Ave Maria (1984 film)

Ave Maria
Ave Maria
	Isabelle Pasco
Directed by	Jacques Richard
Produced by	Irène Silberman
Cinematography	Dominique Brenguier
Edited by	Luc Barnier
Music by	Jorge Arriagada
Production; company	Films Galaxie
Release date	31 October 1984;
Running time	105 minutes
Country	France
Language	French

Ave Maria is a 1984 French drama film directed by Jacques Richard, who co-wrote screenplay with Paul Gégauff.

Plot

Fifteen-year-old Ursula awakens to sensuality with Paul, a teenager of her age. She lives in a small village, in a fairly closed environment, strongly steeped in religion.

The inhabitants of this village live under the domination of the defrocked priest Adolphe Éloi, whom everyone calls "the Holy Father". The latter and his companion Berthe Granjeux, "the Holy Mother", try to subdue the young girl who is truly the only one who does not accept their tyranny. They try to make her feel guilty, and it is out of revolt that the teenager imposes herself and opposes them with increasingly perverse tendencies.

On Christmas Eve, Adolphe Éloi’s "faithful" are on trial. During this night dedicated to exorcism, Ursula must undergo an avalanche of corporal punishment intended to cleanse her of all her sins.

Cast

Anna Karina as Berthe Granjeux
Féodor Atkine as Adolphe Eloi
Isabelle Pasco as Ursula
Pascale Ogier as Angélique
Dora Doll as Constance
Bernard Freyd as Mathieu

Production

The film was shot mainly at the Château de Melzéar in Paizay-le-Tort.^[1]

Poster censorship

The poster, which features Isabelle Pasco crucified topless, caused a scandal in 1984.^[1] The controversial image was photographed by Bettina Rheims and was intended to promote the film. Director Jacques Richard was sued by the Society of Saint Pius X, led by Marcel Lefebvre at the time, and eight other Catholic associations who demanded a ban on the poster. Justice ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in summary proceedings and prohibited the public visibility of the Ave Maria poster for its supposed outrageous nature. The ban on the poster was not appealed.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

In 2019, director Jacques Richard reflected on the scandal: "Their idea was to strike minds with a strong visual. It was a mistake. Catholics did not go to see the film saying to themselves: we are being attacked. Atheists said to themselves: a film that talks about religion doesn't concern us. However, the film was not an attack on Catholics, it denounced sects."^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Revert, Yves (28 August 2019). "" Ave Maria ", un film crucifié à cause de son affiche". La Nouvelle République (in French). Retrieved 22 February 2024.
^ Lemieux, Emmanuel (7 March 2010). "Ne blasphémez pas le blasphème, nom de Dieu !". Les Influences.fr.
^ Boulègue, Jean (January 2010). Le Blasphème en procès 1984–2009: L'Église et la mosquée contre les libertés. Paris: Nova Éditions. ISBN 978-2-36015-003-8.
^ Rheims, Bettina; Bramly, Serge (October 1998). I.N.R.I. Éditions Albin Michel. ISBN 978-3-88243-574-0.
^ Douin, Jean-Luc (October 2001). Films à scandale. Éditions Le Chêne. ISBN 978-2-84277-178-2.
^ Montagne, Albert (September 2007). Histoire juridique des interdits cinématographiques en France (1909-2001) (in French). Paris: Éditions L'Harmattan. ISBN 978-2-296-04192-9.