Léon Morin, Priest

Léon Morin, Priest (French: Léon Morin, prêtre) is a 1961 French drama film directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. It was adapted by Melville from Béatrix Beck's novel The Passionate Heart (French: Léon Morin, prêtre), which won the Prix Goncourt in 1952. Set during WWII in Occupied France, the film stars Emmanuelle Riva as a jaded, lapsed Catholic mother and widow of a Jewish husband, who finds herself falling in love with a young, altruistic priest, played by Jean-Paul Belmondo. For his work in the film, Belmondo was nominated for the BAFTA Film Award for Best Foreign Actor. At the 1961 Venice Film Festival, the film won the “Award of the City of Venice” and was nominated for the Golden Lion.