – 15 March 1945) was a French writer of novels, short stories, and political essays. He was born, lived and died in Paris. Drieu La Rochelle became a proponent of French fascism in the 1930 ...
, which was inspired by the life of poet
Jacques Rigaut Jacques Rigaut (; 30 December 1898 – 9 November 1929) was a French surrealist poet. Born in Paris, he was part of the Dadaist movement. His works frequently talked about suicide and he came to regard its successful completion as his occupation. ...
. The film stars
Maurice Ronet Maurice Ronet (; 13 April 1927 – 14 March 1983) was a French film actor, director, and writer. Early life Maurice Ronet was born Maurice Julien Marie Robinet in Nice, Alpes Maritimes. He was the only child of professional stage actors Émile ...
and features Léna Skerla,
Jean-Paul Moulinot Jean-Paul Moulinot (30 June 1912 – 3 December 1989) was a French actor, sociétaire of the Comédie-Française. Elisabeth (Yvette) Hardy (1917–2000), a comedian at the TNP, was his wife. Close to Jean Vilar, he took part to the first Fest ...
, Bernard Tiphaine, Bernard Noël,
Jeanne Moreau Jeanne Moreau (; 23 January 1928 – 31 July 2017) was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française. Mo ...
(who had previously worked with Ronet and Malle in ''
Elevator to the Gallows ''Elevator to the Gallows'' (), also known as ''Frantic'' in the US and ''Lift to the Scaffold'' in the UK, is a 1958 French crime thriller film directed by Louis Malle. The film stars Jeanne Moreau and Maurice Ronet as illicit lovers whose mu ...
''),
Jacques Sereys Jacques Sereys (2 June 1928 – 1 January 2023) was a French actor and theatre director. Biography Raised by a single mother who worked as an embroiderer, Sereys grew up in Marseille. He began to make money at the age of 14 while working for Crà ...
, and
Alexandra Stewart Alexandra Stewart (born June 10, 1939) is a Canadian actress. Biography Born in Montreal, Quebec, Stewart left for Paris, France, in 1958, to study art. Within a year, she made her film debut in '' Les Motards'', and has since then enjoyed a ste ...
in supporting roles. The score consists of music composed by
Erik Satie Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (born 17 May 18661 July 1925), better known as Erik Satie, was a French composer and pianist. The son of a French father and a British mother, he studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, Paris Conservatoire but was an undi ...
and performed by pianist
Claude Helffer Claude Helffer (18 June 1922 – 27 October 2004) was a French pianist. Early life Helffer was born in Paris, and began piano lessons at the age of five. From the age of ten, until the outbreak of World War II, he studied with Robert Casa ...
.


Plot

Alain Leroy has been living and receiving treatment for his alcoholism at Dr. La Barbinais' rehabilitation clinic in
Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of ÃŽle-de-France, ÃŽle-de-France region in Franc ...
for the past four months. He is separated from his American wife, Dorothy, who is in New York, where he also lived while they were together, and spends his first night away from the clinic to have a tryst with Lydia, one of Dorothy's friends, who is in France for a visit. Lydia tells Alain he is cured and should come back to New York with her, but he does not want to, and, though he says it is "serious", she cannot stay with him due to work obligations, so they part ways. At the clinic, Alain spends most of his time alone in his room—reading, playing with knickknacks, trying to write, looking out the window, and examining his handgun. Dr. La Barbinais is happy to hear that Alain spent time with a woman and did not drink, and, telling Alain he has been cured for some time, suggests he think about moving out and getting on with his life. When Alain says he will drink again if he leaves the clinic, the doctor tells him that fear will fade with time and encourages him to try to reconcile with Dorothy again. Alain says he will be gone by the end of the week, and, before going to sleep that night, pledges to kill himself the next day. In the morning, Alain hitches a ride to Paris and cashes a check Lydia gave him, supposedly to repay an old gambling debt. Then, he contacts some old friends and spends the rest of the day having a series of reunions. Dubourg, Alain's former drinking buddy, has settled into a comfortable life with his wife Fanny and her two young daughters, and is writing a book about
ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...
. He tries to impress upon Alain the virtues of his predictable, adult existence and invites Alain to move in with him, but Alain, saying he does not want to grow old, refuses. Next, Alain sees Eva. They talk about how all of their friends have changed, but Alain is disgusted by the detachment of her new drug-using friends and leaves. He meets the Minville brothers, who, though the
Algerian War The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (Algeri ...
is over, are still fighting against Algerian independence, at the Café Flore. After they leave, he drinks an alcoholic beverage left on the table. He soon begins to feel sick, so he goes to Cyrille and Solange Lavauds' house early to take a nap before the party to which they invited him. A fancy dinner is underway when Alain wakes up. His friends are welcoming and glad to see him, but an intellectual named Brancion is not impressed by a story Cyrille tells about one of Alain's drunken escapades. Cyrille gives Alain another drink, and Alain ends up ranting about how he is incapable of wanting or desiring anything, even Solange, his beautiful former lover. In front of Cyrill, Alain asks Solange to save him, but she gently rebuffs him. He heads for the door, promising a concerned Cyrill he will be back, and Cyrill invites him to lunch the next day. Michel "Milou" Bostel, a young man currently living a life of drinking and partying similar to the one Alain used to live, leaves the Lavauds' party at the same time as Alain. They ride the bus together and walk around Paris at night, and Alain confesses that he feels his reputation as a ladies' man is undeserved, as he was never able to hold on to a woman, and he has always wanted to love and be loved. Waking up back in his room at the clinic, Alain packs up his belongings. Solange calls to remind him to come over for lunch, and he promises he will be there. She tries to share some kind words, but he says he does not understand and hangs up. After finishing reading ''
The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' () is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with Jay Gatsby, a mysterious mi ...
'', Alain shoots himself in the heart.


Cast


Reception

The film was the official French submission for the
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...
at the
36th Academy Awards The 36th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1963, were held on April 13, 1964, hosted by Jack Lemmon at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California. This ceremony introduced the category for Best Sound Effects, wi ...
, but it was not chosen as one of the final five nominees in the category. ''The Fire Within'' has an approval rating of 82% on
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, based on 11 reviews, and an average rating of 7.7/10. In his ''2006 Movie Guide'',
Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...
gave the film 3.5 stars (out of four), calling it "probably Malle's best early film."
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
gave the film the same rating, describing it as a "triumph of style."


In popular culture

Malle has been an influence of American director
Wes Anderson Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. Wes Anderson filmography, His films are known for themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Due to his films' eccentricity, distinctive visual and narrative ...
, with Anderson's ''
The Royal Tenenbaums ''The Royal Tenenbaums'' is a 2001 American tragicomedy film directed by Wes Anderson and co-written with Owen Wilson. It stars Danny Glover, Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, and Owen Wilson. ...
'' (2001) being particularly influenced by ''The Fire Within''. ''Tenenbaums'' even features a character saying the line "I'm going to kill myself tomorrow", which is the English translation of a line from Malle's film.


See also

*
List of submissions to the 36th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of submissions to the 36th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film was created in 1956 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to honour non- English-speaking films ...
*
List of French submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film France has submitted films for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film since the conception of the award in 1956. France has been one of the most successful countries in the world in this category, and more than half of their Oscar ...


References


External links

* * *
The Fire Within
' review at filmsdefrance.com
''The Fire Within: Day of the Dead''
– an essay by
Michel Ciment Michel Jean Ciment (; 26 May 1938 – 13 November 2023) was a French film critic, author, and editor of the cinema magazine '' Positif''. He was also a maître de conférences in American civilization at the University of Paris-VII. Biography ...
at
The Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home video, home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films". A "sister company" of art film, arth ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fire Within, The 1963 films 1963 drama films 1960s French-language films Films about alcoholism Films about depression Films about suicide Films based on French novels Films based on works by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle Films directed by Louis Malle Films set in Paris Films shot in Paris Films shot in Versailles, Yvelines French black-and-white films French drama films Italian black-and-white films Italian drama films Media containing Gymnopedies Venice Grand Jury Prize winners 1960s Italian films 1960s French films