''The Old Maid'' (french: La Vieille Fille) is a 1972 French

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Jean-Pierre Blanc Jean-Pierre Blanc (23 April 1942 – 21 May 2004) was a French film director and screenwriter. He directed six films between 1972 and 1993. He won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival The 22 ...

. It was entered into the

22nd Berlin International Film Festival The 22nd annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 23 June to 4 July 1972. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Italian film '' I racconti di Canterbury'' directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. Jury The following people were announced as ...

where Blanc won the

Silver Bear for Best Director The Silver Bear for Best Director (german: Silberner Bär/Bester Regie) is an award presented annually at the Berlin International Film Festival since 1956. It is given for the best achievement in directing and is chosen by the International Jury ...

Plot

Muriel (

Annie Girardot Annie Suzanne Girardot (25 October 193128 February 2011) was a French actress. She often played strong-willed, independent, hard-working, and often lonely women, imbuing her characters with an earthiness and reality that endeared her to women und ...

) is a shy woman who bluffs and blusters around in order to hide her shyness and to protect her loneliness, even though she longs wistfully for a companion of some sort. She has been lonely so long that now she is an old maid and has never been wooed. But Muriel finally gets a glimpse of romance when Gabriel (

Philippe Noiret Philippe Noiret (; 1 October 1930 – 23 November 2006) was a French film actor. Life and career Noiret was born in Lille, France, the son of Lucy (Heirman) and Pierre Noiret, a clothing company representative. He was an indifferent student and ...

) walks into the seaside hotel she is vacationing in. His car has broken down, and he has to stay there for a few days while it is repaired. Hers is the only dinner table with room at it, and Gabriel cannot prevent himself from charming women. She is stiff with him at first, but soon they develop a friendship.

Cast

– Muriel Bouchon *

– Gabriel Marcassus *

Marthe Keller Marthe Keller (born 28 January 1945) is a Swiss actress and opera director. She is perhaps best known for her role in the film ''Marathon Man (film), Marathon Man'' (1976), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting ...

– Vicka *

Édith Scob Édith Scob (21 October 1937 – 26 June 2019) was a French film and theatre actress, best known for her role as the daughter with a disfigured face in '' Eyes Without a Face'' (1960). Early life and family Scob was born Édith Helena Vladimirov ...

– Edith, Monod's wife * Catherine Samie – Clotilde *

Maria Schneider Maria Schneider may refer to: * Maria Schneider (politician) (born 1923), East German politician * Maria Schneider (actress) (1952–2011), French actress * Maria Schneider (musician) Maria Lynn Schneider (born November 27, 1960) is an Americ ...

– Mome *

Lorenza Guerrieri Lorenza Guerrieri (born 18 April 1944) is an Italian actress. Born in Rome, Lorenza Guerrieri made her film debut in the mid-1960s in ''Le sedicenni'', and later appeared in films of any genre, mainly in secondary roles. She became popular with t ...

– Punaisa * Albert Simono – Daniel (as Simono) * Claudine Assera – La servante *

Jean-Pierre Darras Jean-Pierre Darras (1927–1999) was a French actor. Filmography 1927 births 1999 deaths Deaths from cancer in France French film directors French monarchists Male actors from Paris People from Val-de-Marne French male film actors ...

– Sacha * Michael Lonsdale – Monod (as Michel Lonsdale)

Reception

After being projected the film, distributors refused to release it despite the combined star power of its two leads,

and

. However, it was finally released as a filler after the commercial failure of François Truffaut's ''

Two English Girls ''Two English Girls'' (original French title: ''Les Deux Anglaises et le Continent'', UK Title: ''Anne and Muriel''), is a 1971 French romantic drama film directed by François Truffaut and adapted from a 1956 novel of the same name by Henri-Pier ...

''. Against all odds, "The Old Maid" became a critical and commercial success, spending ten weeks in France's box office top ten. As a first time director, Jean Pierre Blanc's performance was highlighted by the press who praised the elements of social satire of the film, as well as the duo

and

which was later reunited several times throughout the 1970s in such successful comedies as "La Mandarine" (which was released two weeks after "The Old Maid"), "Dear Detective", or Jupiter's Thigh.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Old Maid, The 1972 films 1972 comedy films 1970s French-language films French comedy films Films directed by Jean-Pierre Blanc Films scored by Michel Legrand 1970s French films