Mississippi Mermaid

Director: François Truffaut
Year Released: 1969
Rating: 2.0

Jean-Paul Belmondo advertises in the paper for a wife (?), gets Catherine Deneuve (!), gives her access to his money (?), she takes it (!), forcing him to chase her down, express his love for her (?) and then protect her against the detective he hired to find her (?). Talk about l'amour fou! Works as a showcase of its two stars' acting talents, but as a film is unsatisfying and unrealistic - Truffaut aims to imitate Hitchcock in creating this 'darker' tale of doomed romance (Cornell Woolrich, who wrote the short story this is based on, also wrote the story that inspired Rear Window), but the craziness of the Belmondo character repels rather than draws in the audience. I don't care how much I loved someone, if she stole millions from me and then tried to feed me rat poison, and I had any strength left in my arms, I would use that strength to beat her ass.