Les Biches

Director: Claude Chabrol Claude Chabrol

Overview

"Bored, wealthy Parisian socialite Frederique (Stéphane Audran, then director Claude Chabrol's wife and the star of many of his films) picks up young sidewalk artist Why (Jacqueline Sassard), brings her home, offers her a nice hot bath and coffee, and seduces her. Then Why follows Frederique to the latter's Saint-Tropez villa, where they alter their sensuous encounters with wild parties for the idle rich. At one of these parties, Why meets Paul (Jean-Louis Trintignant), a handsome young architect, and immediately falls for him. Jealous Frederique intervenes only to lure Paul into her own arms, and the two soon depart for Paris, leaving Why alone with her frustration at the villa. Though often labeled the French Hitchcock, here Chabrol consciously abandons suspense for adult-oriented drama."

Product Details

Release Date:	05/20/2003
UPC:	0825307905298
Original Release:	1968
Rating:	R
Source:	Pathfinder Home Ent.
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:35:00
Sales rank:	26,666

Special Features

Letterboxed; 16x9 enhanced; Scene access; Audio commentary by Wade Major (film critic) and F.X. Feeney (film critic/screenwriter); Biographies; Trailer; Still Gallery

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jean-Louis Trintignant	Paul Thomas
Jacqueline Sassard	Why
Stéphane Audran	Frédérique
Nane Germon	Violetta
Serge Bento	Bookseller
Dominique Zardi	Riais
Henri Attal	Robeque
Claude Chabrol	Filmmaker
Henri Frances	Actor
Pierre Jansen	Composer

Technical Credits

Claude Chabrol

Paul Gégauff

Claude Chabrol	Director,Screenwriter
Andre Genoves	Producer
Paul Gégauff	Screenwriter
André Genovès	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Though director Claude Chabrol may have mastered suspense in his other films, Les Biches is an unhurried psychological drama with very little tension. Starring his sometimes wife and frequent leading lady Stéphane Audran as the rich and bored Frédérique, the story features a typical love triangle that none of the characters seem to be very emotionally involved in. The street artist Why (Jacqueline Sassard) appears to be just as beautiful and chic as her upscale company, and as the third wheel, Paul (Jean-Louis Trintignant) doesn't exude enough charm to pose any threat. As one of the director's investigations into the pit of French bourgeois decadence (Les Cousins was another), it does reveal the wealthy socialites to be empty, soulless creatures, but it doesn't make them very interesting. Though critically favored at its 1968 release, it may appear dated and slow to contemporary audiences, and those expecting sensational thrills implied by the various titles will be disappointed by the lack of passion. However, viewers who are familiar with Chabrol's more personal dramas, or those who have an affinity for Audran's icy screen sirens, will appreciate the subtleties in this deliberate drama.