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Le Rouge et le Noir

Le Rouge et le Noir

Movie · 1954 · 15 people

Claude Autant-Lara directed the historical drama Le Rouge et le Noir (in English, The Red and the Black) in 1954 as a French-Italian co-production. Made in French, it adapts Stendhal's 1830 novel of the same name and was presented in two parts. Gérard Philipe, Danielle Darrieux and Antonella Lualdi share the leading roles, and the film won the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics award for the best film of 1955 as well as the Grand Prix de l'Académie du Cinéma that year.

The story is set in 19th-century France. Julien Sorel, a carpenter's son, is determined to rise beyond his origins. He first tutors in the household of a provincial mayor, where he has a forbidden affair with the lady of the house, then moves to Paris to make his way among the aristocracy and is drawn into another dangerous romance. Torn between love, pride and social ambition, his climb leads toward a tragic end. The cast also includes Georges Wilson, Jacques Varennes, Anna Maria Sandri and Georges Descrières.

It was shot at the Saint-Maurice Studios in Paris, with sets by art director Max Douy, and the screenplay is by Autant-Lara, Jean Aurenche and Pierre Bost. Running time varies by version: usually given as 113 minutes, it was 171 in Canada, while a longer French cut ran 185 minutes.

DirectorClaude Autant-Lara

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Cast

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Georges Wilson Georges Wilson Film actor · died at 88 Jacques Varennes Jacques Varennes Actor · died at 63 Gérard Philipe Danielle Darrieux Antonella Lualdi Anna Maria Sandri Mirko Ellis Albert Michel Alexandre Rignault André Brunot Antoine Balpêtré Claude Sylvain Georges Descrières Gérard Séty Hubert Noël

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Through different eyes

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Autant-Lara builds Stendhal's novel inside the Saint-Maurice Studios, among Max Douy's sets, and that choice gives the film both elegance and a certain stiffness. Where much of the novel's power lies in the calculations of Julien's inner life, the film mostly has to externalise them through dialogue and performance; that is the unavoidable limit of the adaptation. The screenplay by Autant-Lara, Aurenche and Bost is faithful to the plot, but that faithfulness sometimes gets in the way of a cinematic reading. The critics' syndicate award shows how highly literary adaptation was prized at the time. Seen today, though, the two-part narrative loses momentum in the middle. And since the versions differ enough to change which film you are watching, it is worth seeking out the long cut if you can.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

Stendhal's story is about how narrow the doors to social advancement were in 19th-century France, and the film keeps that conflict at its centre. Julien, a carpenter's son, can rise only through the houses he gets into and the relationships he forms: first a provincial mayor's household, then the aristocratic circles of Paris. That path shows how, in a society where birth decides one's place, ambition becomes both a way out and a danger. Every love affair also brushes against a class boundary. The question is whether the film keeps this social critique as sharp as the novel does; in my view the romantic drama sometimes takes over.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

As an adaptation of a classic novel it can be recommended to school-age teenagers, but be aware: at the heart of the story are a forbidden affair with a married woman and a rise heading towards a tragic end. It is not for young children, and the subject is heavy. It makes more sense to watch it with high-school or university students who have read the novel and talk about it afterwards. Its length also calls for patience.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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