''Les Bonnes Femmes'' is a 1960 French comedic drama film directed by

Claude Chabrol Claude Henri Jean Chabrol (; 24 June 1930 – 12 September 2010) was a French film director and a member of the French New Wave (''nouvelle vague'') group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s. Like his colleagues an ...

. Its mix of melodrama, absurd comedy and tragedy is typical for the early, experimental New Wave films. Though unsuccessful upon its initial release in France, it was subject to critical reevaluation, and is now regarded as the best of Chabrol's early films. There are a considerable number of scenes set on the streets, and the viewer gets an expansive look at how Paris looked at the time, in night and day.

Plot

The film tells the story of four attractive single Parisian women and their domestic and romantic encounters. Several of them work as saleswomen in an appliance store, one moonlights as an entertainer, and all are pursued by Parisian men both good and bad. Jane is pursued by men and portrayed as being more ditzy and happy go lucky. Ginette works during the night as an entertainer and reveals that she hates her day job with the other girls. Rita has a fiancé, but during dinner with his parents, one sees that he thinks very little of her as an intellectual and a person. Jacqueline is pursued through the film by a mysterious man on a motorcycle, and even turns down other men after developing feelings for him despite never meeting. However, after the two finally meet and proclaim their love for each other, the man murders Jacqueline in the forest and then flees on his motorcycle.

Cast

Bernadette Lafont Bernadette Lafont (28 October 1938 – 25 July 2013) was a French actress who appeared in more than 120 feature films. She has been considered "the face of French New Wave". In 1999 she told ''The New York Times'' her work was "the motor of my e ...

— Jane * Clotilde Joano — Jacqueline *

Stéphane Audran Stéphane Audran (born Colette Suzanne Dacheville; 8 November 1932 – 27 March 2018) was a French actress. She was known for her performances in award-winning films such as ''The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie'' (1972) and ''Babette's Feast'' ...

— Ginette *

Lucile Saint-Simon Lucile Saint-Simon (born 19 October 1932) is a French actress from the Paris suburb of Corbeil-Essonnes. She appeared in such feature films as ''Les Bonnes Femmes'' (1960), '' The Hands of Orlac'' (1962), ''La donnaccia'' (Italian, 1965). In 2011, ...

— Rita * Mario David — André Lapierre (the motorcyclist) * Pierre Bertin — Belin (the shop owner) *

Ave Ninchi Ave Maria Ninchi (14 December 1914 – 10 November 1997) was an Italian supporting actress who played character roles on stage, television, and in over 98 feature films that included ''Tomorrow Is Too Late'' (1949) and Louis Malle's ''Murmur ...

— Louise * Jean-Louis Maury — Marcel *

Albert Dinan Albert Dinan (27 March 1902 – 3 July 1976) was a French film actor.Goble p.347 He appeared in more than ninety films and television series during his career. Selected filmography * ''Bric à Brac et compagnie'' (1932) - Jean Verly * ''Lunegard ...

— Albert *

Sacha Briquet Sacha Briquet (1930–2010) was a French actor, born in Neuilly-sur-Seine. Biography He notably played the character of Albert Travling in the children's television program L'Île aux enfants. He signed a book of memories, ''Comédien, pourquo ...

— Henri *

Claude Berri Claude Berri (; 1 July 1934 – 12 January 2009) was a French film director, writer, producer, actor and distributor. Early life Born Claude Beri Langmann in Paris, Berri was the son of Jewish immigrant parents. His mother, Beila (née Bercu), w ...

— André, Jane's boyfriend

Reception

The film was a commercial failure in France, and wasn't shown in the United States until 1966. Later it was subject to critical reevaluation, and is now regarded as the best of Chabrol's early films. Robert Alden in ''The New York Times'' wrote that "''Les Bonnes Femmes'' is not a perfect film, but it is a worthwhile piece of cinema and it deserves more recognition than it has had." The ''Los Angeles Times'' reviewer wrote: "Chabrol shoves aside the mechanics of suspense almost entirely to engage us in a sensitive study of character. As a result, "Les Bonnes Femmes" remains one of his most individual—and most satisfying—works." ''Time Out'' said: "At once a detailed portrait of Parisian life and an ironic, witty study of human foibles, the film remains emotionally affecting thanks to Chabrol's unsentimental compassion for his subjects." Writing in ''The Guardian'', David Thomson called it "one of Chabrol's best films, in which the four shopgirls he observes are all versions of the Emma Bovary dream. It's a great movie just because the people seem so ordinary and their lives so trivial." ''Indiewire'' described it as "a simultaneously heartbreaking and chillingly dark piece," and added that "the cruel world he habroldepicts... is a man’s world, and women are just passing time in it."

In the works of others

The murder in the woods scene inspired the climactic sequence in

Rainer Werner Fassbinder Rainer Werner Fassbinder (; 31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982), sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema movement. Fassbinder's main ...

's 13-part miniseries '' Berlin Alexanderplatz'' (1980).

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonnes Femmes, Les 1960 films 1960 comedy-drama films 1960 romantic comedy films 1960s comedy mystery films 1960s French-language films 1960s satirical films French comedy-drama films French comedy mystery films French romantic comedy films French satirical films Films directed by Claude Chabrol Films with screenplays by Paul Gégauff 1960s French films