简介：SergeMouretisafrailanddevoutyoungpriestinatoughcountryparish.Whenhefallsdownandloseshismemory,heisnursedbacktohealthbyAlbine,thebeautifulcarefreenieceoftheoutspokenatheistJeanbernat.AfterSergeandAlbinefallinlove,Sergerecovershismemoryandrealizesthegravesinhehascommitted. "Lafautedel'abbéMouret"isoneoftheweakestbooksintheRougon-Macquartsaga.Its"scandalous"side-apriestfallinginlovewithabeautifulgirl-seemstamebytoday'sstandards,anditalreadywasthirty-fiveyearsagowhenIsawthefilminatheater.AlsohandicappedbyGillianHills'samateurishplaying,themoviewasaflop.FrancisHuster,anearnestthespian(heusedtoplayCorneille's"LeCid")becamefamousbuthehadtowaituntiltheeighties.Thelackofgoodpartsinthefilmsprobablyledhimtocomebacktostageagaininthenineties.BestpartstakeplaceinthevillagewhereFranjushowshisdie-hardanti-clericalism,andAndréLacombeasArchangiasstealseverysceneheisin.butallthatconcerns"theParadou"(thegarden)sounds"hippie"andhasnotwornwell. JonathanRosenbaumwrote: AfterobservingthecoldbrillianceofTHOMASL’IMPOSTEURonlyrecently,itisdepressingtodiscoverthatFranjuiscapableofsuchflat,undistinguishedworkashislatestfilm.WithouthavingreadtheZolanovelfromwhichthiswastaken,Icannotgiveanadequateexplanationofhoworwhythesourcehasbeenbetrayed.Theanti-CatholicismofearlierFranjufilmsiscertainlynotmutedhere,butitsexpressionistrivializedbysomanyvillage-atheistconceitsthatonelooksinvainforthesubtletyandironythatunderlineshispreviousefforts.Themiddlesectionofthefilm,chroniclingaromanticidyllbetweenanabbotsufferingamnesiaandagolden-hairedingenue,iseverybitasrestrainedasELVIRAMADIGANcrossedwithZeffirelli’sROMEOANDJULIET.Onebrief,stunningFranjuvianmomentoccurswhentheabbotisliftingastatueoutofacrate,andtheframingoftheshot,byeliminatinghishands,turnsthemovementintoamagicalascensionoftheVirginoutofexcelsior.…