L'INSOUMIS is a film about France's approaching decolonization of Algeria and its consequences, symbolized here by deserter Thomas Vlassenroot (played by Delon), an extremely complex character who is a brave and generous soldier, willing to risk his life to try to save a fellow serviceman who has been shot, and a subordinate ready to obey his lieutenant's orders until he realizes that the abductee (Massari) is thirsty and suffering.
From the moment he saves her and gets shot for it, his fate is sealed, and we watch him go through various stages of consciousness until he closes his own eyes. Before that, he kills a few people, steals, and breaks the law - always in a silent, lethal manner.
The squalid trappings of Algeria, and then of Lyon, France, provide the background to a memorably simple love scene between Delon and Massari. His declaration of love for her, and her realization that she feels the same, is poignant without ever turning oversentimental.
Massari's husband subsequently comes to her rescue and he, too, loves her, and he also knows that Delon is on his last legs. Garrel portrays the cheated husband with considerable dignity.
The last minutes of this brutally realistic film are extremely touching: Delon tries to regain his mother's house, which brings memories of his youth, when he helped her extract honey from beehives, and he gets to see his child whom he has not seen in six years.
Alain Cavalier's direction is sublime in its simplicity. Alain Delon's performance is probably his best ever, better even than in LE SAMOURAI (where he plays Jef Costello, a character similar in many ways to Vlassenroot), and in ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS, which I had rated his finest until I saw L'INSOUMIS.
Beautiful Lea Massari delivers splendidly on her role. Any man would fall in love with her on the spot, which only adds to the film's pervasive credibility.
Very solid supporting cast, not one weak performance in this film.
Minimalist soundtrack and cinematography, and an extremely concise script, with spare dialogue, all contribute toward this extremely realistic, almost amoral and yet heartfelt masterpiece.
I had never heard of Director Alain Cavalier before. I do not believe that he has managed to replicate the form that he showed in L'INSOUMIS but he deserves the highest accolades for it.
The film ends with this obituary: "THOMAS VLASSENROOT 1933-1961." Did Vlassenroot actually exist? Is L'INSOUMIS based on true events? Grateful if anyone has an answer.
Masterpiece. 9/10
From the moment he saves her and gets shot for it, his fate is sealed, and we watch him go through various stages of consciousness until he closes his own eyes. Before that, he kills a few people, steals, and breaks the law - always in a silent, lethal manner.
The squalid trappings of Algeria, and then of Lyon, France, provide the background to a memorably simple love scene between Delon and Massari. His declaration of love for her, and her realization that she feels the same, is poignant without ever turning oversentimental.
Massari's husband subsequently comes to her rescue and he, too, loves her, and he also knows that Delon is on his last legs. Garrel portrays the cheated husband with considerable dignity.
The last minutes of this brutally realistic film are extremely touching: Delon tries to regain his mother's house, which brings memories of his youth, when he helped her extract honey from beehives, and he gets to see his child whom he has not seen in six years.
Alain Cavalier's direction is sublime in its simplicity. Alain Delon's performance is probably his best ever, better even than in LE SAMOURAI (where he plays Jef Costello, a character similar in many ways to Vlassenroot), and in ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS, which I had rated his finest until I saw L'INSOUMIS.
Beautiful Lea Massari delivers splendidly on her role. Any man would fall in love with her on the spot, which only adds to the film's pervasive credibility.
Very solid supporting cast, not one weak performance in this film.
Minimalist soundtrack and cinematography, and an extremely concise script, with spare dialogue, all contribute toward this extremely realistic, almost amoral and yet heartfelt masterpiece.
I had never heard of Director Alain Cavalier before. I do not believe that he has managed to replicate the form that he showed in L'INSOUMIS but he deserves the highest accolades for it.
The film ends with this obituary: "THOMAS VLASSENROOT 1933-1961." Did Vlassenroot actually exist? Is L'INSOUMIS based on true events? Grateful if anyone has an answer.
Masterpiece. 9/10