La Sirène du Mississipi (1969)
Genre: Mystery / Romance
Duration: 123 minuten
Alternative title: Mississippi Mermaid
Country:
France / Italy
Directed by: François Truffaut
Stars: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Catherine Deneuve and Nelly Borgeaud
IMDb score:
6,9 (8.026)
Releasedate: 18 June 1969
La Sirène du Mississipi plot
"The bride came as advertised... with an unadvertised special."
Louis Mahé wants to marry his pen pal Julie Roussel, although they have never met. When Roussel travels to Mahé's hometown, he immediately notices that she does not resemble the photo he received of her, but they get married anyway. However, she soon steals his money and flees.
Actors and actresses
Louis Mahé
Julie Roussel / Marion Vergano
Comolli
Berthe
Landlady
Jardine
Detective
Richard
Reviews & comments
The One Ring
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- 29974 messages
- 4109 votes
A lesser known Truffaut, but in my opinion no lesser. On the one hand it is a typical noir story, on the other hand Truffaut seems to have done everything to make it not feel like a noir. No expressionistic images, but a more observational style. No black and white, but light colours. No intense melodrama, but a light, almost everyday tone, with room for playful humour. I really enjoyed working with it, especially in the first half, when the story is still mysterious. The second half is a bit more predictable and aimless, but a few good scenes (Deneuve undressing in the car for example) and a strong ending make up for a lot. I did like that the two stayed together, despite the fact that they were aware that they were ruining each other's lives. It doesn't get more noir than that.
The casting of the two main characters must be mentioned here as an extra plus. With the exception of Belle de Jour, I have never seen Deneuve so well in her place as here. She is more beautiful here than ever, but she has always been a very cold, distant beauty and that suits a femme fatale well, but Deneuve is especially in her place because she knows how to make such a character human. She is just a bitch, of course, but it is almost impossible not to feel sorry for her because of her underprivileged past, which makes her not know how to deal with emotions. And Belmondo was already an ideal loser in Pierrot Le Fou, here the real clumsy romantic comes to the fore. The tough guy he usually plays is miles away, but he seems particularly in his place here.
Truffaut has never disappointed me so far. On to the next one.
4*
PS: I saw the movie on MGM Channel. That version was definitely not 123 minutes long. At least 20 minutes shorter. IMDb doesn't mention shorter versions though, so I wonder if I missed something.
Translated from Dutch · View original
BBarbie
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- 12893 messages
- 7675 votes
One of the few Truffaut films I have never seen before. In retrospect I can conclude that I did not miss much. It is a bit of crime, a bit of romance and a bit of comedy. The sum of the things, however, barely reaches a pass mark. Belmondo and Deneuve do their best to make something of it, but it seems that they also feel somewhat let down by the diffuse material. From such a strong cast led by such a capable director I expect a better film than I have seen now. Too bad.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Filmkriebel
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- 10013 messages
- 4679 votes
Good direction, weak story. The fact that few people know this film by Truffaut is simply because it is very mediocre. A rich industrialist on La Réunion has a mail-order bride come over, but after the hastily consummated marriage she turns out to be a con artist. In the first part you see a crime plot develop; this was very predictable but more enjoyable than what followed. The film takes a turn when he finds her again in Provence. The change is quite abrupt but I did not really appreciate it.
From this point on, Truffaut delved into the toxic relationship dynamics between the couple. Quite a bit of weak romantic stuff from then on, in which she has to choose between her selfish and greedy tendencies and her love for the man she married. For him, it is more of a sincere, passionate relationship, in which he realizes that his life is in her hands. Unfortunately, Deneuve and Belmondo are actors who usually do not warm me up with their roles and that is why, after two hours, of which the second seemed very long, I was glad it was over. Truffaut also made a lesser film now and then.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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