Two English Girls (1971)

At the beginning of the 20th century, Claude Roc, a young middle-class Frenchman meets in Paris Ann Brown, a young Englishwoman. They become friends and Ann invites him to spend holidays at... See full summary »

Director:

François Truffaut

Writers:

Henri-Pierre Roché (novel), François Truffaut (adaptation)

Stars:

Jean-Pierre Léaud, Kika Markham, Stacey Tendeter

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jean-Pierre Léaud	...	Claude Roc
Kika Markham	...	Ann Brown
Stacey Tendeter	...	Muriel Brown
Sylvia Marriott	...	Mrs. Brown
Marie Mansart	...	Madame Roc
Philippe Léotard	...	Diurka
Irène Tunc	...	Ruta
Mark Peterson	...	Mr. Flint
Georges Delerue	...	Claude's Business Agent
Marie Iracane	...	Madame Roc's maidservant
Marcel Berbert	...	Vendeur d'art
Jeanne Lobre	...	Porter
David Markham	...	Palmist

Storyline

At the beginning of the 20th century, Claude Roc, a young middle-class Frenchman meets in Paris Ann Brown, a young Englishwoman. They become friends and Ann invites him to spend holidays at the house where she lives with her mother and her sister Muriel, for whom she intends Claude. During these holidays, Claude, Ann and Muriel become very close and he gradually falls in love with Muriel. But both families lay down a one-year-long separation without any contact before agreeing to the marriage. So Claude goes back to Paris when he has many love affairs before sending Muriel a break-off letter...

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Plot Keywords:

love triangle | nudity | sex | masturbation | infidelity | 

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Taglines:

a film in color by Francois Truffaut

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Genres:

Romance | Drama

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French English

Release Date:

18 November 1971 (France)

Also Known As:

Two English Girls

Filming Locations:

Flamanville, Manche, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films du Carrosse,Cinétel

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min 108 min (cut) 116 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to a radio interview, actress Kika Markham [Ann], during filming, introduced director François Truffaut to her parents, who both worked in the English theater and cinema worlds and to whom she had remained quite close. Truffaut, whose own parents had neglected him, got along so famously with Markham's parents that he cast her father, David Markham, in the role of a palmist in the brief scene in which he reads the two sisters' fortunes. However, when he tells her, while reading her palm "Ah, but there's great danger here... you should take care of yourself," her father's performance so disturbed Markham that her look of distress in the film was real. She would come to interpret this scene as an omen of her later ill-starred marriage to actor Corin Redgrave.

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Goofs

Off shore electricity pylons are shown, which would not have existed in that period.

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Quotes

Muriel Brown: Dearest Claude... I came to see you to bury this thing. I'm glad you were the first, because it's you, because you wanted it. I shan't cry. Listen to me as you once did when I told you love was stirring in me. Now I tell you that is must die. So that I may live.

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Connections

Featured in Music for the Movies: Georges Delerue (1995)

User Reviews

A love triangle between two lady and a gentleman, between an island and a continent

Truffaut's this masterpiece is a novel adaptation. Truffaut's skillful story-telling meets with the magnificent performance of Léaud. The story seems to be melodramatic. Truffaut's biggest success in that film is the narrative clearness and "economy". Truffaut uses very subjective plots, but he never leaves the spirit of the story. The contrast of two sisters and the different point of views of English Ladies and the French gentleman creates the brilliant dramatic effect.Truffaut is also very successful about underlining the Freudian relationship of Anne and Muriel and their attitudes towards their mother.