''A Woman Is a Woman'' (french: Une femme est une femme) is a 1961 French

musical Musical is the adjective of music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact def ...

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...

film written and directed by

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as Fran ...

, starring

Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor and producer. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward. His best known credits ...

Anna Karina Anna Karina (born Hanne Karin Blarke Bayer; September 22, 1940 – December 14, 2019)

and Jean-Claude Brialy. It is a tribute to American musical comedy and associated with the French New Wave. It is Godard's third feature film (the release of his second, '' Le petit soldat'', was delayed by censorship), and his first in color and Cinemascope.

Plot

The film centers on the relationship of exotic dancer Angéla and her lover Émile. Angéla wants to have a child, but Émile is not ready. Émile's best friend Alfred also says he loves Angéla, and keeps up a gentle pursuit. Angéla and Émile argue about the matter; at one point they decide not to speak to each other, so continue their argument by pulling books from the shelf and pointing to the titles. Since Émile stubbornly refuses her request for a child, Angéla finally decides to accept Alfred's plea and sleeps with him. This proves that she will do what she must to have a child. She and Émile finally reconcile, so he has a chance to become the father. The two have sex, then engage in a bit of wordplay that gives the film its title: an exasperated Émile says "''Angéla, tu es infâme''" ("Angela, you are horrid"), and she retorts, "''Non, je suis une femme''" ("No, I am a woman").

Cast

Anna Karina Anna Karina (born Hanne Karin Blarke Bayer; September 22, 1940 – December 14, 2019)

as Angela * Jean-Claude Brialy as Émile Récamier *

as Alfred Lubitsch * Henri Attal as false blind man #2 (uncredited) *

Karyn Balm Karyn is an English-language given name and may refer to: *Karyn Bailey (born 1986), Australian netball player in the National Netball League *Karyn Bosnak (born 1974), American author of two published books: ''Save Karyn'' and ''20 Times a Lady'' ...

as (uncredited) * Dorothée Blank as prostitute 3 (uncredited) * Marie Dubois as Angela's friend (uncredited) *

Ernest Menzer Ernest is a given name derived from Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious". Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor *Ernest, M ...

as bar owner (uncredited) *

Jeanne Moreau Jeanne Moreau (; 23 January 1928 – 31 July 2017) was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française. M ...

as woman in bar (herself) *

Nicole Paquin Nicole may refer to: People * Nicole (name) * Nicole (American singer) (born 1958), a contestant in season 3 of the American ''The X Factor'' * Nicole (Chilean singer) (born 1977) * Nicole (German singer) (born 1964), winner of the 1982 Eurovi ...

as Suzanne (uncredited) * Gisèle Sandré as prostitute 2 (uncredited) * Marion Sarraut as prostitute 1 (uncredited) * Dominique Zardi as false blind man #1 (uncredited)

Awards

* 11th Berlin International Film Festival **

Silver Bear for Best Actress The Silver Bear for Best Actress (german: Silberner Bär/Beste Darstellerin) was an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival from 1956 to 2020. It was given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance and was cho ...

(Karina - won) ** Silver Bear Extraordinary Jury Prize (won) ** Golden Bear (nominated)

References

External links

* *
''A Woman Is a Woman''
an essay by J. Hoberman at the

Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home video, home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scho ...

1961 films 1961 musical comedy films 1961 romantic comedy films 1960s French-language films 1960s romantic musical films Films directed by Jean-Luc Godard Films produced by Carlo Ponti Films scored by Michel Legrand Films set in Paris Films shot in Paris French musical comedy films French romantic comedy films French romantic musical films 1960s French films {{romantic-musical-film-stub