V E N T N O R   F I L M  S O C I E T Y​​

In Jazz Age Paris, Madeleine, a pretty, young, but talentless actress, is accused of murdering a famous producer. Helped by her lawyer friend Pauline, she is acquitted on the grounds of self-defence in a sensational courtroom trial. The case propels her to stardom, but is she really innocent or has she got away with murder? A frothy farce with wonderfully chic period costumes, stylish Art Deco set designs and a hilarious, scene-stealing role for Isabelle Huppert.

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With shades of Hollywood's 'Me Too' campaign, the plot centres around whether Madeleine actually held the revolver that killed a lecherous producer. She alleges that the producer sexually assaulted her before she escaped his clutches. But the police, who seem pretty incompetent at best, arrest Madeleine as the prime suspect.Together, Madeleine and her lawyer friend hatch a cunning plan to face the judicial system head-on in an engaging battle of wits.

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It's all great PR for Madeleine, who gives the performance of a lifetime in the dock, with a well-practised script and outfits as carefully selected as in the Wagatha Christie trial! Her star is rising, and along the way, she gets to expose the corrupt justice system and score a few points for feminism.

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So far, so good, until the arrival of Odette, an aging, but glamorous star of the silver screen, played with magnificent bravado and style by Isabelle Huppert. She swans in looking fabulous in fur, claims to have inside knowledge of the crime and is intent on getting in on the action!​

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This is the third adaptation of a 1934 stage play by Georges Barr, called Mon Crime, as there were Hollywood versions in the 30s and 40s, starring Carole Lombard and Betty Hutton.

 

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To book, please email ventnorfilmsociety@hotmail.com.

 

The Critics Say...

“Huppert is sublimely silly, deliciously funny and single-handedly worth the price of admission.” Wendy Ide, Observer ***

 

“This is a French film we’re talking about; very French. It is tightly drilled, robustly performed and entertainingly shallow.” Peter Bradshaw, Guardian ***

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"The film’s appealing theatricality and appetite for farce nods to its stage origins, as well as the Hollywood comedies of that era, and it zips along with gusto, featuring chic costumes alongside the requisite twists and turns.” Emma Simmonds, The List ***

 

"The film is comprehensively hijacked in its final third by Isabelle Huppert. She blasts into the picture in full-on diva mode as a grand dame of the silent era now eyeing her chance at a comeback, delivering an outrageously hammy performance." Philip Concannon, The Skinny
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