Muriel

Despite an ugly wig, Delphine Seyrig triumphs in Muriel

 

A jigsaw puzzle of jump cuts and collective amnesia, Alain Resnais' Muriel, from 1963, is a heartfelt response to the trauma of the Algerian fight for independence. Delphine Seyrig plays a widow in Boulogne whose personal life and antique business are both in a state of disrepair. A mysterious figure from her past returns and further muddles her various ménages. Sacha Vierny's striking color photography expertly frames Resnais's theatrical mise-en-scene. Only Hans Werner Henze's overwrought operatic score seems a misjudgment. Surely one of Resnais' finest films, Muriel affords an opportunity for Ms. Seyrig to give a performance that ranks with her turn in Jeanne Dielman as one of her greatest contributions to the cinema.