La femme infidèle (1969)

Réalisateur:

Claude Chabrol

Scénariste:

Claude Chabrol (writer)

Date de sortie:

10 novembre 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Drame | Thriller

Intrigue:

Charles Desvallées has good reasons to believe that his wife is cheating on him and hires a P.D. in order to prove himself right...

Plot Keywords:

Writer | Police | Hit Over Head With Statuette | Investigation | Maid

Avis des utilisateurs:

Chabrol's cinematographic language.

Ensemble

Stéphane Audran	...	Hélène Desvallées
Michel Bouquet	...	Charles Desvallees
Michel Duchaussoy	...	Police Officer Duval
Maurice Ronet	...	Victor Pegala
Louise Chevalier	...	Maid
Louise Rioton	...	Mamy, Charles'mother-in Law
Serge Bento	...	Bignon
Henri Marteau	...	Paul
Guy Marly	...	Police Officer Gobet
François Moro-Giafferi	...	Frederic
Albert Minski	...	King Club owner (as Albert Minsky)
Dominique Zardi	...	Truck driver
Michel Charrel	...	Policeman
Henri Attal	...	Man in cafe
Jean-Marie Arnoux	...	False Witness

Autre(s) titre(s):

Stephane, una moglie infedele (Italy)
The Unfaithful Wife

Durée:

98 min

Pays:

Italy | France

Langue:

Français

Couleur:

Couleur (Eastmancolor)

Rapport de forme:

1,66 : 1

Son:

Mono

Classification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:M | West Germany:16

Lieux de tournage:

Jouy-en-Josas, Yvelines, France

Société:

Cinegai S.p.A.

Anecdotes:

Visa de contrôle cinématographique France : #34585

Connexions De Film:

Référencé sur Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004) (TV)

Chabrol's cinematographic language.

They often say that if someone wanted to see a French bourgeois circa 1970,watching Michel Bouquet in a Claude Chabrol movie was enough!Three times he portrayed this kind of character (this movie,"la rupture" and "juste avant la nuit").Three times he teamed up with the director's ex-wife ,the luminous Stephane Audran(twice as her husband ,one as.. her father-in -law )and together they worked wonders -contemporary Chabrol movies suffer from the dearth of great actors -in "merci pour le chocolat ,how could Jacques Dutronc equal the peerless Bouquet?

Unlike "les biches" which has not worn well because of its subject (bisexual women),once daring,now trite,"la femme infidèle" deals with an eternal story:the love triangle ,and it completely renews it:take the first thirty minutes:it is primarily a depiction of the bourgeois dolce vita: the desirable mansion,the servants ,the good little boy who makes a clean sweep of all the prizes and snubs the telly ,the chic nightclubbing....And when the tragic events occur ,it seems that they accidentally happen:who knows if ,Had Bouquet not found the lighter...Hitchcock's lovers will notice the nod to "psycho" when Bouquet gets rid of the body.

Bouquet and Audran talk to each other but they do not really communicate:here lies Chabrol's talent;when at the end ,they try to establish a true relation,they do not use words anymore:looks,gestures, speak louder than words.The jig-saw puzzle is also a good dramatic element and reflects the couple's confusion.As for the last sequence it's not at all what the audience is expecting:no cries or despair ,but a thoroughly silent scene ,where Chabrol enhances the beauty of the nature which surrounds his characters.Chabrol's thrillers of this golden era,although their endings are full of sound and fury,achieve the feat of leaving the viewer with a feeling of quietness:Michel Duchaussoy (here a cop) sailing away in "que la bête meure" ; Audran ,looking at the still waters of a pond in the dark night in "le boucher" or enjoying a balloon release in "la rupture" ;the couple Audran/Bouquet ,turning off the light for what may be his last night in "juste avant la nuit".

As for this abstract communication,Chabrol would take it to its absolute perfection with "le boucher" ,his towering achievement:besides ,like in "la femme infidèle" ,a lighter (coincidence?) plays a prominent part.

Audran's character is called Hélène.This first name would remain for three more movies (le boucher,la rupture,juste avant la nuit).And Chabrol WOULD NEVER FORGET gastronomy:here ,he gives us a piece of advice about crepe flambé.

Remake with Richard Gere,Diane Lane and Vincent Perez taking on Bouquet's Audran's and Maurice Ronet's parts.