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La Maison des Bories
1970 Drama / Romance
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Credits
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Director: Jacques Doniol-Valcroze
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Script: Simone Ratel (novel), Anne Tromelin
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Photo: Ghislain Cloquet
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Cast: Marie Dubois (Isabelle Durras),
Maurice Garrel (Julien Durras),
Mathieu Carrière (Carl-Stéphane Kursdedt),
Hélène Vallier (Marie Louise),
Claude Titre (Ludovic),
Madeleine Barbulée (Mlle Estienne),
Jean-François Maurin (Laurent Durras),
Marie Véronique Maurin (Lise Durras)
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Country: France
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Language: French
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Runtime: 87 min
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Aka: The House of the Bories
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Summary
The Durras family lives in the House of the Bories, an isolated country villa in Haute-Provence.
Julien Durras, a geologist, dedicates himself to his research, and is strict with both
his children and his wife Marie. The Durras household is greatly affected by the
arrival of young German scholar, Carl-Stéphane Kursdedt, whom Julien invited to
his house to translate his papers. The children take an instant liking to the friendly
young German, who plays with them and offers them presents. However, Carl-Stéphane’s
main interest is Marie, the unhappy young housewife who clearly deserves better than the
severe man she is married to...
Review
La Maison des Bories is a beautifully filmed study in loneliness and temptation
from Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, one of the lesser known figures of the French New Wave.
The Provence setting and narrative simplicity make this a moving visual poem, offering
a powerful evocation of human desire and the need for love. Although the film appears
somewhat dated and a little overly sentimental in places (which is due in part to the
excessive use of music by Mozart), it has some moments of artistic brilliance - notably
the nocturnal bedroom sequence which cleverly brings together Marie and her young houseguest
whilst keeping them apart. The film’s abrupt ending is handled with less flair and
doesn’t quite ring true (probably because we have been forced us to view the characters
from a distance). Overall, however, Doniol-Valcroze’s approach is immensely gratifying
and his film - with its haunting, poetic narrative style - leaves a lasting impression.
© James Travers 2003
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