1961 lost Nathan for You episode
Rating: 17/20
Plot: Priest flirtation during WWII.
For the duration of this movie about God trying his best to seduce a hot widow--a WILF, to use the parlance of our times--even though he's got no game, I was distracted because from too many angles, Jean-Paul Belmondo looked a little too much like Nathan Fielder. Spicy confessional time, hints of lesbian lust, a sexy metronome. Ahh, the heat in Morin's sparse living quarters should have been enough to melt those religious texts he offers to the women who visit him, presumably to talk God but more likely because of the way he looks in his vestments. There's a mystery to their meetings, the discussions about Catholic stuff fading into the background while the camera tries to help us figure out what subtle movements, glances, and occasional physical brushes mean. Tones clash--sometimes, things are almost playful, aided by the goofy score; other times, it's mysteriously beguiling.
A cool opening theme, a hot woman staring contest, a slow zoom into a confessional and movie-magical shots of the pair in the same frame, Emmanuelle Riva's descriptions of co-worker Sabine who she's got eyes for ("a ray of black light"), a scene where a little girl faces off against German soldiers, music suddenly ceasing as Morin yanks down a whorish skirt, a dream and then a dreamy ascension to an empty room. Melville's a quiet maestro here as he showcases this relationship.
"My soul felt like a brothel." Hell yeah, it did!
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