Story of Women
Claude Chabrol’s matter-of-fact view of the theme of illegal abortion, his criticism of society’s double standards and of a male-dominated judiciary in 1940s France is today considered to be one of the most important films dealing with abortion. Chabrol directs his documentary-like film, which is based on an authentic case, with a great deal of psychological sensitivity for his main character – a woman who gets caught up in illegal activities due to the chaos of war. She is played superbly by Isabelle Huppert. Vichy during the Second World War: While her husband is confined to a military hospital, Marie has to fend for herself and her two small children. She struggles on, but has got hardly enough for bare essentials. Then she has the idea of earning money as a back-street abortionist and by renting a room to a prostitute. After her husband has returned from the war, she manages for some time to keep her activities secret from him. Eventually he has to realise that his wife is keeping the family by carrying out illegal abortions and has also taken a lover. This makes him take a step that has serious consequences – consequences which make his wife become the victim of a merciless justice system.
- DirectorClaude Chabrol
- AuthorFrancis Szpiner
- CameraJean Rabier
-
ActorsIsabelle Huppert, Francois Cluzet, Nils Tavernier, Marie Trintignant, u.a.
- MusicMatthieu Chabrol
- produced byMarin Karmitz
- CountriesFrance
- GenreFilm
- Year1988
-
Length110 min
-
TopicAbortion
-
FormatFilm 35mm
(Colour)
-
LanguagesFrench
-
Website
http://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm=4018.html
-
SynchronizationsGerman, English
-
SubtitlesEnglish
