Themes: Murder Investigations, Miraculous Events, Members of the Clergy
Main Cast: Gérard Depardieu, Sandrine Bonnaire, Maurice Pialat, Alain Artur, Yan Dedet
Release Year: 1987
Country: FR
Run Time: 98 minutes
Plot
A slow, complex and involving tale of a French priest and his moral trials and tribulations, Under the Sun of Satan is adapted from the Georges Bernanos novel of the same name. Father Donissan (Gerard Depardieu) struggles to save the soul of the 16-year-old pregnant woman Mouchette (Sandrine Bonnaire) in this allegorical drama. She is the mistress of a married politician, but she carries the child of a poor nobleman. Mouchette shoots and kills the nobleman when he refuses to run away with her, and the emotionally tortured Donissan flagellates himself with a chain and despises his superior Menou-Serais (Maurice Pialot). This dramatic struggle of good versus evil took the Golden Palm Award for Best Film at the 1987 Cannes Festival. The selection was not without controversy, as the verbal protests of the audience led to an obscene gesture from the miffed director. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
Brigitte Legendre - Mouchette's mother; Corinne Bourdon - Mother of Child; Philippe Pallut - Quarryman; Marcel Anselin - Mgr. Gerbier; Thierry Artur - A priest; Frédéric Auburtin - Young priest; Ghislain Boitrelle - Coachman; Jean-Claude Bourlat - Malorthy; Jean-Christophe Bouvet - Le maquignon; Anne Cassagnou - Pilgrim; Edith Colnel - Mme. Lambelin; Pierre D'Hoffelize - Havret; Fabienne Deleforge - Mary's child; Anne Duquennoy - Mary's child; Thierry Der'Ven - Sabroux; David Dhoye - Pilgrim; Franck Dhoye - Pilgrim; Jerome Dhoye - Pilgrim; Francoise Disle - Sinner; Claudine Gauthier - Believer; Raymonde Jacquot - Parishioner; Karine Lambert - Mary's child; Yvette Lavogez - Marthe; Marie-Antoinette Lorge - Estelle; Carole Loth - Mary's child; Nathalie Lourtil - Mary's child; Vincent Peignaux - Child; Sabrina Vervacke - Mary's child; Marie-Paule Vienne - Pilgrim; Delphine Westrelin - Farm girl; Claudy Widczinski - Pilgrim; Yolain de Gelas - Mary's child; Bernard de Gouy - Mons de Wamin; Yolene de Gouy - Mme. de Wamin
Credit
Gil Noir - Costume Designer, Maurice Pialat - Director, Yan Dedet - Editor, Claude Abeille - Executive Producer, Henri Dutilleux - Composer (Music Score), Katia Wyszkop - Production Designer, Willy Kurant - Cinematographer, Daniel Toscan du Plantier - Producer, Louis Gimel - Sound/Sound Designer, Sylvie Danton - Screenwriter, Maurice Pialat - Screenwriter, Jean-Claude Bourlat - Production Director, Edith Colnel - Production Director, Georges Bernanos - Book Author
Under the Sun of Satan (French language: Sous le soleil de Satan) is a 1987 film directed by Maurice Pialat. It is based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Georges Bernanos, and tells the story of a devout priest who becomes involved with a murderess.
