Story of Women (1988)

Marie Latour, a woman of limited schooling, raises two children in a ratty flat during World War II in occupied France. In 1941, her husband Paul returns from German captivity, too weak to ... See full summary »

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Writers:

Colo Tavernier (scenario & adaptation), Claude Chabrol (scenario & adaptation)

Stars:

Isabelle Huppert, François Cluzet, Marie Trintignant

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 13 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Isabelle Huppert	...	Marie
François Cluzet	...	Paul
Marie Trintignant	...	Lulu / Lucie
Nils Tavernier	...	Lucien
Lolita Chammah	...	Mouche #2
Aurore Gauvin	...	Mouche #1
Guillaume Foutrier	...	Pierrot #1
Nicolas Foutrier	...	Pierrot #2
Marie Bunel	...	Ginette
Dominique Blanc	...	Jasmine
Evelyne Didi	...	Fernande
Dani	...	Loulou
François Maistre	...	Le président Lamarre-Coudray
Vincent Gauthier	...	Me Fillon / Judge Fillon
Myriam David	...	Rachel

Storyline

Marie Latour, a woman of limited schooling, raises two children in a ratty flat during World War II in occupied France. In 1941, her husband Paul returns from German captivity, too weak to hold a job. Marie discovers she can make money performing abortions, using a soapy water douche. Many of her clients are knocked up by occupying Germans. She buys better food and clothes, looks for a new flat, and, through an acquaintance, who is a prostitute, rents out her bedrooms to hookers during the day. She's indifferent to Paul; his humiliations grow as does her income. She hopes to be a singer. Male Vichy umbrage and moral hypocrisy may upend her. What is she thinking?

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Plot Keywords:

abortion | prostitute | women's prison | made an example of | adultery | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

February 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Story of Women

Filming Locations:

Coulommiers, Seine-et-Marne, France

Box Office

Gross USA:

$438,483

Company Credits

Production Co:

MK2 Productions, Films A2, Les Films du Camélia

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

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Quotes

Marie: [sigh] It's been four months now. They want to punish me? Let them do it. And it's all men. How could men understand, anyway?

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Fat Man and Little Boy/I, Madman/Gross Anatomy/Story of Women/When the Whales Came (1989)

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Soundtracks

Fun on the Fair
Written by John Leach

User Reviews

War!

Marie Latour, a woman of limited schooling, raises two children in a ratty flat during World War II in occupied France. In 1941, her husband Paul returns from German captivity, too weak to hold a job. Marie discovers she can make money performing abortions, using a soapy water douche. Many of her clients are knocked up by occupying Germans.

The film is based on the true story of Marie-Louise Giraud, guillotined on July 30, 1943, for having performed 27 abortions in the Cherbourg area, and oddly enough has been embraced by John Waters. Waters is typically known more for endorsing "Christmas Evil" than French cinema, but this just goes to show how diverse his love is.

I find it quite interesting that the French women are getting pregnant by German soldiers. While this is a frequent consequence of war (though hopefully diminishing), and virtually created modern Sicily, it is a rare thing to see it show up in a film. For that, I applaud them.