Therese Desqueyroux [2012]

I love Audrey Tauto as an actor. Her acting once again great. The story how women used to be married for wealth and status. Her dislike of the marriage and the eventual consequences, are distressing to watch as a woman myself. I was willing her to be able to be herself. A good film to watch if you are a fan of Audrey Tatutoo. In French with ENGLISH SUBTITLES.

Great supply and high quality Blu-ray. Film and story a bit lame but loads of sympathy for the anti-heroines case.

This drama considers what a woman might be forced to become when totally suppressed by her husband, family and environment. Because they are all suffering from MALE SUPREMACY SYNDROME. I.e. whatever a woman can think of as innovating "Must be wrong". Women have been suppressed by men since the beginning of time, which became more obvious since writing books about tragedies became fashionable, by Goethe, Jane Austen, Josephine de Beauharnais and Napoleon, Les Miserables etc., . To write a book about women emancipation by a man is a rather new approach, a sign of compassion for women and these idiotic males. The shown style of behaviour and dress are authentic for the era depicted, the actors play very convincing characters. The movie is a true historic drama worth having to watch with others for entertainment and/or discussion. Not all males are chauvinistic. Not all women take drastic measures. It brings understanding of women-behaviour in past and presence. Food for thought. Ideas to be different. I love the story.

Such a brilliant film, could not recommend it more! Having studied the novel in class it was an absolute pleasure to see it come alive on the screen. Audrey Tautou was amazing as per usual, and every actor really brought their character to life! A really moving film which you cannot not watch!

There's a great quote in the film 'Hitchcock' where the Director is discussing the initial cut of 'Psycho': "It just sits there refusing to come to life." And that's exactly what I feel about this film - it's a faithful yet lifeless interpretation of François Mauriac's book (that I remember doing for French 'A' Level). I think that part of the problem (leaving aside some really uninspired dialogue) is the casting of Audrey Tatou as the eponymous heroine. When we first see her character, it's as a young girl with her friend Anne in 1922. They seem about the same age. Then we jump forward 6 years, and, although Anne (as played by Anaïs Demoustier) is in her late teens, Thérèse (as played by Ms Tatou) is suddenly a woman in her mid to late 30's (Tatou's age). She does not seem like a powerless young woman trapped by hunting-obsessed bourgeois landowners who put inheritance and reputations above feelings, but someone who knows exactly what she's doing. Her acting is OK, and she gives a reasonable impression of someone who's at first bored out of her mind and then clinically depressed. However, we never really feel any sympathy for her character (as Mauriac intended), and it's telling that Gilles Lellouche (who plays her husband Bernard) wrings more sympathy from us at the end than does Ms. Tatou, in the way in which he forgives his wife for her attempts to poison him.

In "The Da Vinci Code" Ms Tautou's considerable talents were wasted, she was merely an adjunct to Tom Hanks. However, in Therese Desqueyroux she is magnificent as a wife trapped in a loveless arranged marriage. From the beginning of the film it is clear where she will end up. In many ways Therese Desqueyroux deals, in a less melodramatic way,with the same issues as Kristen Scott Thomas in "Leaving"(Partir). This should be an unmissable film on your 'want to see' list. Don't let the eponymous lead's tricky name put you off

Well produced film convincingly depicting life on a 1920's country estate in the South of France, held our attention throughout. Let down a bit by the "tragically extreme measures" (quoted from rear of the cover) the main character had to resort to in order to break free from the constraints her fate had imposed on her, which was an unnecessary load about nothing and seemed to come from nowhere. The story and the message about the clash of values between a traditional, authoritarian family and a modern minded woman would have been conveyed well enough without this bit.

I studied this for A level in 1971. I wish I could have seen this film then as it tells the story in chronological order which is better than jumping around in the book. Typical French style. I liked it but not for everyone.