Au coeur de la vie

Ambrose Bierce is a writer unknown to me, but the film that Robert Enrico has fashioned out of three Bierce stories has great power. The terrors of war are recreated here with great artistry by Enrico and his excellent cinematographer Jean Boffety (they made many films together). The sunlight cascading through dense foliage has rarely been so well caught in a movie.

I found the final story La Riviere du hibou (An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is the English title) to be almost unbearable in its emotional power. The hanging party is set up with great attention to detail--the condemned man notes at one point that sharpshooters always have grey eyes like those of the man who's aiming at him--and the effect is stunning. This film must be issued on DVD.