Stars: Maria Casares, Elina Labourdette, Paul Bernard, Jean Marchat

Director: Robert Bresson

Summary: Beneath the veneer of glamour, occupied Parisian high-society has become a rotten core of corruption and hate, capable of producing Helene - a young woman intent on bringing about the pain and humiliation of her ex-lover. French dialogue with English subtitles.

LES DAMES is the sole collaboration of two French cinema giants: Robert Bresson and Jean Cocteau. Cocteau wrote the wonderfully poetic dialogue for the film, while Bresson scripted and directed. The film bears strong connections to other classic works by both men. Like other Bresson heroes and heroines, Helene is obsessed, a scorned woman attempting to manipulate her ex-lover. The treacherous Helene (Maria Casares) financially supports Agnes (Elina Labourdette), a young dancer with a "bad reputation." Helene plots to make Jean (Paul Bernard), the man who recently broke up with her, fall for Agnes--and then reveal to him the "secret" of Agnes' tawdry past. Jean easily takes the bait, but Agnes isn't willing to play along. Agnes finally responds to Jean's overtures, as Helen lies in wait, eager to expose Agnes's past and wreck Jean's life.
Helene's sense of having a "mission" is reflected in the prison break planned by the hero of A MAN ESCAPED, and the quiet crimes committed by the hero of PICKPOCKET. The obsessive and potentially dangerous way that Helene's ex rushes headlong into his passion for the one-time "tramp" prefigures the classically-themed romances in Cocteau's LA BELLE ET LA BETE and ORPHEE. One element in the sumptuously photographed LES DAMES became common in both artists' repertoire: the presentation of characters who behave as if they're in a dream, sleepwalking their way to potential disaster or salvation.

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Aspect Ratio:	1.33 Full Screen
Main Language:	French
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Directors Biography, Biography Of Jean Cocteau, Biography Of Maria Casares, Original Film Poster
Subtitles:	English
Year:	1945
Release Date:	August 30, 2004
Runtime:	83 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	B F I V D 624
Keywords:	Subtitled, Park, General, Ladies, French, Drama, Les, De, Dames, Bois, Boulogne, Du
Genre:	Drama