Murmur of the Heart (Le Souffle Au Coeur) - dvd

Louis Malle spawned controversy with this semi-autobiographical film of 1971 set in Dijon. It concerns the sexual initiation of a precocious, academic, wealthy French adolescent (Benoit Ferreux), a process that's assisted at one crucial point by his sensuous Italian mother (Lea Massari), while undergoing treatment for a heart murmur. Its spirit is vivacious, and probably goes closer than all his features to capturing the refinement of the French New Wave. The romping soundtrack featuring Charlie Parker and Sidney Bechet bolsters the joie de vivre!