The Fire Within

The pipe smoking fellow above is one Louis Malle, born this day 1932 in Thumeries Nord, France. Malle was born into a wealthy industrial family (lucky him), and originally went to the Sorbonne to study political science, but that did not last, and he hied himself off to film school. Lucky for us. At 24, he made the film entitled Elevator to the Gallows, which made a international star of the lovely and talented Jeanne Moreau, and is a damn fine film. If you have the means, I recommend you obtaining and watching it. His next film The Lovers was originally banned as obscene in the United States, and a theatre in Ohio was fined for showing it, that fine was appealed, and the case eventually made it to the United States Supreme Court. Eventually it was determined not to be obscene prompting Justice Potter Stewart's now famous remark about porn "I know it when I see it." Perhaps his most famous film after The Lovers is Au Revoir, Les Enfants, and it is a lovely film too. But hero status is reserved for M. Malle's film The Fire Within. An absolute cracker of a film about a man who is considering (and eventually does commit) suicide. It is amazing, and has some gorgeous French actresses in it. Worth watching for the French girls, worth remembering for the angst filled plot. He made numerous other films, but the ones mentioned are the only ones I have seen, and for making those stunning films, and turning a bumpkin like me onto French film, Louis Malle (October 30th, 1932-November 23rd,1995, at the age of 63), you are my hero of the day.