Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne (1945)

A society lady engineers a marriage between her lover and a cabaret dancer who is essentially a prostitute.

Director:

Robert Bresson

Writers:

Robert Bresson (scenario & adaptation), Denis Diderot (novel)

Stars:

Paul Bernard, María Casares, Elina Labourdette

Cast

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

Storyline

Hélène understands that Jean doesn't love her anymore. She is full of grief and anger, and she starts brooding on revenge. When she meets Jean, she pretends herself to be the one that has ceased to love the other. Jean is relieved, because now he thinks they can part as friends. Hélène goes to a night club, where a young woman, Agnès, is a famous dancer. Agnés has been forced into this life of debauchery and courtesanship because of poverty. She hates it and all the lecherous men. Hélène has met Agnès and her mother several years ago, and after the show she looks them up. She says that she will help them to leave this degrading life. The next day they shall move to an apartment she has rented, and stay there anonymously. Some days later she arranges a seemingly spontaneous meeting between Jean and Agnès in the Bois de Boulogne. Jean immediately falls in love with Agnès, who he thinks is an innocent girl from the countryside. Fueled by Hélène, and by Agnès's resistance, his infatuation...

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Plot Keywords:

tap dancing | love | prostitute | poverty | obsession | 

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Taglines:

Starring the magnificent Maria Casares as 'first violin" in a 'string quartet" of 3 women and 1 man - Diderot's classic tale adapted by Jean Cocteau of a jilted woman's devastating revenge that boomeranged!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

3 April 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ladies of the Park

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films Raoul Ploquin

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Tobis-Klangfilm)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The dialogue was written by writer and filmmaker Jean Cocteau.

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Goofs

When Agnes is dancing in the club, her costume changes between when she is dancing and when she goes to her dressing room. The lower edge of the costume on her thighs varies between a straight edge and a ruffled one.

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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. I'll be happy if you can bear my presence. Show me a corner of your house where I can live. I'll stay there without protest. I'm not evil. I know myself. I was weak. And I was in love with you. That's my only excuse...
[...]

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Connections

Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: La monnaie de l'absolu (1999)

User Reviews

Stylish romantic drama.

This is Robert Bresson's most stylish, and possibly his most romantic movie; it is an elegant and refined drama of jealousy and revenge. It is full of wonderful details, such as the scene of Elina Labourdette's night club act, or the wonderful moment later in the film where she bursts into dance because of her boredom with her confinement. Maria Casares's performance is in the grand tradition: no one can show steely determination and erotic frustration better. This is Bresson's first masterpiece, and was a failure upon release, but has come to be regarded as one of the great films in French film history.