The Fire Within

The Fire Within (Le Feu follet) is a 1963 French-Italian black-and-white drama written and directed by Louis Malle. Adapted from Pierre Drieu La Rochelle's 1931 novel, itself inspired by the life of surrealist poet Jacques Rigaut, the film follows Alain Leroy, played by Maurice Ronet, a recovering alcoholic who leaves his clinic resolved to end his life. Over his final days he moves through Paris, calling on old friends and former lovers in a quiet search for some reason to go on living, only to find emptiness and detachment wherever he turns. Jeanne Moreau, Alexandra Stewart, Jacques Sereys, Bernard Noël and Hubert Deschamps appear in supporting roles, while the score draws on the piano music of Erik Satie. The film received the Grand Jury Prize at the 1963 Venice International Film Festival.