Thérèse Desqueyroux
True to the spirit of Claude Mauriac’s novel, Franju transports the viewer to the asphyxiating atmosphere surrounding Therese, inspiring compassion for his enigmatic heroine, whose extreme reactions and self-destructive trajectory play as a personal revolution against hypocrisy, in a society that’s in a hurry to brand anyone who doesn’t fit the norms as an outcast.
Franju’s first attempt to adapt a celebrated novel isn’t just an exemplary literary adaptation but a conscientious continuation of the director’s preoccupation with the subject of confinement and the pursuit of freedom.
Trapped in a loveless marriage and the restraints of a conservative rural society, Therese (“Hiroshima Mon Amour’s” leading lady Emmanuelle Riva in a performance that was awarded at the Venice Biennale), makes a failed attempt at poisoning her husband. In order to avoid the scandal, he decides not to prosecute her, but to keep her captive in their summer home instead.
True to the spirit of Claude Mauriac’s novel, Franju transports the viewer to the asphyxiating atmosphere surrounding Therese, inspiring compassion for his enigmatic heroine, whose extreme reactions and self-destructive trajectory play as a personal revolution against hypocrisy, in a society that’s in a hurry to brand anyone who doesn’t fit the norms as an outcast. Th.P.
Εναλλακτικοί τίτλοι / Alternative titles: Therese / Thérèse Desqueyroux
Σκηνοθεσία / Director: Georges Franju
Σενάριο / Screenwriters: Georges Franju, Claude Mauriac, François Mauriac
Φωτογραφία / DoP: Raymond Heil, Christian Matras
Μουσική / Music: Maurice Jarre
Μοντάζ / Editor: Gilbert Natot
Ηθοποιοί / Principal Cast: Emmanuele Riva, Philippe Noiret, Edith Scob, Sami Frey, Renée Devillers, Jeanne Pérez
Γαλλία / France
1962
Ασπρόμαυρο / B&W
109'
Γαλλικά / French
* Screens on 27th September
