The Lacemaker (1977)

A reserved young woman moves into an apartment with a young student she met while on vacation.

Director:

Claude Goretta

Writers:

Claude Goretta, Pascal Lainé (novel)

Stars:

Isabelle Huppert, Yves Beneyton, Florence Giorgetti

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Isabelle Huppert	...	Pomme
Yves Beneyton	...	François
Florence Giorgetti	...	Marylène
Annemarie Düringer	...	Pomme's mother (as Anne-Marie Düringer)
Renate Schroeter	...	François' girlfriend (as Renata Schroeter)
Michel de Ré	...	The painter
Monique Chaumette	...	La mère de François
Jean Obé	...	Le père de François
Christian Baltauss	...	Gérard
Christian Peythieu
Heribert Sasse
Jeanne Allard
Odile Poisson	...	La caisière
Gilberte Géniat	...	(as Gilberte Geniat)
Sabine Azéma	...	Corinne (as Sabine Azema)

Storyline

Timid, discreet, and humble, the guileless nineteen-year-old assistant hairdresser, Pomme, lives with her doting mother and works in a Parisian beauty salon. When Pomme's only friend and polar opposite--the experienced, sensuous and independent beautician, Marylène--decides to take her along on a vacation at the heart of Normandy, in the chic seaside resort of Cabourg, the virginal woman has a chance encounter with the cultivated literature student, Francois. Head-over-heels in love with each other, the young and inexperienced couple returns to Paris with big dreams; however, life is as exciting as it is complicated. Now, one of the ardent lovers has a change of heart. Is Francois and Pomme's cold separation inevitable?

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Plot Keywords:

intellectual | hairdresser | female rear nudity | female full frontal nudity | virgin | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Isabelle Hupperts first big movie.

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Connections

Featured in Macadam Stories (2015)

User Reviews

A brilliant early role of Isabelle Huppert

"La dentelliière" is "Pretty woman" (1990, Garry Marshall, difference between man and woman in wealth) or (even more) "My fair lady" (1964, George Cukor, difference between man and woman in education) without an happy end.

A student falls in love with a hairdresser. His attempts to "upgrade" her are not only an insult for the woman, but in so doing the man also destroys the woman he is in love with.

The introvert woman is played by a young Isabelle Huppert and it is hard to believe that only a year later she would play a very cynical person in "Violette Nozière" (1978, Claude Chabrol).

The film is rich in brilliant scenes. I just mention a few. (1) After meeting each other for the first time the man and the woman are searching for each other. Because each of them is looking at places where he/she expects the other they don't find one another. (2) The man introducing the woman to his parents. The father in law likes his daughter in law from the first moment. The mother in law keeps asking questions about her education and carreer opportunities. (3) The man is having heavy philosophical discussions with his study friends. When the woman aks afterwards what al these discussions were about, he is not capable of explaining it in normal words.

The film ends with a close up renimiscent of "The 400 blows" (1959, Francois Truffaut).

Details

Official Sites:

Swiss Films page

Country:

Switzerland France West Germany

Language:

French

Release Date:

8 October 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Lacemaker

Filming Locations:

Cabourg, Calvados, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Action Films, Citel Films, Filmproduktion Janus

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1