''The Annunciation of Marie'' is the English-language title of the 1991 French-Canadian film ''L'Annonce faite à Marie'', an adaptation of the play of the same name by

Paul Claudel Paul Claudel (; 6 August 1868 – 23 February 1955) was a French poet, dramatist and diplomat, and the younger brother of the sculptor Camille Claudel. He was most famous for his verse dramas, which often convey his devout Catholicism. Early lif ...

Production

The director of this film, the French stage and film actor

Alain Cuny René Xavier Marie Alain Cuny (12 July 1908 – 16 May 1994) was a French actor of stage and screen. He was closely linked with the works of Paul Claudel and Antonin Artaud, and for his performances for the Théâtre national populaire and Od ...

, was for years a friend and associate of the diplomat, playwright and symbolist poet

(1868-1955), whose sister Camille was possibly better known outside the French-speaking world. In fact, one of Cuny's late acting roles was in the film ''

Camille Claudel Camille Rosalie Claudel (; 8 December 1864 19 October 1943) was a French sculptor known for her figurative works in bronze and marble. She died in relative obscurity, but later gained recognition for the originality and quality of her work. The ...

'' (1988), based on the sculptress' life. Before he died in 1955, the playwright asked that Cuny direct a picture based on his play ''L'Annonce faite a Marie'', and in this somewhat stage-bound production, he honored that request.L' Annonce faite a Marie (1991)

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

It was filmed in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and Civry-la-Foret,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Plot

Set at the time of the Crusades, it tells the story of love and tragedy, intermingled with mysticism. Jacques is betrothed to marry Violane, a beautiful and gentle woman. When she discovers that she has leprosy, however, the marriage is off, and she retires to a life of prayer at an isolated hermitage. Instead, Jacques marries her sister Mara. When Jacques and Mara's child dies shortly after birth, Mara implores her saintly sister to come out of isolation to bring her child back to life.

Release

The film was released in

on 18 December 1991. It also premiered at the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

on 15 February 1992. Ironically, it was never released internationally.

Reception

In 1991 it won the Prix Georges Sadoul award and in 1992 it won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the

.Awards for L' Annonce faite a Marie
IMDb

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Annunciation of Marie French romantic drama films Canadian romantic drama films Films set in France 1991 romantic drama films 1991 films Films shot in Montreal Films based on French novels French-language Canadian films 1990s Canadian films 1990s French films