Le Silence de la mer – Jean-Pierre Melville’s debut film – is an adaptation of the novella of the same title by celebrated French Resistance author Vercors (the pen name of Jean Bruller). Clandestinely written in 1942 during the Nazi occupation of France and furtively distributed, it captured the spirit of the moment, and quickly became a staple of the Resistance.

Melville’s cinematic adaptation – partly shot in Vercors’ own house – tells the story of a German officer, Werner von Ebrennac (Howard Vernon), who is billeted to the house of an elderly man (Jean-Marie Robain) and his niece (Nicole Stéphane) in occupied France. Resisting the intruder, the uncle and niece refuse to speak to the German officer, who warms himself by the fire each evening espousing idealistic views about the relationship between France and Germany. These propagandised illusions are shattered, however, when a trip to Paris reveals the truth of what is really going on.

One of the most important French films to deal with World War II, and a landmark in Melville’s distinguished oeuvre, Le Silence de la mer is a lyrical, timeless depiction of the experiences and struggles of occupation and resistance. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Melville’s debut film for the first time on home video or DVD in the UK.

MOVIE:
DIRECTOR: Jean-Pierre Melville
SCREENPLAY: Jean-Pierre Melville
COUNTRY: France
YEAR: 1949
DVD RELEASE: 25 Jun 2007
STUDIO: Eureka Entertainment
SERIES#: 46
CATALOG: EKA40239
SYSTEM: PAL
SCREEN: 1.33:1 OAR
COLOR: Black & White
AUDIO: French Dolby Digital 1.0
SUBTITLES: English
RUNTIME (MOVIE): 84 min. (Film Only)

EXTRACTION:
ENGINE: MacTheRipper 3.0(R14m)
DVD: Full Dual-Layer DVD
SIZE: 5.34 GBs
FILE EXTENSION: .ISO (Image)
SCANS: Full Art Scan + Booklet

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• New high-definition transfer, original aspect ratio
• New and improved optional English subtitles
• Exclusive video discussion by Ginette Vincendeau, professor of French cinema at King’s College London [23 minutes]
• 56-PAGE BOOKLET including an article by Ginette Vincendeau, author of Jean-Pierre Melville: An American in Paris, and a Melville interview by Rui Nogueira, author of Melville on Melville



INFO LINKS:
IMDB
Amazon
DVDBeaver
Masters of Cinema Page