La Souriante Madame Beudet
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| La Souriante Madame Beudet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Germaine Dulac |
| Written by | Denys Amiel (play) André Obey |
| Produced by | Charles Delac Marcel Vandal |
| Starring | Germaine Dermoz Alexandre Arquillière |
| Cinematography | Maurice Forster Paul Parguel |
Release date | 1923 |
Running time | 38 mins. |
| Country | France |
| Languages | Silent film French intertitles |
La Souriante Madame Beudet (The Smiling Madame Beudet) is a short French impressionist silent film made in 1923,[1][2] directed by pioneering avant-garde cinema director Germaine Dulac.[3] It stars Germaine Dermoz as the protagonist Madame Beudet, who has grown tired of her husband's foolish antics and Alexandre Arquillière as Monsieur Beudet. It is considered by many to be one of the first truly "feminist" films.[2][4][5] It tells the story of an intelligent woman trapped in a loveless marriage.
Synopsis
Madame Beudet is used to Monsieur Beudet playing a stupid practical joke. A frequent stunt is one in which he puts an empty revolver to his head and threatens to shoot himself. After getting into an argument with Monsieur Beudet, she secretly puts bullets into the revolver, hoping that he will accidentally kill himself next time he pulls the same practical joke. However, after a sleepless night she becomes stricken with remorse and tries secretly to retrieve the bullets the next morning. Unfortunately Monsieur Beudet gets to the revolver first, thinking the revolver is empty as usual, and this time he points the revolver at her and shoots. The bullet misses her, and he thinks she was trying to commit suicide; he embraces her and says "How could I live without you?"
Cast
- Germaine Dermoz as Madame Beudet
- Alexandre Arquillière as Monsieur Beudet
- Jean d'Yd as Monsieur Labas
- Madeleine Guitty as Madame Labas
- Raoul Paoli as Le champion de tennis
See also
References
- ^ Cheryl Hindrichs (2009). "Feminist Optics and Avant-Garde Cinema: Germaine Dulac's "The Smiling Madame Beudet" and Virginia Woolf's "Street Haunting"".
- ^ a b Colin Marshall (18 November 2015). "The First Feminist Film, Germaine Dulac's The Smiling Madame Beudet (1922)". OpenCulture. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ "Themes and Variations". Toronto International Film Festival. 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
... the pioneering avant-garde filmmaker Germaine Dulac ...
- ^ adamvasco (11 May 2012). "Friday Feature: First Feminist Film". MetaFilter. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ LH. "La Souriante Madame Beudet [film review]". TimeOut London. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
External links
- La Souriante Madame Beudet at IMDb
- "La Souriante Madame Beudet" on YouTube
- La Souriante Madame Beudet at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Importance of Being a Film Author: Germaine Dulac and Female Authorship (by Rosanna Maule, Senses of Cinema
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