''Les Abysses'' is a 1963 French film directed by
Nikos Papatakis. It was entered into the
1963 Cannes Film Festival
The 16th Cannes Film Festival was held from 9 to 23 May 1963. The Palme d'Or went to the '' Il Gattopardo'' by Luchino Visconti. The festival opened with '' The Birds'', directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Jury
The following people were appointed as th ...
.
A violent and surrealistic mixture of farce and social commentary, its story was inspired by the real-life case of the
Papin sisters.
Plot
Michèle and Marie-Louise (played by sisters Francine and Colette Bergé) are alone in the country house owned by their employers, the Lapeyres. They have not been paid any wages for three years, but the Lapeyres have promised them ownership of the chicken-house attached to their property; now, however, they intend to sell it entirely, leaving the girls with nothing. Michèle and Marie-Louise argue, fight and make up, meanwhile allowing the house to fall into ruin. Suddenly the Lapeyres return, earlier than expected. The girls rebel, disobeying the Lapeyres and tormenting them, especially their adult daughter Elisabeth, who appears to have a lesbian attachment to Marie-Louise, though she is married. Her husband Philippe arrives, bringing with him buyers for the house; Michèle and Marie-Louise are cowed into submission and serve coffee while the deal is signed. Once this is done, however, they break out again, first locking themselves in the kitchen quarters then attacking Elisabeth and Mme Lapeyre and murdering them with a kitchen knife and a
flat iron
Competitor for Canada
Flat Iron was a First Nations lacrosse player who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics for Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocea ...
. The film ends with a caption, making explicit reference to the Papin sisters.
Cast
*
Francine Bergé
Francine Bergé (born 21 July 1938, Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France) is a French film and stage actress.
Filmography
Theater
Awards
* 2018 - Prix du Brigadier d’honneur
* 2016 - Molière Award
The Molière Award recognise ...
as Michèle
*
Colette Bergé as Marie-Louise
*
Pascale de Boysson
Pascale de Boysson (16 April 1922–9 August 2002) was a French film, television and stage actress who also adapted and translated plays for the French stage. She was a two-time winner of the Molière Award, winning it in 1988 and posthumousl ...
as Elisabeth Lapeyre
*
Colette Régis
Colette Régis (1893–1978) was a French film actress.Hayward p.280
Selected filmography
* ''Rasputin'' (1938) - Une religieuse (uncredited)
* '' Three Waltzes'' (1938) - Sarah Bernhardt
* '' La Bête Humaine'' (1938) - Victoire Pecqueux
* ''T ...
as Mme. Lapeyre
*
Paul Bonifas
Paul Bonifas (3 June 1902 – 9 November 1975) was a French actor, born in Paris.
Career
In the 1920s, while working for the French customs service, Bonifas took classes in acting at the Conservatoire de Paris in his spare time. He left wit ...
as Mons. Lapeyre
*
Jean-Louis Le Goff as Philippe
*
Lise Daubigny as Buyer
* Robert Benoît as Buyer
*
Marcel Roche
Marcel Roche Dugand (August 15, 1920 in Caracas, Venezuela – May 3, 2003 in Miami, USA) was a physician, scientist and scientific leader.
He was born into a wealthy family of French origin. His father, Luis Roche was a well known urban ...
as Buyer
References
External links
*
1963 films
1960s French-language films
Maids in films
1963 crime films
Films directed by Nikos Papatakis
French crime films
1960s French films
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