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Bluebeard (2009)

Director: Catherine Breillat

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From Time Out Online

In bringing Perrault’s three-page folk tale of a murderous old hermit and his steely young bride to the screen as a stripped-back gothic miniature, Breillat has produced what could be one of her most instantly pleasurable films to date. Cheerily narrated by two young sisters as they read the story to one another in a dusty attic, the drama of how newly destitute Marie-Catherine (Creton) accepts the repugnant Bluebeard’s (Thomas) hand in marriage plays out in a series of sparse, elegantly constructed tableaux which ride on a pair of wonderfully sad-eyed performances from the leads. Some fans of the director may be disheartened to hear that there is no sex or nudity to speak of, though the film still offers a clear-sighted admonishment of patriarchal entitlement along with a stark contemporary relevance.

Author: David Jenkins 2009-10-20 16:29:48

Time Out Online London Film Festival 2009

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Bluebeard
BFI 53rd London Fim Festival. 14-29 Oct 2009

Cast & crew

Director: Catherine Breillat

Cast: Dominique Thomas, Lola Creton, Daphné Baiwir full cast

Genre(s): Drama

Duration: 80 mins


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