Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo? (1966)

Director:

William Klein

Writer:

William Klein (screenplay)

Release Date:

21 October 1966 (France)

Plot:

In this excoriating satire of the fashion industry, Polly Maggoo is a 20-year-old Brooklyn-born fashion model in Paris...

Plot Keywords:

Fashion | Satire | Absurdism | Surrealism | Pop Art

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Dorothy McGowan	...	Polly Maggoo (as Dorothy MacGowan)
Jean Rochefort	...	Grégoire Pecque
Sami Frey	...	Le prince Igor / The Prince
Grayson Hall	...	Miss Maxwell
Philippe Noiret	...	Jean-Jacques Georges, le journaliste / Reporter
Alice Sapritch	...	La reine-mère / The Queen Mother
Fernando Arrabal		(as Arrabal)
Guy d'Avout
Roger Constant
Francis Dumoulin
Luce Fabiole
Isabelle Garçon
Violette Leduc
Michèle Loubet
Marie Marc

Also Known As:

Who Are You, Polly Magoo?

Runtime:

Sweden:102 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Club des Produceteurs

After a promising start, just a lot of nonsense

This film began very well and I had high hopes until I realized it was an Absurdist film--one that deliberately doesn't make sense and is designed to make normal people feel left out and confused. It's really a shame, as the opening sequence at the fashion show was fun and had a great point to make about the absurdity of fashion (particularly in the silly late 1960s). The ladies are all wearing clothes made from what appears to be tin or aluminum and they look like total idiots--all the while, the elite declare the clothes to be brilliant and works of art. Unfortunately, after this great sequence, it seems like the rest of the film is a deliberate attempt to appeal to the "sophisticated" and snobbish art film lovers, as the film is filled with seemingly bizarre and pointless scenes. While the film was not made by a Frenchman, it was in French and the film fits well within the French New Wave movement--which viewers will probably either love or hate. As for me, this film was tedious and I did not enjoy it in the least. Perhaps I am just too Bourgeoise in my sensibilities (or perhaps I just want a movie that makes sense).