''Christine'' is a 1958 French

period drama film A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swas ...

, based on the 1894 play ''

Liebelei ' is a 1933 German period drama film directed by Max Ophüls and starring Magda Schneider, Wolfgang Liebeneiner, and Luise Ullrich. Production The film, based on a play of the same name ('' Liebelei'') by Arthur Schnitzler, describes an ill-f ...

'' (''Flirtation'') by

Arthur Schnitzler Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. Biography Arthur Schnitzler was born at Praterstrasse 16, Leopoldstadt, Vienna, capital of the Austrian Empire (as of 1867, part of the dual monarchy ...

. The film was directed by

Pierre Gaspard-Huit Pierre Gaspard-Huit (29 November 1917 – 1 May 2017) was a French film director and screenwriter. He directed the 1963 film '' Shéhérazade'', which starred Anna Karina. He was once married to actress Claudine Auger when she was 18, and he wa ...

and the title character was played by

Romy Schneider Romy Schneider (; born Rosemarie Magdalena Albach; 23 September 1938 – 29 May 1982) was a German-French actress. She began her career in the German genre in the early 1950s when she was 15. From 1955 to 1957, she played the central chara ...

. The cast included

Alain Delon Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon (; born 8 November 1935) is a French actor and filmmaker. He was one of Europe's most prominent actors and screen sex symbols in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. In 1985, he won the César Award for Best Actor for h ...

as a young lieutenant. Schnitzler's play had been filmed in 1933 by

Max Ophüls Maximillian Oppenheimer (; 6 May 1902 – 26 March 1957), known as Max Ophüls (; ), was a German-French film director who worked in Germany (1931–1933), France (1933–1940 and 1950–1957), and the United States (1947–1950). He made near ...

as ''

'', starring Romy Schneider's mother,

Magda Schneider Magdalena Maria Schneider (17 May 1909 – 30 July 1996) was a German actress and singer. She was the mother of the actress Romy Schneider. Biography Magdalena Maria Schneider was born in Augsburg, Bavaria, the daughter of a plumber. She att ...

.
Section "New French Drama"

Synopsis

In 1906 Vienna, a young lieutenant Franz (Alain Delon) has an affair with a married baroness, Lena. He decides to put an end to it when he meets Christine (Romy Schneider, Delon's fiancée in real life), a musician's daughter. Christine is almost engaged to a composer, Binder, but falls in love with Franz. Franz breaks it off with Lena, but her husband the Baron Eggesdorf has already discovered the affair. While Christine and Franz plan their wedding, the Baron challenges Franz to a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

. Franz is killed, and Christine commits suicide.

Cast

Production

Charles Spaak Charles Spaak (25 May 1903 – 4 March 1975) was a Belgian screenwriter who was noted particularly for his work in the French cinema during the 1930s. He was the son of the dramatist and poet Paul Spaak, the brother of the politician Paul-Henri S ...

was reported as working on the screenplay. At the time of filming, Schneider was one of the most popular stars in Europe, having enjoyed success starring in the ''Sissi'' film trilogy. ''Christine'' was an attempt to duplicate this, being aimed more at the French market. Delon had only just begun his career when he was cast. He and Schneider began a romantic affair that continued on and off for a number of years.

Reception

The film was the seventeenth most popular film at the French box office in 1958. Before it was ''

The Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ� ...

'', ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'', ''

The Cranes Are Flying ''The Cranes Are Flying'' (russian: Летят журавли, translit. ''Letyat zhuravli'') is a 1957 Soviet film about the Second World War. It depicts the cruelty of war and the damage done to the Soviet psyche as a result of war, which ...

'', ''

Sissi – Fateful Years of an Empress ''Sissi – Fateful Years of an Empress'' (german: Sissi – Schicksalsjahre einer Kaiserin) is a 1957 Austrian film directed by Ernst Marischka and starring Romy Schneider, Karlheinz Böhm, Magda Schneider, Gustav Knuth and Josef Meinrad, costume ...

'', '' Young Sinners'', ''

Mon Oncle ''Mon Oncle'' (; ''My Uncle'') is a 1958 comedy film by French filmmaker Jacques Tati. The first of Tati's films to be released in colour, ''Mon Oncle'' won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, a Special Prize at the 1958 Cannes Film ...

'', ''

The Young Lions ''The Young Lions'' (1948) is a novel by Irwin Shaw about three soldiers in World War II. Plot Christian Diestl is at first a sympathetic Austrian drawn to Nazism by despair for his future but willing to sacrifice Jews if necessary. Noah Acke ...

'', ''

Girl and the River ''Girl and the River'' (french: L'Eau vive) is a 1958 French drama film directed by François Villiers. It was entered into the 1958 Cannes Film Festival. Cast In alphabetical order * Henri Arius - The uncle from Cavaillon * Pascale Audret - ...

'', ''

The Possessors ''The Possessors'' () is a 1958 French drama film directed by Denys de La Patellière, starring Jean Gabin, Pierre Brasseur, Bernard Blier, Jean Desailly, Françoise Christophe and Annie Ducaux. It tells the story of a forceful tycoon wholly devot ...

'', ''

The Law Is the Law ''The Law Is the Law'' (french: La loi, c'est la loi, it, La legge è legge) is a 1958 French-Italian comedy film directed by Christian-Jaque. It was entered into the 8th Berlin International Film Festival. Plot In the village of Assola, divi ...

'', ', '' The Vikings'', '' In Case of Adversity'', ''

Maigret Sets a Trap ''Maigret Sets a Trap'' (French: ''Maigret tend un piège'') is a 1955 detective novel by the Belgian novelist Georges Simenon featuring his fictional character Jules Maigret. Plot Maigret sets a trap for a serial killer, hoping to lure him into ...

'', '' The Cat'', and ''

The Mirror Has Two Faces ''The Mirror Has Two Faces'' is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama film produced and directed by Barbra Streisand, who also stars. The screenplay by Richard LaGravenese is loosely based on the 1958 French film ''Le Miroir à deux faces'' writt ...

''.

References

External links

''Christine'' (1958)
at filmsdefrance.com * 1958 films Films based on works by Arthur Schnitzler Italian drama films 1950s French-language films 1958 romantic drama films Films directed by Pierre Gaspard-Huit Films scored by Georges Auric Remakes of German films Films set in 1906 French films based on plays 1950s Italian films {{romantic-drama-film-stub