A Sinfonia Pastoral

La Symphonie Pastorale is a neglected classic of French cinema.It is high time tall tales about its importance are told to all cinema lovers whether in France or outside of France.It is one of those few lucky films in the history of French cinema with which some of the most important personalities of French culture have been associated. One can cite the names of Michèle Morgan,André Gide and Jean Delannoy. This film is an honest adaptation of André Gide's best book "La Symphonie Pastorale".Jean Delannoy has worked wonders with this film by making a star as well as talented actress out of charming Michèle Morgan.It is true that love and its implications is the major theme of this film but we also get a chance to see other sentiments such as jealousy and innocence.After viewing this film there would hardly be anyone who would not have been influenced by the heroic figure of the leading lady Gertrude.The best human experience which one can derive from this film concerns how the vision of a person changes in the course of time ? It is a wonder that this film and the book have remained free of controversies despite the presence of religion.