An Old Mistress More about this screening | Reviews of this screening | Previous screening | Screenings ’92-08 | Home |
Set around about the time of Dangerous Liasons, An Old Mistress is adapted from the novel by Jules Barbey D’Aurevilly. Directed and screen written by Catherine Breillat, it is a lavish production with sumptuous costumes, interesting sets and wonderful cinematography by Giorgos Arvanitis. Breillat known for her provocative films (Romance, Anatomy of Hell) instructed Asia Argento to study Marlene Dietrich in The Devil is a Woman to get the right vampishness for La Vellini. It works beautifully, giving us a fascinating performance – in three words, “a bodice ripper”. |
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When a young man of 30 is betrothed to a beautiful heiress, what does he do with his old mistress? Such is the dilemma that confronts Ryno (Fu’ad Ait Aattou); the problem is particularly difficult when his mistress is a Spanish vixen known as La Vellini (Asia Argento). He, of course, assures the grandmother of the heiress (Claude Sarraute) that it is all over and he will be faithful to Hermangarde (Roxane Mesquida). Therein lies the rub.