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The Fire Within

Le Feu follet (The Fire Within)

1963

Louis Malle

Maurice Ronet, Léna Skerla, Jeanne Moreau, Yvonne Clech ...

7.7

3,376

Drama In a private nursing home near to Paris, a burnt out writer, Alain Leroy, is being treated for alcoholism. Despite being almost cured of his addiction, Alain, in his mid-thirties, has recurring bouts of depression and has resolved to kill himself in a few days’ time. One morning, he sets out on one final trip to Paris. Here, he meets up with old friends and lovers, but contact with the people he once knew and loved feels increasingly superficial. [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"The film is a triumph of style. It is quiet and indicative (...) Rarely does a film so carefully portray this complexity of personal relationships (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	A.H. Weiler The New York Times	"A viewer can appreciate the delicate exploration of Alain Leroy's mind and heart but he is so special a case that it is extremely difficult to relate to his highly special tragic condition."	NEU
United States	Dan Callahan Slant	"'Fire Within' is obviously personal and sincere, but it would have more impact if it was tighter, leaner, and more decisive (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 4)"	NEU
United Kingdom	Geoff Andrew Time Out	"Arguably the finest of Malle's early films (...) Calmly objective but profoundly compassionate (...) Ronet gives a remarkable, quietly assured performance"	POS
United States	Don Druker Chicago Reader	"It's a penetrating study of a man at the end of his rope, and a searing re-creation of a social milieu."	POS
United Kingdom	Tom Dawson BBC	"Gracefully shot in high-contrast black and white, and delicately scored, 'Le Feu Follet's resonance is also indebted to Ronet's assuredly restrained central performance (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	John Davidson Austin Chronicle	"[It shows] a decidedly literary sensibility (...) [It] possesses the kind of density you're more likely to find in a novel"	POS

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