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Les Bonnes (1986)
Front Cover Actor
Francine Bergé Solange
Dominique Blanchar Claire
María Casares Madame
Jean-Marie Arnoux
France Asselin
Stéphane Audran
Jean Barclay
Robert Barre
Dolly Bell
Claude Berri
Pierre Bertin
Sacha Briquet
Albert Dinan
Movie Details
Genre Drama
Director Georges Cacha; Françoise Leyrat
Writer Jean Genet; Annie Testard
Language English
Audience Rating NR (Not Rated)
Running Time 110 mins
Country USA
Color Color
Plot
The bonnes femmes of Claude Chabrol's film are four shop girls at a small appliance store in Paris. Good-time girl Bernadette Lafont spends her nights in empty flirtations with boorish womanizers, while social-climbing Lucile Saint-Simon withers under the disdainful gaze of her boyfriend's haughty parents. Seemingly confident Stéphane Audran secretly follows her dream of singing on the stage (losing her composure when she recognizes her friends in the audience), and demure Clotilde Joano holds out for the romantic notion of pure, innocent love. It's her story that Chabrol favors when she falls under the gaze of a motorcycle-riding stalker who finally reveals himself to be a shy, lovesick suitor, a Prince Charming in black leather. Les Bonnes Femmes was a flop when released, but has since been embraced as one of Chabrol's best films and a masterpiece of the French new wave. There's a breezy naturalism that invigorates the film: easy, seemingly spontaneous ensemble performances, the immediacy of shooting on location, and a loose, episodic story full of rich detail. But this is no urban fairy tale: the dreams of these girls are frustrated by a tawdry and brutal world in a shocking, sad finale. Never callous or dismissive, there's a fragile beauty to Chabrol's troubled portrait as he stubbornly holds out hope for these dreamers in a delicately melancholy coda. --Sean Axmaker
Personal Details
Seen It Yes
Index 39
Collection Status In Collection
Links IMDB
Amazon US
User Text 1 FR-F 1016.01 DVD
User Text 2 Only Original
Product Details
Format DVD
Region Region 1
Screen Ratio 1.85:1
UPC (Barcode) 738329016524
Release Date 9/26/2000
Subtitles English
Nr of Disks/Tapes 1