It's taken me a long time to catch up with this outstanding film but it was well worth the wait and I am further indebted - if that is possible - to my good friend in France for making this available to me. The theme of two wounded birds attempting to heal each other is far from new, the theme of adult and child bonding whether sexual or otherwise is, if anything, even older so this movie had a lot to beat and to say it does so hands down is to underrate it. The phrase 'adult and child' evokes anything from Lolita to Le Papillon and everything in between but nothing comes even close to this uniquely beautiful film that is reminiscent in its complex simplicity of Au Hasard, Balthazar and equally unforgettable. The two leads are absolutely SUPERB - and Hardy Kruger is the last person I thought I'd ever say that about - and completely dominate the support, fine though it is. One of its strengths is the way in which Writing, Directing and Acting surmount easily the main stumbling blocks of coincidence and outrageous fortune; consider, what are the chances that one wounded bird (Kruger) would encounter another (Pozzi) at Exactly the right time for both their psyches to respond to the healing elixir in the other or, for that matter, that a father would more or less cheerfully abandon a daughter without either a second thought or a plausible reason and that a second man bearing no resemblance to the biological father would not face even the most basic interrogation when turning up, claiming to be the father, and be allowed to remove her from the care of the nuns Sunday after Sunday. Perhaps paedophilia was just a word in 1964 but whatever the Artists involved in this film, as I have already stated, make us completely forget practicalities/realism and draw us inexorably into THEIR world where the tragic end is equally inexorable. I cannot speak too highly of this magnificent film which I will watch again and again.

One of the most beautiful cinematic statements against human small-minded prejudiced brutality. Beautifully shot in very crisp black and white. The imagery will definitely remain lodged in viewer's head for ever. It's a triumph of loving kindness and friendship over prejudice and hatred that indeed know no borders and are more or less alike anywhere on this planet. Sad News From A Strange Planet? I can't remember exactly but that was the title of a chillingly brilliant Herman Hesse story. It stems from the same universal human wound: the sadness of what we do and very frequently are as opposed to what we should and could have been in our starry essence.

The France was never more melancholy, never more beautiful. I mourn her loss and I mourn the loss of films that would evoke as much humane and poetic feeling.

"Sundays and Cybele" is a film that would be very, very difficult to make today. Even back in the early 1960s, folks were probably a bit uneasy about the plot...especially since it did seeem to POSSIBLY hint at pedophilia. Today, with a greater awareness of these issues, I really think it couldn't be made today...at least without some major revisions.

Hardy Kruger plays Pierre, a pilot with a bad case of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He has huge gaps in his memory, is occasionally explosive and is quite sullen. However, when he meets a sad girl being taken to an orphanage, his life completely changes. Through some odd coincidences, the orphanage thinks HE is the child's father and since he feels sorry for her, he begins seeing her on visiting days (hence the Sunday in the title). However, much of their time together is spend not as father and child but almost like lovers...and the child talks out loud about marrying Pierre when she is older.

Oddly, Pierre does not tell his girlfriend about this situation and when she finds out, she is not enraged or worried that he might be a pedophile. She observes the pair covertly during one of his visits and thinks they are good for each other. However, all this comes to a tragic ending at Christmas when Pierre's behaviors get a bit goofy (even for him) and the police get involved.

This is a very well made but slow film. The cinematography is often quite interesting--particularly with its use of keyhole-style shots. As for the story...as I mentioned it is very slow and often made me feel uncomfortable. I think it was worse for me because I used to be a therapist who worked with sexual abuse victims and the strange relationship between the pair seemed pretty consistent with some pedophiles and the way they groom their victims. Still, if you can somehow ignore this (and that would be tough),the story has some interesting aspects. Not a bad film at all...but a rather disturbing one.

By the way, I have no idea why Hardy Kruger (a German actor) was chosen to play Pierre...a Frenchman. It did seem odd.