Le Feu follet (A Time to Live and a Time to Die) (The Fire Within) (1963)

90% of critics liked it
(10 reviews)
90% of users liked it
(1,605 ratings)

Maurice Ronet plays an alcoholic writer, Alain Leroy, who is on the verge of suicide (his character is based on writer Jacques Rigaut, who killed himself in 1929). The psychiatrist assigned to Leroy is no help, advising his patient to seek a reconciliation with his wife, who is still smarting from… More Maurice Ronet plays an alcoholic writer, Alain Leroy, who is on the verge of suicide (his character is based on writer Jacques Rigaut, who killed himself in 1929). The psychiatrist assigned to Leroy is no help, advising his patient to seek a reconciliation with his wife, who is still smarting from Leroy's recent liaison with Lydia (Lena Skerla). Still obsessed with the notion of taking his own life, Leroy plans to stage his demise on July 23. A last-ditch effort to jolly himself out of his doldrums fails, and Leroy, with a picture of Marilyn Monroe at his side, snuffs himself out. Though a case study of a man victimized by his own isolationism, The Fire Within has some surprising random optimistic moments. The French title for The Fire Within is Le Feu Follet, which was also the title of the novel by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle (another suicide!) from which this film was adapted. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 44 min.
Directed By: Louis Malle
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Oct 7, 1963 Wide
On DVD: May 13, 2008

Critic Reviews

A.H. Weiler, New York Times
Highly introspective, often tenderly touching and sometimes tediously redundant.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The film is a triumph of style. It is quiet and indicative. It doesn't explain a lot, but we understand a lot about it all the same.
Don Druker, Chicago Reader
It's a penetrating study of a man at the end of his rope, and a searing re-creation of a social milieu.
Dan Callahan, Slant Magazine
A heartfelt but unsuccessful film that could have been much better with a more variegated point of view.
Dan Callahan, Slant Magazine
To be frank, Fire Within devastated me when I saw it in college, but the unrelieved ennui that struck me as scrupulously honest and brave then looks one-note and aimless to me now.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Generally regarded as Malle's best work.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Arguably the finest of Malle's early films.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
One of Louis Malle's finest early films.
Jon Fortgang, Film4
A lost classic.
Tom Dawson, BBC
Darkly unsentimental yet admirably compassionate.

Read all 10 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

Celebrated as one of Malle's best, particularly of his earlier films, I don't believe Le Feu follet really deserves all it's praise. It is a good film, with brilliant performances and a subtlety in script and story that never once wanders into the cliched romantic view… More
Celebrated as one of Malle's best, particularly of his earlier films, I don't believe Le Feu follet really deserves all it's praise. It is a good film, with brilliant performances and a subtlety in script and story that never once wanders into the cliched romantic view of alcoholism, miserableism, depression etc that many Hollywood films have and do. It's treated with respect and it's conclusion is a powerful and realistic one which you have to give it credit for. All that and the visual beauty of the film aside, I just can't get over excited about a film in which the boom stick and camera man are so often visible, call me fickle but those kinds of things take away some enjoyment, believability and realism for me.
Tim S

This is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. I love the way it was shot and acted and the different things that it brought up really resonated for me personally. On the other hand, be forewarned, it is utterly one of the most depressing movies I have seen. The entire… More
This is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. I love the way it was shot and acted and the different things that it brought up really resonated for me personally. On the other hand, be forewarned, it is utterly one of the most depressing movies I have seen. The entire movie revolves around suicide and a man being in treatment for depression and alcoholism, but there are some amazing scenes here. I guess what floored me the most was the way that it was cut together. The simplicity of the scenes was made more dynamic by the editing. The performances are very naturalistic and engrossing as well. Highly recommend it for people who don't mind a very emotionally dark movie.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]Talky and episodic but refreshingly downbeat, "The Fire Within" starts with Alain(Maurice Ronet) staring at Lydia(Lena Skerla) after they have had sex which I am sure has nothing to do with her writing him a check so he can pay off old gambling debts.… More
[font=Century Gothic]Talky and episodic but refreshingly downbeat, "The Fire Within" starts with Alain(Maurice Ronet) staring at Lydia(Lena Skerla) after they have had sex which I am sure has nothing to do with her writing him a check so he can pay off old gambling debts. Alain has been sober for four months and is in a treatment program in Versailles with a wife in New York. He has been in the clinic so long that people are starting to worry about him. Rightfully so, considering that since he has been sober, he has not been able to write anything, becoming obsessed with death and going so far as to contemplate suicide, choosing the following day as the big day, when he also plans to go into Paris to visit old friends.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]As with most addicts, it seems there is more wrong with Alain than simply his substance of choice which he conveniently blames all of his problems on. In the harsh light of day, his life does not look any better than when he was drinking all of the time.[/font]
Mike T

A languid, contemplative film about the profound unhappiness of a suicidal man. Louis Malle's direction and Maurice Ronet's understated performance dissuade the film from ever acquiring the tired cliche of romanticized misery. It's a stark, bleak picture with plenty of… More
A languid, contemplative film about the profound unhappiness of a suicidal man. Louis Malle's direction and Maurice Ronet's understated performance dissuade the film from ever acquiring the tired cliche of romanticized misery. It's a stark, bleak picture with plenty of empathy for the state of its protagonist, but it doesn't shy away from the ugliness of the subject matter or bask in cinematic manipulation. Crisp, fluid photography and a sparse but beautiful score by Erik Satie are so perfectly condusive to the tone of the character's descent, and by the end the poignancy plays itself out naturally rather than forcing itself upon the audience. An instant favorite of mine. Highly recommended.