A Very Curious Girl (1969)
"La fiancée du pirate" (original title)

An oppressed and exploited young woman (Marie) begins charging for her sexual favors and completely disrupts the smug patriarchal capitalist society of the village of Tellier.

Director:

Nelly Kaplan

Writers:

Michel Fabre, Nelly Kaplan,

Stars:

Bernadette Lafont, Georges Géret, Henri Czarniak

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bernadette Lafont	...	Marie (as Bernadette La Font)
Georges Géret	...	Gaston Duvalier (Tonton Duvalier)
Henri Czarniak	...	Julien (as Henry Czarniak)
Claire Maurier	...	Irène
Julien Guiomar	...	Le Duc
Jean Parédès	...	M. Paul
Pascal Mazzotti	...	L'abbé Dard
Jacques Marin	...	Félix Lechat
Francis Lax	...	Emile
Michel Constantin	...	André
Jacques Masson	...	Hippolyte
Marcel Pérès	...	Pépé
Micha Bayard	...	La Goulette (Mélanie Lechat)
Claire Olivier	...	La mère / Mother
Renée Duncan	...	Delphine

Storyline

An oppressed and exploited young woman (Marie) begins charging for her sexual favors and completely disrupts the smug patriarchal capitalist society of the village of Tellier.

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Plot Keywords:

village | kneed in the groin | violence | lesbian interest | female stockinged legs | 

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Taglines:

The story of the town amateur who lost her standing...among other things.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

3 December 1969 (France)

Also Known As:

Dirty Mary

Filming Locations:

Hérouville, Val-d'Oise, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cythère Films, Paris Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

User Reviews

A girl decides on vengeance...

...just as Manon des sources had done in Pagnol's film of 1952, to settle some old scores with the bigoted people in a small French town. The priest, the pharmacist, the bistro owner--they're all trying to cheat her in one way or another, and they all find her charms irresistible: no wonder, since she's played by Bernadette Lafont, the sexpot in so many films by Truffaut, Chabrol, Doniol-Valcroze, Molinaro etc. The story is flimsy, Kaplan's direction is loose and somewhat unfocused, and the viewer is left with the sense that this picture did not start a trend in French cinema (Bunuel, after all, was working the same vein at the time), nor is it the culmination of one.

I haven't seen Nelly Kaplan's other films, and don't feel any loss. I think she was more of a theorist than an auteur. The film goes along agreeably enough, and Lafont and Michel Constantin make an attractive couple, but this is hardly essential viewing.