The Night Heaven Fell

The Night Heaven Fell (Les bijoutiers du clair de lune) is an Eastmancolor 1958 French-Italian film directed by Roger Vadim. Vadim had already acquired international fame with his daring debut And God Created Woman (1956). Like its predecessor, The Night Heaven Fell explored the exuberant sensuality of Brigitte Bardot, who was Vadim's wife at the time.

The Night Heaven Fell (Les Bijoutiers du clair de lune)
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRoger Vadim
Produced byRaoul Lévy
Written byRoger Vadim
Jacques Rémy
Peter Viertel (uncredited)
Based onThe Night Heaven Fell
1954 novel
by Albert Vidalie
StarringBrigitte Bardot
Stephen Boyd
Alida Valli
Music byGeorges Auric
CinematographyArmand Thirard
Edited byVictoria Mercanton
Production
company
Iéna Productions
Distributed byColumbia films
Release date
16 April 1958 (France)
21 October 1958 (U.S.)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryFrance
Italy
LanguageFrench
Spanish
Box office2,134,822 admissions (France)[1]

Plot

Set in rural Spain, Ursula (Brigitte Bardot), is a young girl who has just left a convent and has moved in with her aunt Florentine and her violent husband, the count Ribera (José Nieto). Ribera wants to see Lambert (Stephen Boyd), a young man from the village, dead. Ursula quickly falls in love with Lambert. In a confrontation between the two, Lambert kills Ribera in self-defence.

The reason for the conflict soon becomes clear to Ursula: he was having an affair with her aunt. However, when Florentine (Alida Valli) discovers her lover has no intention of making any commitment to her, she refuses to confirm Lambert's alibi to the police and forces him into becoming a fugitive. Ursula, always impulsive, runs off with him and together they seek a way to get him safely out of the country. While evading the police, the lovers take refuge in the gorge known as El Chorro.

Lambert contacts Florentine, who agrees to help them complete their escape. But at the rendezvous back in town, the police spot Florentine's car and become suspicious. A policeman spots Lambert up the street in the village. Against Lambert's protests, Ursula runs up the street towards him. After issuing warning shots, the policeman shoots several rounds up the street, mortally wounding Ursula in the back as she stands in front of Lambert, who is unhit. He holds her in a doorway, and as she dies, they declare their love for each other, just before she falls dead on the ground.

Cast

References
  1. Box office information for film at Box Office Story
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