Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne (Ladies of the Park) (1945)

100% of critics liked it
(12 reviews)
77% of users liked it
(1,008 ratings)

Though this interesting film was among many responsible for the critical success of French autuer Robert Bresson, it was by no means a commercial success. Slightly different than his other films, director Bresson utilized the contrasty photography of Philippe Agostini (Sylvie et le Fantome, Monde du… More Though this interesting film was among many responsible for the critical success of French autuer Robert Bresson, it was by no means a commercial success. Slightly different than his other films, director Bresson utilized the contrasty photography of Philippe Agostini (Sylvie et le Fantome, Monde du Silence) and chose professional actors Paul Bernard (Lumiere D'ete), Maria Casares (Enfants du Paradis), and Elina Labourdette (Shanghai Drama) to star rather than non-professionals. With dialogue written by writer/filmmaker Jean Cocteau, Les Dames du Bois du Boulogne was adapted to the screen by Bresson from an interpolated anecdote in Diderot's Jacques Le Fatalist. Casares plays Helene, a passionate but self-controlled woman who is seething after her lover Jean (Bernard) confesses he no longer loves her. Driven by revenge, Helene engineers a plan to attack Jean via Agnes (Labourdette), the woman he truly loves, and Anges' mother (Lucienne Bogaert). ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 24 min.
Directed By: Robert Bresson
Written By: Robert Bresson, Jean Cocteau
Genres: Drama, Romance, Art House & International

In Theaters: Apr 3, 1964 Wide
On DVD: Mar 11, 2003

Critic Reviews

Bosley Crowther, New York Times
It is slow, solemn, rigidly conventional and as stilted as a silent film, but it shows Bresson's early ability to catch sober and smoldering moods with his camera.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Like much (if not all) of Bresson's best work, it can't be assimilated to realist criteria, but it's unforgettable for its fire-and-ice evocations of tragedy in an unlikely setting.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The performances by both Casares and Labourdette were strikingly captivating and were enough in themselves to carry the film.
Jake Euker, Filmcritic.com
The fact of Bresson's as yet undeveloped style, coupled with Cocteau's fearless lyricism, produces a one-of-a-kind film. It's irreproducible, a jewel.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Bresson's treatment of the material has the marks of his later style, but it's also more overtly stylized than anything else he did later.
Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide
This is a typically lovely-looking Criterion Collection restoration.
Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide
Elina Labourdette is wonderful as Agnès, conveying her character's ethical strength with real beauty within and without.
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
Les Dames has moments of subtle power that suggest the direction Bresson's filmmaking aesthetic would eventually take; in fact, it was the last film he made in the traditional style before striking out completely on his own.
Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle
Praised by such filmmakers as Jean-Luc Godard and Michelangelo Antonioni, the film is rarely screened.
Matt Bailey, Not Coming to a Theater Near You
It is not, by any means, the best film made during the Occupation, but it is a key work in Bresson's oeuvre and one that is surprisingly absorbing even today.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
... a brilliant romantic melodrama...
Wade Major, Boxoffice Magazine
An extraordinarily calculated effort that prefigures the brilliance of films like Une Femme Douce more than two decades later.
Mark Robison, Reno Gazette-Journal
Its dialogue still stings, and its heartbreak still rings true.

Read all 13 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Stella D

an interesting early bresson exercise in noir style. maria casares makes a stunningly vicious femme fatale tho i must say her former lover was naive to allow her to arrange his wedding! for as everyone knows, hell hath no fury....and, at least in bresson's world, the… More
an interesting early bresson exercise in noir style. maria casares makes a stunningly vicious femme fatale tho i must say her former lover was naive to allow her to arrange his wedding! for as everyone knows, hell hath no fury....and, at least in bresson's world, the 'society' lady is far more corrupt than the so-called 'fallen' woman, in spite of hypocritical social conventions. bresson definitely had his craft down at this stage, tho it's more conventional than his later work
Eric B

Like 1950's "Les Enfants Terribles" (also scripted by Jean Cocteau), "Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne" is a tale of a spiteful shrew manipulating others into a false romance. Did Cocteau have issues with women that I should know about? The film opens with the… More
Like 1950's "Les Enfants Terribles" (also scripted by Jean Cocteau), "Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne" is a tale of a spiteful shrew manipulating others into a false romance. Did Cocteau have issues with women that I should know about? The film opens with the split of a rich, socialite couple as Jean (Paul Bernard) confesses that he no longer loves girlfriend Helene (Maria Casares, also the co-star of Cocteau's "Orpheus"). Jean is a naive, idealistic sort who means no harm and wishes to sustain a friendship, but Helene secretly plots revenge. Taking advantage of her ongoing influence, she wickedly steers him to court Agnes (Elina Labourdette), a cabaret dancer and prostitute whose grace and fresh beauty belie her tawdry background. Similarly, Helene builds a calculated relationship with Agnes and pushes her toward Jean. Jean quickly falls in love, like people do in dreamy '40s movies, and thus seems bound for crushing disgrace when he (and his peers) learn of his new mate's past. It's hard not to unfavorably compare "Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne" with "Les Enfants Terribles" -- the former suffers from weaker visual style, a less charismatic cast and a corny, melodramatic ending. And while "Boulogne" may be an early Robert Bresson film, it has few of the director's stylistic trademarks. The characters do have the rapturous, artistic passions familiar to Cocteau scripts, and fans of his work will find plenty to enjoy. Note: This film was released in 1945, not 1964 as Rotten Tomatoes indicates.
Gevvy S

It was hard to get into and really difficult to stay focused, but it is definitely a film that makes it all work by the end. The last 15 minutes are excellent, the only question is that did everything that preceded it have to be presented as such to make the ending work or could… More
It was hard to get into and really difficult to stay focused, but it is definitely a film that makes it all work by the end. The last 15 minutes are excellent, the only question is that did everything that preceded it have to be presented as such to make the ending work or could Bresson have spiced things up a little in between and still maintained the same effective ending?
Henrik S

A haunting French film noire, which could easily be responsible for coining the phrase femme fatale. Maria Cesares is brilliant portrating the plotting spider who weaves the web around the men she loves and the women she despises to lure them into a fatal liason. The dialogue is very… More
A haunting French film noire, which could easily be responsible for coining the phrase femme fatale. Maria Cesares is brilliant portrating the plotting spider who weaves the web around the men she loves and the women she despises to lure them into a fatal liason. The dialogue is very lyrical and the emotions (particulary the ending) ooze with vivid tearjerks, this movie from France after all. This movie is also remarkably raunchy for 46 showing some decent amount of underwear and skin, which makes this movie both a classic and a dare. If you have any affinity with film noir or French cinema at all this movie is highly recommended and it might serve as a good introduction to French Cinema for you if you have not been confronted with it yet. Go fetch it and tell me what you think of it ! Henrik