Les Biches

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful movie full of woman-to-woman sexual intensity
Review: A beautiful movie full of sexual intensity. The movie revolvesaround the lesbian relationship of a wealthty french woman(StéphaneAudran) and a street artist who becomes her lover/protogee(Jacqueline Sassard).

Both woman are physically stunning and the scenes of them together, though never explicit, are thoroughly sensual. The plot thickens with the intoduction of a third character - an attractive male architect(Jean-Louis Trintignant). The protogee's sway towards him causes a facinating shift in the relationship between all three.

Keep in mind that director Claude Chabrol is something of a French Alfred Hitchcock

Most of the film is shot in St Tropez and Paris. The scenery is breathless.

Rating:
Summary: changing personas
Review: i read the fascinating reviews of chabrol's "les biches"...and i agree with the old review by laslo kovacs...what i wonder about too, if i may mention, being an admirer ofchabrol's films, is the haunting soundtrack. would you happen to know the soundtrack listings? the opening scene on the bridge that continues at taut plot turns throughout, the sinister violins i am talking about, is very hitchcockian, with a more internal sinisterness of psychological intent underneath the characters. when she picks up the knife, is it immediate danger ? is it a foreshadowing? is the knife a symbol of outward intent or inward intent of the character? she inievitabl kills her self as she takes on the persona of stephane audran. the vocal music later on during the fireplace scene and later the scene at the bedroom door is haunting. i agree with you, the story is sad underneath, very sad. the scene where she listens at the door of thebedroom, with the music playing, is of intense longing and sorrow. it reminds me too, this movie, of persona, by ingmar bergman. i reccomend it. so i am very interested to know if anyone knows the soundtrack listings & if any of this music is available on media (cd, album).

Rating:
Summary: Powerful, Hypnotic film experience
Review: I viewed Les Biches when I was 13 years old and have never been as affected by a film as much. This film ranks up with films masked in sorrow such as, Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris, Bergman's Cries and Whispers, and Truffaut's Les Quatre Cents Coups. I am somewhat saddened that this film hasn't been released as a Criterion Collection DVD which I deeply belive it should. All the characters played in this film are very much enigmas especially Jacqueline Sassard's character, Why. At first Why appears to be naive and dull, but within the course of the film soon turns psychotic and violent.

The basic storyline is a bisexual Parisean socialite, Frederique, picks up a waif, Why, who earns her living drawing does on the streets of Paris. Soon Frederique brings Why to what is left of St. Tropez on the off season to meet the chic crowd. Why meets and falls in love with suave architect,Paul. When Frederique tries to get back at Why, she finds true love in Paul and gets between Why and Paul. Paul seduces Frederique and after a while goes back to Paris with him. Why goes back to Paris also.

The scene of Why going back to Paris, filmed from a moving car, focusing on Notre Dame on an overcast afternoon for about ten seconds is etched forever in my memory along with the ultimately distrurbing and murky ending.

This is a truly great film experience that has been unseen for too long.

Rating:
Summary: The blasé Frédérique seeks diversions...
Review: The blasé Frédérique (Stéphane Audran) constantly seeks diversions as she finds Why (Jacqueline Sassard), a female street artist, with whom she initiates a love affair. Frédérique shows off her luxurious apartment in Paris and her mansion on the French Riviera as well as her company for Why. Why, who has nothing, is drawn into Frédérique's steel grip where she is dominated and controlled. The love affair between the two women seems to lead toward an end as Why falls in love with Paul Thomas (Jean-Louis Trintignant), but Frédérique becomes intrigued by the situation and finds a way to get things her way. Chabrol creates an excellent atmosphere in Les Biches, a dark drama, that depicts several concepts such as wealth, the bourgeoisie, domination, and rebellion. These concepts initiate a self-destructive pattern which influences the psychology of Why as she looses control of her own will and life. In the end, Chabrol leaves the viewer with a terrific psychological thriller with an open ending leaving much room for thought.

Rating:
Summary: The blasé Frédérique seeks diversions...
Review: The blasé Frédérique (Stéphane Audran) constantly seeks diversions as she finds Why (Jacqueline Sassard), a female street artist, with whom she initiates a love affair. Frédérique shows off her luxurious apartment in Paris and her mansion on the French Riviera as well as her company for Why. Why, who has nothing, is drawn into Frédérique's steel grip where she is dominated and controlled. The love affair between the two women seems to lead toward an end as Why falls in love with Paul Thomas (Jean-Louis Trintignant), but Frédérique becomes intrigued by the situation and finds a way to get things her way. Chabrol creates an excellent atmosphere in Les Biches, a dark drama, that depicts several concepts such as wealth, the bourgeoisie, domination, and rebellion. These concepts initiate a self-destructive pattern which influences the psychology of Why as she looses control of her own will and life. In the end, Chabrol leaves the viewer with a terrific psychological thriller with an open ending leaving much room for thought.