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Ombre et lumière

  • 1951
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
88
YOUR RATING
Ombre et lumière (1951)
Drama

A world-renowned pianist suffers from a neurosis called "narcissism."A world-renowned pianist suffers from a neurosis called "narcissism."A world-renowned pianist suffers from a neurosis called "narcissism."

  • Director
    • Henri Calef
  • Writers
    • Solange Térac
    • Henri Calef
  • Stars
    • Simone Signoret
    • María Casares
    • Jean Marchat
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.1/10
    88
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Henri Calef
    • Writers
      • Solange Térac
      • Henri Calef
    • Stars
      • Simone Signoret
      • María Casares
      • Jean Marchat
    • 1User review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos2

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    Top cast13

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    Simone Signoret
    Simone Signoret
    • Isabelle Leritz
    María Casares
    María Casares
    • Caroline Bessier
    Jean Marchat
    Jean Marchat
    • Schurmann
    Pierre Dux
    Pierre Dux
    • Docteur Gennari
    Albert Plantier
    • Eugène
    Germaine Reuver
    Germaine Reuver
    • La patronne
    Albert Michel
    • Le patron
    Jacques Berthier
    Jacques Berthier
    • Jacques Barroy
    René Berthier
    • Petit rôle
    • (uncredited)
    Gérard Buhr
    Gérard Buhr
    • Le garçon de café
    • (uncredited)
    Gérard Gervais
    • Petit rôle
    • (uncredited)
    Yannick Muller
      Paul Villé
      Paul Villé
      • Le patron du restaurant
      • (uncredited)
      • Director
        • Henri Calef
      • Writers
        • Solange Térac
        • Henri Calef
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

      User reviews1

      6.188
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      Featured reviews

      dbdumonteil

      Crack in the mirror

      Perhaps Simone Signoret's worst part,this movie seemed to indicate the decline of an estimable director who made largely overlooked efforts ;Henri Calef actually directed movies that deserve to be watched :"Les Chouans" (from Balzac) ,"La Maison Sous La Mer" even "La Passante " .His finest films are a war movie "Jericho" ,which depicted bravery and cowardice as few post-war movie did,and "les Eaux Troubles" .

      "Ombre Et Lumière" looks like an unintentional spoof on "psychoanalytical" melodramas /thrillers of the American forties ,when Hitchcock ,Lang,Jack Tourneur or Siodmak made masterpieces in this field (notably "spellbound" "secret beyond the door" "cat people" " the spiral staircase").Simone Signoret portrays a world-wide known piano player whose favorite composition is Tchaikovski Piano Concerto part one which was also her downfall:during her twenty-fourth (or is it twenty-third ?) concert,she began to go nuts ,much to the musicians' dismay.Her father had lost his marbles before he died they say.

      A shrink explains to her she suffers from a neurosis called "narcissism" : she sees "reflections " on her piano (and occasionally on mirrors she relegates to the attic) ,and the face which appears is none other than the other " me" ,probably her inflated ego. Compared to those of the four directors I mention above,Signoret's fears are laughable,and the way Calef films them is downright embarrassing.

      Perhaps this unfortunate artist ,"cured" by a nice shrink (Pierre Dux) ,would never have had a relapse.But alas,she falls in love with the owner of a sawmill ,and this handsome man is none other than her sister's former lover.Maria Casarès plays the part of the sibling;and she plays a part we know too well;it's the same she once played in former greater glories :Marcel Carné's "Les Enfants Du Paradis" and Robert Bresson's "Les Dames Du Bois De Boulogne";the jealous woman seeking revenge .

      "Ombre Et Lumière" ,released in 1951,was already quaint ...Signoret turned around from that disaster and shone in "Casque D'Or " the following year.

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      Storyline

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      • Connections
        Referenced in Mémoires pour Simone (1986)

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      Details

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      • Release date
        • June 27, 1951 (France)
      • Country of origin
        • France
      • Language
        • French
      • Also known as
        • Senka i svetlo
      • Filming locations
        • Studios de Neuilly, Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France(studios)
      • Production companies
        • Sigma-Vog
        • Les Films Marceau
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Tech specs

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      • Runtime
        1 hour 32 minutes
      • Color
        • Black and White
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.37 : 1

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