Leon Morin, Prêtre (1961)

Léon Morin, Prêtre was one of the first films to take a serious look at life in France under the Nazi occupation. Writer-director Jean-Pierre Melville uses his priest protagonist (Jean-Paul Belmondo) to chronicle the lives of the residents of the small occupied town, from those who fight in the Resistance to those who simply want to survive. The central story explores the sexual tension between priest and parishioner, with an unusually frank approach for the early 1960s. Melville's detailed, observant portrait imbues the film with a unique credibility, and Belmondo gives a sexy, charismatic performance that enhances the film's thematic contrasts. Léon Morin is also uncommon for the early 1960s in its passionate argument against anti-Semitism. Few films before or after have examined spirituality and religion in so convincing a manner. ~ Richard Gilliam, All Movie Guide