This is the one Foreign Film Oscar winner that seemed to elude me all my adult life. Finally, Criterion released a magnificent Black & White 24K digital restoration with uncompressed monaural sound last week on Blu ray. The film is, (as Bosley Crowther claims in his N.Y. Times review), 'A MASTERPIECE'. Absolutely heartbreaking and with an ending that's haunted me for several days since I've seen it. Maurice Jarre's score was nominated for the Oscar in the category of 'Adaptation or Treatment' at the 1963 Oscars, (the year after the film won it's first Oscar). Some of his original score seemed to be recorded rather 'low' in scenes, and there was a good mixture of portions of 'classical pieces' spread throughout the film. I'm wondering why no record was ever issued (to the best of my knowledge), of the music from this film? Rent it or buy it, but DO view this film!
Clip of 'Sundays and Cybele' winning the Oscar of Best Foreign Film
I bought the Connoisseur VHS tape of SUNDAYS AND CYBELE around 1997 and I still have it (but I've not yet upgraded to any of its incarnations on disc).
Upon reading the liner notes of Intrada's issue of Elmer Bernstein's THE REWARD, it's apparent that film director Serge Bourguignon had imposed firm control over his films' music. I imagine Bourguignon had Maurice Jarre's score go through a 'reduction' process similar to Bernstein's experience on THE REWARD.
How much music Jarre initially wrote for CYBELE is not know to me, but what little exists has been re-recorded by Robert Lafond on this Disques CineMusique album:
I bought the Connoisseur VHS tape of SUNDAYS AND CYBELE around 1997 and I still have it (but I've not yet upgraded to any of its incarnations on disc).
Upon reading the liner notes of Intrada's issue of Elmer Bernstein's THE REWARD, it's apparent that film director Serge Bourguignon had imposed firm control over his films' music. I imagine Bourguignon had Maurice Jarre's score go through a 'reduction' process similar to Bernstein's experience on THE REWARD.
How much music Jarre initially wrote for CYBELE is not know to me, but what little exists has been re-recorded by Robert Lafond on this Disques CineMusique album:
Thanks for the info, Tone Row, I wasn't aware of Mr. Lafond's release. In the past, I bought a couple of his releases and found them 'lacking', so I stopped. I did however find success in his release of 'Interlude' which sounded to me very much like the real thing. Thanks though.
It's a unique and beautiful score - not all Jarre - there is use of Albinoni's Adagio - two films in one year used it - the other being Orson Welles' The Trial. The release of Sundays and Cybele on Blu-ray is cause for celebration. I suspect that most, like Montana Dave, have never seen it - and you should. You won't, but you should. Here is what I wrote about it recently:
Last night, I finished watching the new Blu and Ray of Sundays and Cybele from Criterion. I first saw it when it opened in early 1963 in LA at the Beverly Canon Theater – I now have that opening day movie section of the newspaper. I don’t really know how I came to see it or what made me go there. Certainly I liked the title and I probably read a review somewhere, but go I did and it was kind of a life changer for me. It was, most likely, the first foreign film I’d seen, one actually in a different language with subtitles. I was entering my art house phase and discovering all kinds of wondrous new films, all in 1962 and 1963 – Orson Welles’ The Trial, David and Lisa, the low-budget The Miracle Worker, all that kind of stuff. But I’d never seen anything like Sundays and Cybele – it was love at first sight and I thought it was one of the most amazing films I’d ever seen. It was unique, beautiful, poetic, immensely moving, and I loved the lead performances of Hardy Kruger and Patricia Gozzi. Miss Gozzi, in fact, gives one of the greatest performances by a child in the history of cinema. There’s not a false moment in her performance – she is heartbreaking, natural, and completely captivating. She should have been nominated for an Academy Award and so should Hardy Kruger. The film was a huge hit. I went over and over, and when it moved to the Lido Theater, which was only three blocks from my house, I went at least twice a week. I then followed it around the city, but several of the subsequent runs had a dubbed version. I saw that several times – Mr. Kruger dubbed himself, but the girl who dubbed Miss Gozzi was too precious and not at all like the person she was dubbing. To this day, the film, for me, is one of the most beautifully photographed films of all time – Henri Decae. The black-and-white scope imagery is stunning throughout. And the score by Maurice Jarre is as unique as the rest of the film. Of course, none of it would be without the brilliant direction of Serge Bourguignon. The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. And yet, Mr. Bourguignon had a career that went nowhere.
He came to the United States and made The Reward, which I saw and was disappointed in. I saw it at a sneak preview, and if it actually had a release it was a brief one. After that he made a picture with Brigitte Bardot that I’ve never seen, and after that he made the troubled The Picasso Summer with Albert Finney, a film that had many reshoots and Bourguignon is not even credited on the film – that film either got a one-week release or none at all. And then nothing. It is shocking that a director of a film like Sundays and Cybele would never again make anything even approaching it.
The good news is the transfer is great – Decae’s photography is beautifully rendered with wonderful contrast – many scenes are gray and wintry and you’ll feel like you’re there. The extras contain some wonders, too, including a new interview with Miss Gozzi – no, she doesn’t look the same as she did at twelve, but those eyes and that mouth are unmistakable and she has good stories to tell. Then there’s a new interview with Serge Bourguignon who turns out to be a sly, lovely person. It’s a wonderful interview and not tarted up by a “director” – just him talking. And then the shocker for me – a new interview with Hardy Kruger, who I was certain was no longer with us. He’s charming and energetic and tells wonderful tales of how he came to do the film. All three interviewees stress the point that the love between the damaged thirty year old amnesiac (due to a war accident in which he kills a young girl accidentally), who is very childlike, and the twelve-year-old girl, herself damaged and neglected by an uncaring father who deposits her in an orphanage with no intention of ever seeing her again – these two beautiful souls come together and their relationship is innocent and magical. Of course other characters in the film automatically assume that something bad may be going on – all except Kruger’s friend, who knows that it’s all innocent and who is the voice of reason, not that anyone heeds it. I’m not at all sure how the film would be received if it came out today – today I’m sure all the little politically correct idiots would cry foul and think it was about the wrong things, just like the stupid characters who do in the film. But for most people, they get it and are captivated by the poetry of the film – it is like no other and I, as always, cannot recommend it highly enough, especially in this beautiful presentation.
It's a unique and beautiful score - not all Jarre - there is use of Albinoni's Adagio - two films in one year used it - the other being Orson Welles' The Trial. The release of Sundays and Cybele on Blu-ray is cause for celebration. I suspect that most, like Montana Dave, have never seen it - and you should. You won't, but you should. Here is what I wrote about it recently:
Last night, I finished watching the new Blu and Ray of Sundays and Cybele from Criterion. I first saw it when it opened in early 1963 in LA at the Beverly Canon Theater – I now have that opening day movie section of the newspaper. I don’t really know how I came to see it or what made me go there. Certainly I liked the title and I probably read a review somewhere, but go I did and it was kind of a life changer for me. It was, most likely, the first foreign film I’d seen, one actually in a different language with subtitles. I was entering my art house phase and discovering all kinds of wondrous new films, all in 1962 and 1963 – Orson Welles’ The Trial, David and Lisa, the low-budget The Miracle Worker, all that kind of stuff. But I’d never seen anything like Sundays and Cybele – it was love at first sight and I thought it was one of the most amazing films I’d ever seen. It was unique, beautiful, poetic, immensely moving, and I loved the lead performances of Hardy Kruger and Patricia Gozzi. Miss Gozzi, in fact, gives one of the greatest performances by a child in the history of cinema. There’s not a false moment in her performance – she is heartbreaking, natural, and completely captivating. She should have been nominated for an Academy Award and so should Hardy Kruger. The film was a huge hit. I went over and over, and when it moved to the Lido Theater, which was only three blocks from my house, I went at least twice a week. I then followed it around the city, but several of the subsequent runs had a dubbed version. I saw that several times – Mr. Kruger dubbed himself, but the girl who dubbed Miss Gozzi was too precious and not at all like the person she was dubbing. To this day, the film, for me, is one of the most beautifully photographed films of all time – Henri Decae. The black-and-white scope imagery is stunning throughout. And the score by Maurice Jarre is as unique as the rest of the film. Of course, none of it would be without the brilliant direction of Serge Bourguignon. The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. And yet, Mr. Bourguignon had a career that went nowhere.
He came to the United States and made The Reward, which I saw and was disappointed in. I saw it at a sneak preview, and if it actually had a release it was a brief one. After that he made a picture with Brigitte Bardot that I’ve never seen, and after that he made the troubled The Picasso Summer with Albert Finney, a film that had many reshoots and Bourguignon is not even credited on the film – that film either got a one-week release or none at all. And then nothing. It is shocking that a director of a film like Sundays and Cybele would never again make anything even approaching it.
The good news is the transfer is great – Decae’s photography is beautifully rendered with wonderful contrast – many scenes are gray and wintry and you’ll feel like you’re there. The extras contain some wonders, too, including a new interview with Miss Gozzi – no, she doesn’t look the same as she did at twelve, but those eyes and that mouth are unmistakable and she has good stories to tell. Then there’s a new interview with Serge Bourguignon who turns out to be a sly, lovely person. It’s a wonderful interview and not tarted up by a “director” – just him talking. And then the shocker for me – a new interview with Hardy Kruger, who I was certain was no longer with us. He’s charming and energetic and tells wonderful tales of how he came to do the film. All three interviewees stress the point that the love between the damaged thirty year old amnesiac (due to a war accident in which he kills a young girl accidentally), who is very childlike, and the twelve-year-old girl, herself damaged and neglected by an uncaring father who deposits her in an orphanage with no intention of ever seeing her again – these two beautiful souls come together and their relationship is innocent and magical. Of course other characters in the film automatically assume that something bad may be going on – all except Kruger’s friend, who knows that it’s all innocent and who is the voice of reason, not that anyone heeds it. I’m not at all sure how the film would be received if it came out today – today I’m sure all the little politically correct idiots would cry foul and think it was about the wrong things, just like the stupid characters who do in the film. But for most people, they get it and are captivated by the poetry of the film – it is like no other and I, as always, cannot recommend it highly enough, especially in this beautiful presentation.
Thanks Bruce for this great story of long ago, but it sounds like 'yesterday' in your telling. I also thought Hardy Kruger had died. I remembered him in 'Barry Lyndon' and in 'A Bridge too Far', but nothing since. And I'm guessing here that since you did not bring up the subject, it's not a title you'd care to produce? Either the rights are not available or you've no interest in releasing Maurice Jarre's score? Thanks for this story though Bruce!
It's a unique and beautiful score - not all Jarre - there is use of Albinoni's Adagio - two films in one year used it - the other being Orson Welles' The Trial. The release of Sundays and Cybele on Blu-ray is cause for celebration. I suspect that most, like Montana Dave, have never seen it - and you should. You won't, but you should. Here is what I wrote about it recently:
Last night, I finished watching the new Blu and Ray of Sundays and Cybele from Criterion. I first saw it when it opened in early 1963 in LA at the Beverly Canon Theater – I now have that opening day movie section of the newspaper. I don’t really know how I came to see it or what made me go there. Certainly I liked the title and I probably read a review somewhere, but go I did and it was kind of a life changer for me. It was, most likely, the first foreign film I’d seen, one actually in a different language with subtitles. I was entering my art house phase and discovering all kinds of wondrous new films, all in 1962 and 1963 – Orson Welles’ The Trial, David and Lisa, the low-budget The Miracle Worker, all that kind of stuff. But I’d never seen anything like Sundays and Cybele – it was love at first sight and I thought it was one of the most amazing films I’d ever seen. It was unique, beautiful, poetic, immensely moving, and I loved the lead performances of Hardy Kruger and Patricia Gozzi. Miss Gozzi, in fact, gives one of the greatest performances by a child in the history of cinema. There’s not a false moment in her performance – she is heartbreaking, natural, and completely captivating. She should have been nominated for an Academy Award and so should Hardy Kruger. The film was a huge hit. I went over and over, and when it moved to the Lido Theater, which was only three blocks from my house, I went at least twice a week. I then followed it around the city, but several of the subsequent runs had a dubbed version. I saw that several times – Mr. Kruger dubbed himself, but the girl who dubbed Miss Gozzi was too precious and not at all like the person she was dubbing. To this day, the film, for me, is one of the most beautifully photographed films of all time – Henri Decae. The black-and-white scope imagery is stunning throughout. And the score by Maurice Jarre is as unique as the rest of the film. Of course, none of it would be without the brilliant direction of Serge Bourguignon. The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. And yet, Mr. Bourguignon had a career that went nowhere.
He came to the United States and made The Reward, which I saw and was disappointed in. I saw it at a sneak preview, and if it actually had a release it was a brief one. After that he made a picture with Brigitte Bardot that I’ve never seen, and after that he made the troubled The Picasso Summer with Albert Finney, a film that had many reshoots and Bourguignon is not even credited on the film – that film either got a one-week release or none at all. And then nothing. It is shocking that a director of a film like Sundays and Cybele would never again make anything even approaching it.
The good news is the transfer is great – Decae’s photography is beautifully rendered with wonderful contrast – many scenes are gray and wintry and you’ll feel like you’re there. The extras contain some wonders, too, including a new interview with Miss Gozzi – no, she doesn’t look the same as she did at twelve, but those eyes and that mouth are unmistakable and she has good stories to tell. Then there’s a new interview with Serge Bourguignon who turns out to be a sly, lovely person. It’s a wonderful interview and not tarted up by a “director” – just him talking. And then the shocker for me – a new interview with Hardy Kruger, who I was certain was no longer with us. He’s charming and energetic and tells wonderful tales of how he came to do the film. All three interviewees stress the point that the love between the damaged thirty year old amnesiac (due to a war accident in which he kills a young girl accidentally), who is very childlike, and the twelve-year-old girl, herself damaged and neglected by an uncaring father who deposits her in an orphanage with no intention of ever seeing her again – these two beautiful souls come together and their relationship is innocent and magical. Of course other characters in the film automatically assume that something bad may be going on – all except Kruger’s friend, who knows that it’s all innocent and who is the voice of reason, not that anyone heeds it. I’m not at all sure how the film would be received if it came out today – today I’m sure all the little politically correct idiots would cry foul and think it was about the wrong things, just like the stupid characters who do in the film. But for most people, they get it and are captivated by the poetry of the film – it is like no other and I, as always, cannot recommend it highly enough, especially in this beautiful presentation.
Thanks Bruce for this great story of long ago, but it sounds like 'yesterday' in your telling. I also thought Hardy Kruger had died. I remembered him in 'Barry Lyndon' and in 'A Bridge too Far', but nothing since. And I'm guessing here that since you did not bring up the subject, it's not a title you'd care to produce? Either the rights are not available or you've no interest in releasing Maurice Jarre's score? Thanks for this story though Bruce!
I would release it in a heartbeat, of course. Don't know if anything is actually available and assume that if it were that the people who have access to Jarre's estate and personal tapes would have done it already.
Here is what I wrote about it recently: