Les dames du Bois de Boulogne (1945)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Robert Bresson

Writers:

Robert Bresson (scenario & adaptation)
Denis Diderot (story)

Release Date:

3 April 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Realizing that her lover (Jean) is losing interest in her, a society lady (Hélène) gets revenge by tricking...

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Intrigue | Family Abandonment | Confession | Affair

Cast

Paul Bernard	...	Jean
María Casares	...	Hélène
Elina Labourdette	...	Agnès
Lucienne Bogaert	...	Mme. D
Jean Marchat	...	Jacques
Yvette Etiévant	...	La bonne
Marcel Rouzé
Bernard La Jarrige
Lucy Lancy
Nicole Regnault
Emma Lyonel
Marguerite de Morlaye

Also Known As:

Ladies of the Park (USA) (censored version)
The Ladies of the Bois de Boulogne (USA) (restored version)

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Tobis-Klangfilm)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Argentina:16 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Studios Pathé-Cinéma - 6 rue Francoeur, Paris 18, Paris, France

Company:

Les Films Raoul Ploquin

Quotes:

[last lines]
Agnès: You're here. In time perhaps you'll forgive me. But don't hurry. So many honest girls become dishonest women. Perhaps I'll show the opposite can happen. I'm not yet worthy of having you come close to me. Wait. Just leave me a little hope. Then you can judge my behaviour...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in De weg naar Bresson (1984)

The Fires of Love

"Le Dames de Bois de Boulogne" is a very beautiful and rich love story. Bresson was a painter before becoming a director and he thought that images could convey feelings more purely than words. Contrary to many other films in which the words are the main tools used to describe feelings and love, the films of Bresson rely on the power of images. That is why "Les Dames de Bois de Boulogne" can have such an emotional impact on the sensitive viewer. In some ways Bresson reminds me of Antonioni (only visually speaking). Bresson is what I would call an idealist and Antonioni, maybe a relativist? (It is difficult to put a label on people or peoples ideas), but anyway both of them are visual masters.

"Le Dames de Bois de Boulogne" describes the many stages of a love relationship very subtly - a never-ending passion (but the fire is slowly going out) and the couple, Jean (Paul Bernard) and Helene (Maria Casares) decides (by suggestion of Helene) that it's time for them to end their love relationship but to remain faithful friends for life. Everything seems to be alright till Jean knows Agnès (a Helene protégée) and falls in love with her. But in Helene the remaining embers of the old passion are enough to rekindle the fire (not of love, but of jealousy) and she plans revenge.........

This is the classic love triangle story, but it is told without fanfares in a minimalistic way, and therefore it has a strong effect. At the end of the film we are esthetically and emotionally moved. We saw beauty.