Mademoiselle
Director: Tony Richardson
Year Released: 1966
Rating: 1.5
S&M fanatic Jeanne Moreau (the town schoolteacher) starts all sorts of disasters in her little village, only for the resident stud Italian - who saves people from those disasters - to take the blame. It isn't clear why they'd blame the Italian man other than basic xenophobia (although it may be out of jealousy for his supposed 'sexual potency') and the inner workings of Moreau's mind are never explored. Writers Marguerite Duras and Jean Genet are content with including some generic symbolism (a live snake is wrapped around the man's waist - he tells Moreau it isn't 'harmful') and a few sporadic digressions (Moreau taping up her breasts, the Italian spitting in her mouth or playing a game of Hide-In-My-Shadow with her in the field) for seasoning.
