Mademoiselle (1966)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Tony Richardson

Writers:

Marguerite Duras (writer)
Jean Genet (story)

Release Date:

1 August 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In a French village, Manou is an Italian logger, virile, with a broad laugh. He can't say no to women's sexual invitations...

Plot Keywords:

Fire | Female Nudity | Obsession | Independent Film

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Jeanne Moreau	...	Mademoiselle
Ettore Manni	...	Manou
Keith Skinner	...	Bruno
Umberto Orsini	...	Antonio
Georges Aubert	...	René
Jane Beretta	...	Annette (as Jane Berretta)
Paul Barge	...	Young Policeman
Pierre Collet	...	Marcel
Gérard Darrieu	...	Boulet
Jean Gras	...	Roger
Gabriel Gobin	...	Police Sergeant
Rosine Luguet	...	Lisa
Antoine Marin	...	Armand
Georges Douking	...	The Priest
Jacques Monod	...	Mayor

Also Known As:

Mademoiselle (UK) (USA)

Runtime:

Germany:100 min (Berlin Film Festival) | USA:103 min | Argentina:105 min

Country:

France | UK

Language:

French | Italian | Latin

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | UK:X | UK:15 (DVD rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16

Company:

Procinex

Trivia:

Jeanne Moreau dubbed her own voice in the English language version of thefFilm.

Movie Connections:

Featured in From the Journals of Jean Seberg (1995)

Interesting, But Lacking At Its Core

The legendary Jeanne Moreau stars as Mademoiselle, a school teacher, filled with repressed sexual urges, in a small French village. She finds ways to vent her desires, mostly through arson and other destructive acts.

Mademoiselle seems like a film that desperately wants to be profound. It seems like a film that wants to say something about repressing desires, and the insignificance of mankind against nature. For the most part, it fails. It is unclear whether Mademoiselle's violent actions are the product of sexual desire or simple sadism. She sets fires and opens floodgates, but is it a sexual urge? Not really, she just seems to get a kick out of watching the townspeople scramble to save their lives and possessions.

And while the film is directed with an interesting visual flair that does often capture the beauty of nature quite well, it never really achieves a level of Lean-esquire glory or magnificence. Sure, it's pretty to look at, but what's the point? The acting is also sorely lacking. Ettore Manni, who plays Mademoiselle's (and everyone else's) sexual interest, is just not very good. He often unleashes these boisterous laughs, and every time I cringed. It's not even a little bit convincing. Even the usually wonderful Moreau fails to impress here. Her performance just feels hollow. As she has proved in the past that she can be very good, I blame director Tony Richardson, who, unlike someone like François Truffaut or Louis Malle, clearly doesn't grasp what Moreau is capable of.

That's not to say Mademoiselle is a failure. There are several deeply disturbing moments, one in particular involving a rabbit. The film seems to be trying to say that all human beings can be monsters at times, and we take out our suppressed aggression on whatever innocence may be around us. Still, the film seems to lack a core of genuine emotional depth, and therefore, lacks resonance. It doesn't help that it tends to move along at a remarkably slow pace, which causes it to try the viewer's patience at times.

However, I would probably give Mademoiselle a mild recommendation, if for nothing besides the attractive visuals and the fact that it contains Jeanne Moreau.