Adapted from a play by Romain Coolus, whose work Dulac had covered as a theater critic at the turn of the century, this atmospheric and socially inquisitive film tells the tale of an independent, sexually liberated woman (Eve Francis) who is torn between her husband (Gabriel Gabrio) and her lover (Paul Guide). Controversial at the time of its release, Antoinette Sabrier finds Dulac using her bold sense of visual rhythm to achieve a complex portrait of a woman trapped in an unhappy marriage and a nuanced investigation into human intimacy, with her characters’ emotions expressed through then-innovative cinematic techniques such as slow motion and associative montage.
Germaine Dulac
Director

Ève Francis
Antoinette Sabrier

Gabriel Gabrio
Germain Sabrier

Jean Toulout
Jamagne
Yvette Armel
Hélène Doreuil

Paul Guidé
Roger Dangenne

Paul Menant
Chartrain
Paul Cervières
Gaston Doreuil
Ashida
Dancer (uncredited)
Lou Davy
(uncredited)
Chaos63%
Girl in the Box67%
TalhotBlond63%
Le ciel attendra69%
Banlieusards69%
Respire70%
My Little Princess65%
Banlieusards 360%
Deux Jours à tuer71%
La fille seule59%
Bastard Out of Carolina71%
La Dernière Femme61%
La Cage59%
Le Fils74%
Adieu Philippine69%
Lux Æterna61%
The Safety of Objects65%
Polina, danser sa vie65%
Brotherly Love70%
Salomé62%