Christine (1958 film)
{{Short description|1958 French period drama film}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Christine
| image = Christine-1958-Poster.jpg
| caption = Original movie poster
| writer = Pierre Gaspard-Huit
Hans Wilhelm
dialogue
Georges Neveux
| based_on = {{based on|play Liebelei (1894)|Arthur Schnitzler}}
| starring = Romy Schneider
Alain Delon
Micheline Presle
Jean-Claude Brialy
| director = Pierre Gaspard-Huit
| producer = Serge Silberman
Michel Safra
| studio = SpEVA-Films
Play-Art (Paris)
Rizzoli Film (Rome)
| distributor = Cinédis
| released = {{Film date|1958}}
| runtime = 100 minutes
| music = Georges Auric
| gross = 2,848,858 admissions (France)
| language = French
| country = France
Italy
}}
Christine is a 1958 French period drama film, based on the 1894 play Liebelei (Flirtation) by Arthur Schnitzler. The film was directed by Pierre Gaspard-Huit and the title character was played by Romy Schneider. The cast included Alain Delon as a young lieutenant.
Schnitzler's play had been filmed in 1933 by Max Ophüls as Liebelei, starring Romy Schneider's mother, Magda Schneider.{{cite news |title=By Way of Report: Mr. Chayefsky's Night – The Heckart Spell |author-link=Howard Thompson (film critic) |first=Howard |last=Thompson |work=The New York Times |date=1958-09-14 |page=Drama-9 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/09/14/archives/by-way-of-report-mr-chayefskys-night-the-heckart-spell.html |access-date=2020-07-04 |url-access=subscription}}
Synopsis
In 1906 Vienna, a young lieutenant Franz (Alain Delon) has an affair with a married baroness, Lena. He decides to put an end to it when he meets Christine (Romy Schneider, Delon's fiancée in real life), a musician's daughter.
Christine is almost engaged to a composer, Binder, but falls in love with Franz. Franz breaks it off with Lena, but her husband the Baron Eggesdorf has already discovered the affair.
While Christine and Franz plan their wedding, the Baron challenges Franz to a duel, and Franz is killed, leading to Christine committing suicide.
Cast
{{cast listing|
- Alain Delon as Franz Lobheiner
- Romy Schneider as Christine Weiring
- Micheline Presle as Baroness Lena
- Sophie Grimaldi as Mizzie
- Fernand Ledoux as Weiring
- Jean-Claude Brialy as Théo Kaiser
- François Chaumette as Wimmer
- Jean Davy as Colonel
}}
Production
Charles Spaak was reported as working on the screenplay.
At the time of filming, Schneider was one of the most popular stars in Europe, having enjoyed success starring in the Sissi film trilogy. Christine was an attempt to duplicate this, being aimed more at the French market.{{cite web |title=Christine {{!}} 24 Decembre 1958 |lang=fr |website=Box Office Story |url=http://www.boxofficestory.com/box-office-alain-delon-c22669761/4 |access-date=2014-12-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006213213/http://www.boxofficestory.com/box-office-alain-delon-c22669761/4 |archive-date=2022-10-06 |url-status=live}}
Delon had only just begun his career when he was cast. He and Schneider began a romantic affair that continued on and off for a number of years.
Reception
In France, the film had 2,848,858 theatre admissions, making it the seventeenth most popular film at the French box office in 1958.{{cite web |title=Box Office Annuel 1958 Top 25 |lang=fr |trans-title=Box Office Annual 1958 Top 25 |website=Box Office Story |url=http://www.boxofficestory.com/france-1958-c22750217 |access-date=2016-10-22 |quote= 2,848,858 d'entrées [2,848,858 admissions] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140919021529/http://www.boxofficestory.com/france-1958-c22750217 |archive-date=2014-09-19 |url-status=live}} Number one in France that year was an American film, The Ten Commandments; number four was another film starring Schneider, the Austrian production Sissi – Fateful Years of an Empress.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://filmsdefrance.com/FDF_Christine_1958_rev.html Christine (1958)] at filmsdefrance.com
- {{IMDb title}}
- {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Films based on works by Arthur Schnitzler
Category:1950s French-language films
Category:1958 romantic drama films
Category:Films directed by Pierre Gaspard-Huit
Category:Films scored by Georges Auric
Category:Remakes of German films
Category:French films based on plays
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