La Mariée Était en Noir (1968)
Genre: Drama / Mystery
Duration: 107 minuten
Alternative titles: The Bride Wore Black / De Bruid Droeg Zwart / La Sposa in Nero
Country:
France / Italy
Directed by: François Truffaut
Stars: Jeanne Moreau, Michel Bouquet and Jean-Claude Brialy
IMDb score:
7,2 (11.698)
Releasedate: 22 March 1968
La Mariée Était en Noir plot
"She was a bride when the violence happened... now she's a widow and it's going to happen again."
Julie Kohler is about to commit suicide, but her mother stops her. Then she decides on a different plan: she tracks down five people and kills them.
Actors and actresses
Julie Kohler
Coral
Corey
Fergus
Bliss
Morane
Delvaux
Mlle Becker
Mme Morane
Mère de Julie
Reviews & comments
wendyvortex
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- 5309 messages
- 7328 votes
Truffaut couldn't make thrillers? La Sirene du Mississippi, La Femme d'à Côté and Vivement Dimanche are certainly successful attempts. And in a somewhat stranger way Une Belle Fille comme Moi, perhaps the film that most closely resembles this one.
Okay, Truffaut's first attempt at a Hitchcock is not entirely successful, there is hardly any plot, nor any characters, so we are left with a revenge film, where we sometimes also wonder whether it is meant to be serious or comic. Not a problem in itself, but after 2 parts of Tarantino's Kill Bill this is all a bit more restrained and civilized and somewhat affected by the ravages of time... and come on kill someone by locking him in the basement cupboard[/spoiler ]?!
The beautiful sixties interiors are enjoyable and Jeanne Moreau does her best, Bernard Herrmann on the soundtrack, but it all remains a bit flat.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Dievegge
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- 3219 messages
- 8320 votes
Jeanne Moreau can be sweet one moment, then suddenly a tough aunt, which makes her perfect for this role. She wears alternating white and black, or a combination of both. White is the color of the bride; black the color of mourning or the avenging angel. Her victims often have a combination of blue and red. For example, the toddler has a red sweater and a blue ball.
Truffaut did an extensive interview with Hitchcock during that period, and there are many nods to the master of suspense. In a number of flashbacks, the motivation is revealed early on, so that the viewer can empathize with the perpetrator and see the threats coming to the victims. The painted portrait that resembles the bride is reminiscent of Vertigo. Bernard Herrmann wrote music in his recognizable style, with menacing dissonances and an alternation between dreamy, swirling and hammering passages. The vinyl record features a mandolin concerto by Vivaldi. Mendelssohn's wedding march fits the subject.
It starts with the sound of a photocopier, which multiplies Julie's painting as an odalisque, perhaps for an investigation poster. The first victim's wedding witness recognizes her when he remembers her emptying her glass into a flower pot. The fact that she allows herself to be caught and immediately confesses to the first four murders is for two reasons. First, as a Catholic woman, she wants to atone for her sins, as shown in the confession scene. Second, she wants to go to jail because her fifth target is locked up there. Her victims are presented as good-for-nothings who are mainly interested in hunting animals and womanizing. She commits five murders using five different methods, which is unusual. It is not a very realistic thriller, but it is a stylish one that strikes a good balance between tension and artistry.
Translated from Dutch · View original