THE FIRE THAT BURNS
Directed by Christophe Malavoy

A richly textured drama, The Fire That Burns is based on the novel “The Land Whose King is a Child” [referring to Ecclesiastes 10:6: “Woe to the land whose king is a child] by prolific, French novelist and dramatist Henry de Montherlant.

The story takes place before World War II in a Catholic boys’ school in Paris, where the friendship between bright philosophy student André Sevrais (Naël Marandin) and his younger schoolmate Souplier (Clément van den Bergh of Class Trip) arouses the jealousy of the Abbot de Pradts (Christophe Malavoy), who is secretly in the thrall of young Souplier. De Pradts lays a trap for Sevrais but ends up crushed by his own machinations to the utter disdain of the Father Superior (Michel Aumont of The Closet and Man is a Woman).

Christophe Malavoy, who has appeared in over 60 French films, directed and stars in The Fire That Burns. In 1983, Malavoy received the “Most Promising Male Actor” prize at the César Awards (France’s equivalent of our Academy Awards™).

Henry de Montherlant was born into a noble Roman Catholic family in 1896 Paris. His early works were inspired by his personal experiences in parochial schools. His popularity among the French people endures to this very day, where a swimming pool in Paris is named after him. And de Montherlant must surely be smiling down from heaven because at this pool, men are not allowed to wear boxer-style swim shorts – only “Speedos™!”.

Running time: 88 min.
French with optional English subtitles




Photo Gallery
Interviews
Commentary
Widescreen Presentation
Scene Selections
Coming Attractions
Dolby 5.1/2.0 Surround Sound
Optional English Subtitles



Chicago International Film Festival