''The Passion of Slow Fire'' (french: La Mort de Belle) is a 1961 French crime drama film directed by

Édouard Molinaro Édouard Molinaro (13 May 1928 – 7 December 2013) was a French film director and screenwriter. Biography He was born in Bordeaux, Gironde. He is best known for his comedies with Louis de Funès (''Oscar'', ''Hibernatus''), '' My Uncle Benja ...

and based on the novel ''La mort de Belle'' by

Georges Simenon Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (; 13 February 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a Belgian writer. He published nearly 500 novels and numerous short works, and was the creator of the fictional detective Jules Maigret. Early life and education ...

Cast

Jean Desailly Jean Desailly (24 August 1920 – 11 June 2008) was a French actor. He was a member of the Comédie-Française from 1942 to 1946, and later participated in about 90 movies. Life and career Desailly studied at the École nationale supérieure des ...

- Stéphane Blanchon *

Alexandra Stewart Alexandra Stewart (born June 10, 1939) is a Canadian actress. Biography Born in Montreal, Quebec, Stewart left for Paris, France, in 1958, to study art. Within a year, she made her film debut in '' Les Motards'', and has since then enjoyed a ste ...

- Belle *

Monique Mélinand Monique Mélinand (9 March 1916 – 16 May 2012) was a French film and television actress.Capua p.177 Selected filmography * ''Rouletabille joue et gagne'' (1947) * ''Rouletabille contre la dame de pique'' (1948) * ''Between Eleven and Midnight ...

- Mme. Monique Blanchon *

Yvette Etiévant Yvette Etiévant (1922–2003) was a French actress. She starred in Yves Robert's '' War of the Buttons'' (''La Guerre des boutons'') in 1962. Filmography *1945: '' Les Dames du bois de Boulogne'' (directed by Robert Bresson) - La bonne *19 ...

- Alice, Judge's Secretary *

Jacques Monod Jacques Lucien Monod (February 9, 1910 – May 31, 1976) was a French biochemist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1965, sharing it with François Jacob and André Lwoff "for their discoveries concerning genetic control of en ...

- Judge Bechman *

Yves Robert Yves Robert (19 June 1920 – 10 May 2002) was a French actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. Life and career Robert was born in Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, France. In his teens, he went to Paris to pursue a career in acting, starting with ...

- Bartender *

Louisa Colpeyn Louisa Colpeyn (24 February 1918 – 26 January 2015) was a Belgian actress. She appeared in more than thirty films from 1939 to 1983. Colpeyn is the mother of writer Patrick Modiano Jean Patrick Modiano (; born 30 July 1945), generally kno ...

- Belle's Mother *

Maurice Teynac Maurice Teynac (1915–1992) was a French actor. In 1948 he starred in the film '' The Lame Devil'' under Sacha Guitry. In 1954 he appeared in London's West End in J.B. Priestley's poorly reviewed play ''The White Countess''. Selected filmogr ...

- L'ivrogne / Stephane's Friend *

Gabriel Gobin Gabriel Gobin (12 May 1903 – 9 February 1998) was a Belgian film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1947 and 1990. He was born in Hacquegnies, Belgium and died in Brie-Comte-Robert, France. Selected filmography * ''Quai de ...

- le sergent de police Ruchet

Critical reception

''The New York Times'' called it "an elegantly comprehensive and persuasive movie version of a Georges Simenon novel" and "concise, introspective drama," and added that "the fascination of the impeccable acting of a first-rate cast, headed by Jean Desailly, is the exquisitely restrained flow and fusion of the incidents, as the protagonist finds his soul stripped bare." The reviewer also praised "director Edouard Molinaro's austere pacing" and wrote that "the adaptation by Jean Anouilh, the playwright, is so visual that it absorbs some brief flashbacks and the protagonist's occasional narration like a sponge." ''TV Guide'' described it as "an entertaining crime drama from a novel by the masterful Georges Simenon."

References

External links

* 1961 crime drama films 1961 films Films based on works by Georges Simenon Films with screenplays by Jean Anouilh Films set in Switzerland Films shot in Switzerland French crime drama films 1960s French films {{1960s-France-film-stub