As the precedent user noticed ,since the Church has made the Curé D'Ars a saint,his surname has become a first (or Christian should I write) name: boys are called "Vianney" nowadays.
The most revered saints in French history (Bernadette,Thérèse De Lisieux ,Jean-Marie Vianney) are humble people .Don't we learn that this vicar was a born loser ,that he was the worst student that had ever been in the seminar ?
He was given the worst village where he stood no chance to convert the inhabitants .
When he arrives ,the village,Ars ,celebrating a wedding , whoops it up ; a festive atmosphere lingers on the place ,even afterwards.To make the matters worse, the Devil (voice over) comes to call on the poor priest ,leads him to temptation , repeating that there's no pie in the sky and the material life is the only life worth living ,because the hereafter is nowhere to be found.Except for one scene , the movie cannot be considered a horror and fantasy effort .A creaking announces the presence of the Demon ,but his voice has nothing to do with Mercedes McCambridge's in "the exorcist" .
George Rollin (whose only claim to fame is the part of Goupi-Monsieur in Becker's 'Goupi Mains-Rouges " ) is a bit wishy-washy and Blistène's directing listless ;so it takes a lot of imagination to believe that this man was able to work a miracle and get a whole village back to God.
The copy still in print is in need of restoration.
