La Symphonie fantastique
Encyclopedia
La Symphonie fantastique is a 1942 French drama film by Christian-Jaque
based upon the life of the French composer Hector Berlioz
. The title is taken from the five-movement programmatic Symphonie fantastique
of 1830. The film lasts around 90 minutes and was first shown at the cinema 'Normandie' in Paris
on 1 April 1942.
. From recalcitrant medical student in an anatomy class dreaming of becoming a composer, a demonstration at a performance at the Paris Opéra conducted by Habeneck, supper with other young artists (Hugo, Janin, Dumas, Mérimée, Delacroix), to chasing after Henriette Smithson after a performance of Hamlet
. His life in a garret
, illness from an abscess in the throat; a visit from his mother who curses him, composition of the Symphonie fantastique. Then marital breakdown – the premiere of Benvenuto Cellini
, travels throughout Europe, second marriage (Marie Recio becomes Marie Martin), acceptance in old age and reconciliation with his son.
As well as the symphony, the music used in the film includes the Invitation to the Dance by Weber
, as well as Roméo et Juliette
(during the scene where Berlioz and Smithson fall in love), a staged excerpt from the first act of Benvenuto Cellini, the Rákóczi March
from La damnation de Faust and the Requiem
.
Christian-Jaque
Christian-Jaque was a French filmmaker. He was married to actress Martine Carol from 1954 to 1959.Christian-Jaque was born at Paris....
based upon the life of the French composer Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
. The title is taken from the five-movement programmatic Symphonie fantastique
Symphonie Fantastique
Symphonie Fantastique: Épisode de la vie d'un Artiste...en cinq parties , Op. 14, is a program symphony written by the French composer Hector Berlioz in 1830. It is one of the most important and representative pieces of the early Romantic period, and is still very popular with concert audiences...
of 1830. The film lasts around 90 minutes and was first shown at the cinema 'Normandie' in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
on 1 April 1942.
Synopsis
The film is biographical, telling the story of the life and artistic struggles of the French composer Hector BerliozHector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
. From recalcitrant medical student in an anatomy class dreaming of becoming a composer, a demonstration at a performance at the Paris Opéra conducted by Habeneck, supper with other young artists (Hugo, Janin, Dumas, Mérimée, Delacroix), to chasing after Henriette Smithson after a performance of Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
. His life in a garret
Attic
An attic is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building . Attic is generally the American/Canadian reference to it...
, illness from an abscess in the throat; a visit from his mother who curses him, composition of the Symphonie fantastique. Then marital breakdown – the premiere of Benvenuto Cellini
Benvenuto Cellini (opera)
Benvenuto Cellini is an opera in two acts with music by Hector Berlioz and libretto by Léon de Wailly and Henri Auguste Barbier. It was the first of Berlioz's operas. The story is loosely based on the memoirs of the Florentine sculptor Benvenuto Cellini. The opera is technically very challenging...
, travels throughout Europe, second marriage (Marie Recio becomes Marie Martin), acceptance in old age and reconciliation with his son.
Cast
- Jean-Louis BarraultJean-Louis BarraultJean-Louis Barrault was a French actor, director and mime artist, training that served him well when he portrayed the 19th-century mime Jean-Gaspard Deburau in Marcel Carné's 1945 film Les Enfants du Paradis .Jean-Louis Barrault studied with Charles Dullin in whose troupe he acted...
: Hector BerliozHector BerliozHector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a... - Renée Saint-CyrRenée Saint-CyrRenée Saint-Cyr was a French actress. She appeared in 66 films between 1933 and 1994.-Selected filmography:* Pearls of the Crown * Strange Boarders...
: Marie Martin - Lise Delamare : Harriet SmithsonHarriet SmithsonHenrietta Constance Smithson was an Anglo-Irish actress, the first wife of Hector Berlioz, and the inspiration for his Symphonie Fantastique....
- Jules Berry : Maurice SchlesingerMaurice SchlesingerMoritz Adolf Schlesinger , generally known during his French career as Maurice Schlesinger, was a German music editor. He is perhaps best remembered for inspiring the character of M...
- Bernard BlierBernard BlierBernard Blier was a French character actor. His rotund features and premature baldness allowed him to often play cuckolded husbands in his early career. He proved to be one of France's most versatile and sought-after character actors, performing interchangeably in comedies and dramas...
: Antoine Charbonnel, friend of Berlioz - Gilbert Gil : Louis Berlioz (son)
- Julien Bertheau : Victor HugoVictor HugoVictor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
- Catherine Fonteney : Berlioz’s mother
- Louis Seigner : François Antoine HabeneckFrançois Antoine HabeneckFrançois Antoine Habeneck was a French violinist and conductor.- Early life :Habeneck was born at Mézières, the son of a musician in a French regimental band. During his early youth, Habeneck was taught by his father, and at the age of ten played concertos in public...
- Louis Salou : The director of the Opéra
- Georges Vitray : Ship’s captain
- Jacques DynamJacques DynamJacques Dynam was a French film actor. He appeared in over 150 films between 1942 and 2004. He was born and died in Paris, France.-Selected filmography:* My Wife Is Formidable...
: - Marcelle Monthil : Smithson’s dresser
- Mona Dol : a maid
- Maurice SchutzMaurice SchutzMaurice Schutz was a French film actor.He starred in some 91 films between 1918 and 1952.-Filmography:Selected films include:* Quatre-vingt-treize * Au-delà des lois humaines...
: Niccolò PaganiniNiccolò PaganiniNiccolò Paganini was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was one of the most celebrated violin virtuosi of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique... - Pierre Magnier : Anatomy lecturer
- Roland Armontel : Eugène DelacroixEugène DelacroixFerdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school...
- Jean Darcante : Prosper MériméeProsper MériméeProsper Mérimée was a French dramatist, historian, archaeologist, and short story writer. He is perhaps best known for his novella Carmen, which became the basis of Bizet's opera Carmen.-Life:...
- René Fluet : Jules JaninJules JaninJules Gabriel Janin was a French writer and critic.-Biography:Born in Saint-Étienne , Janin's father was a lawyer, and he was educated first at St. Étienne, and then at the lycée Louis-le-Grand in Paris...
- Georges Gosset : Alexandre Dumas
- Joé Davray : A student
- Georges Lafon : Russian minister
- Martial Rèbe : Smithson’s coachman
- Noël RoquevertNoël RoquevertNoël Roquevert was a French film actor. He appeared in over 180 films between 1932 and 1972.He was born in Doué-la-Fontaine, France and died in Douarnenez, France.-Selected filmography:* Le Corbeau...
: A policeman - Lucien Coëdel : A printer
- Michel Vitold : A conductor
- Georges Mauloy : the Dean of the Institut
Production
- Director: Christian-JaqueChristian-JaqueChristian-Jaque was a French filmmaker. He was married to actress Martine Carol from 1954 to 1959.Christian-Jaque was born at Paris....
- Producer: René Chateau
- Original story: biography of Berlioz
- Screenplay: J P Feydeau, H André Legrand
- Cinematography: Armand Thirard
- Music: Hector BerliozHector BerliozHector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
, Carl Maria von WeberCarl Maria von WeberCarl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school.... - Musical Director: Maurice Paul Guillot
- Production design: André AndrejewAndré AndrejewAndré Andrejew was one of the most important art directors of the international cinema of the twentieth century. He had a distinctive, innovative style. His décors were both expressive and realistic...
As well as the symphony, the music used in the film includes the Invitation to the Dance by Weber
Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school....
, as well as Roméo et Juliette
Roméo et Juliette (symphony)
Roméo et Juliette is a "symphonie dramatique", a large-scale choral symphony by French composer Hector Berlioz, which was first performed on 24 November 1839. The libretto was written by Émile Deschamps and the completed work was assigned the catalogue numbers Op. 17 and H.79...
(during the scene where Berlioz and Smithson fall in love), a staged excerpt from the first act of Benvenuto Cellini, the Rákóczi March
Rákóczi March
The "Rákóczi March" is the unofficial state anthem of Hungary.The first version of this march-song was probably created around 1730 by one or more anonymous composers, although tradition says that it was the favourite march of Francis Rákóczi II...
from La damnation de Faust and the Requiem
Requiem (Berlioz)
The Grande Messe des morts, Op. 5 by Hector Berlioz was composed in 1837. The Grande Messe des Morts is one of Berlioz's best-known works, with a tremendous orchestration of woodwind and brass instruments, including four antiphonal offstage brass ensembles placed at the corners of the concert stage...
.