Overview

Adapted from a play by Romain Coolus, whose work Dulac had covered as a theater critic at the turn of the century, this atmospheric and socially inquisitive film tells the tale of an independent, sexually liberated woman (Eve Francis) who is torn between her husband (Gabriel Gabrio) and her lover (Paul Guide). Controversial at the time of its release, Antoinette Sabrier finds Dulac using her bold sense of visual rhythm to achieve a complex portrait of a woman trapped in an unhappy marriage and a nuanced investigation into human intimacy, with her characters’ emotions expressed through then-innovative cinematic techniques such as slow motion and associative montage.

Top Cast

Ève Francis

Antoinette Sabrier

Gabriel Gabrio

Germain Sabrier

Jean Toulout

Jamagne

Y

Yvette Armel

Hélène Doreuil

Paul Guidé

Roger Dangenne

Paul Menant

Chartrain

P

Paul Cervières

Gaston Doreuil

A

Ashida

Dancer (uncredited)

L

Lou Davy

(uncredited)