''The Night Heaven Fell'' (''Les bijoutiers du clair de lune'') is an Eastmancolor

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

French-Italian film directed by

Roger Vadim Roger Vadim Plemiannikov (; 26 January 1928 – 11 February 2000) was a French screenwriter, film director and producer, as well as an author, artist and occasional actor. His best-known works are visually lavish films with erotic qualities, su ...

. Vadim had already acquired international fame with his daring debut '' And God Created Woman'' (

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

). Like its predecessor, ''The Night Heaven Fell'' explored the exuberant sensuality of Brigitte Bardot, who was Vadim's wife at the time.

Plot

Set in rural Spain, Ursula ( Brigitte Bardot), is a young girl who has just left a convent and has moved in with her aunt Florentine and her violent husband, the count Ribera ( José Nieto). Ribera wants to see Lambert ( Stephen Boyd), a young man from the village, dead. Ursula quickly falls in love with Lambert. In a confrontation between the two, Lambert kills Ribera in self-defense. The reason for the conflict soon becomes clear to Ursula: he was having an affair with her aunt. However, when Florentine ( Alida Valli) discovers her lover has no intention of making any commitment to her, she refuses to confirm Lambert's alibi to the police and forces him into becoming a fugitive. Ursula, always impulsive, runs off with him and together they seek a way to get him safely out of the country. While evading the police, the lovers take refuge in the gorge known as

El Chorro El Chorro ("The Cascade") is a small village located in Málaga (Andalusia) in southern Spain, near the town of Álora. It is one of the most popular rock climbing attractions in Spain as it is located next to ''Desfiladero de los Gaitanes'' ' ...

. Lambert contacts Florentine, who agrees to help them complete their escape. But at the rendezvous back in town, the police spot Florentine's car and become suspicious. A policeman spots Lambert up the street in the village. Against Lambert's protests, Ursula runs up the street towards him. After issuing warning shots, the policeman shoots several rounds up the street, mortally wounding Ursula in the back as she stands in front of Lambert, who is unhit. He holds her in a doorway, and as she dies, they declare their love for each other, just before she falls dead on the ground.

Cast

* Brigitte Bardot as Ursula * Alida Valli as Florentine * Stephen Boyd as Lambert * José Nieto as Comte Miguel de Ribera *

Fernando Rey Fernando Casado Arambillet (La Coruña (Spain), 20 September 1917 – Madrid (Spain), 9 March 1994), best known as Fernando Rey, was a Spanish film, theatre, and television actor, who worked in both Europe and the United States. A suave, i ...

as Tío *

Maruchi Fresno Maruchi Fresno (14 February 1916 – 19 July 2003) was a Spanish film actress. Fresno appeared in around sixty films and television series during her long career. In 1947 she played the role of Elizabeth of Aragon, Isabel of Aragon in the historic ...

as Conchita *

Adriano Domínguez Adriano Domínguez Fernández (4 January 1919 – 9 May 2008) was a Spanish film and television actor. He appeared in 150 films between 1945 and 1994. He survived to the terrorist act at California 47 café in 1979 by GRAPO. He died on 9 May 200 ...

as Fernando *

José Marco Davó José Marco Davó (1895–1974) was a Spanish film actor.Pitts p.307 Selected filmography * ''Es mi hombre'' (1934) * ''Don Quintín el amargao'' (1935) - Nicasio * ''La última falla'' (1940) * ''Whirlwind'' (1941) - Portero * '' Dawn of Americ ...

Le chef de la police

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 20% based on 5 critics, with an average rating of 4.60/10. Nathan Rabin of '' The A.V. Club'' said this about the restored version of the film: "''The Night Heaven Fell'' still leaves much to be desired artistically, this new transfer is a crisp, vivid marvel that gives an interesting but tremendously flawed film better treatment than it probably deserves". The DVD version of the film was released on 19 September 2001. Rich Rosell of ''Digitally Obsessed'', who reviewed it, gave it a "C+".

References

External links

* * * French crime drama films Italian crime drama films 1958 films CinemaScope films 1958 crime drama films Films directed by Roger Vadim Films set in Spain Films scored by Georges Auric Films shot in Almería 1950s Italian films 1950s French films {{1950s-crime-drama-film-stub