Les seins de glace (1974)

Director:

Georges Lautner

Writers:

Richard Matheson (novel)
Georges Lautner (scenario)

Release Date:

28 August 1974 (France)

Genre:

Thriller | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

On a beach in Nice, François meets the mysterious Peggy and falls in love with her. Following her to a villa, he meets Marc, a lawyer who has a strange relationship with the girl. Marc tells François that Peggy is a drug addict: she kills men who approach her.

Plot Keywords:

Nice | Ménage À Trois | Seaside | Antibes | Murder

Cast

Alain Delon	...	Marc Rilson
Mireille Darc	...	Peggy Lister
Claude Brasseur	...	François Rollin
Fiore Altoviti	...	Denis Rilson
Emilio Messina	...	Steig
André Falcon	...	Eric Carner
Michel Peyrelon	...	Albert
Philippe Castelli	...	L'homme dans le parking souterrain
Jean-Pierre Lorrain
Jean Luisi
Mario Darsac
Nicoletta Machiavelli	...	Mrs. Rilson

Also Known As:

Esecutore oltre la legge (Italy)
Icy Breasts
Icy Flesh
Someone Is Bleeding (UK)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 | France:U | Norway:16 | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Antibes, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Company:

Lira Films

ICY BREASTS (Georges Lautner, 1974) **1/2

When French superstar Alain Delon turned to producing his own vehicles, he opted to tackle more serious subjects (usually of some social relevance) – if, shrewdly, still within the framework of a commercial property. I recently watched him in TWO MEN IN TOWN (1973), where he played a Jean Valjean-like ex-convict hounded by a stern police inspector.

This one stays even more within the conventions of the thriller genre (it was adapted from a Richard Matheson novel) while trying to portray the genuine case history of a female homicidal maniac; unfortunately, lead actress Mireille Darc (Delon's then-current partner, with whom she was paired a number of times) isn't up to the requirements of the role, dispelling any form of comparison with Catherine Deneuve's far more successful turn in REPULSION (1965). Co-star Claude Brasseur, then, is usually a fine actor but his character here comes across as too much of a buffoon – so that he lacks the strength to adequately deploy the essential animosity towards Delon's typically suave and apparently all-powerful lawyer! Nicoletta Macchiavelli, however, scores in the smallish role of Delon's long-suffering wife; he's in love with Darc, whom he had defended while on trial for her husband's murder.

Philippe Sarde contributes the melancholy and giallo-tinged score – in fact, the film features a swift aggression in a darkened parking-lot and a couple of murders (both occurring off-screen, though we're shown their graphic aftermath). Incidentally, while the title itself would suggest an erotic thriller (of a type which would soon become fashionable in Hollywood – BASIC INSTINCT [1992], BODY OF EVIDENCE [1993], COLOR OF NIGHT [1994], etc.), nudity is only present in one scene towards the end! The finale, then, is interesting if somewhat too abrupt (not to say, melodramatic).