On an otherwise normal day, Étienne, a happily married man and a good father, sees something that stops him dead in his tracks: a gorgeous woman in a billowing red dress. Long after she has left his vision, her memory continues to haunt his mind. He falls instantly in love with her and tries everything to get to know her better. Helping Étienne snare his elusive lady in red are his three bumbling buddies, which all have secret affairs and/or cheat on their wives.
Acting
Rochefort's flustered everyman is physical comedy perfection.
Costume
That red dress deserves co-writing credit.
Direction
Yves Robert balances cringe and charm without tipping.
Director
Yves Robert
Jean Rochefort
Étienne
Claude Brasseur
Daniel
Guy Bedos
Simon
Victor Lanoux
Bouly
Danièle Delorme
Marthe Dorsay
Anny Duperey
Charlotte
Marthe Villalonga
Mouchy Messina
Louise Conte
Étienne's Godmother
Maurice Bénichou
Gonthier
Christophe Bourseiller
Lucien
Jean Lescot
Worried Patient
Martine Sarcey
Esperanza
Pascale Reynaud
Delphine
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The red dress became so iconic that Anny Duperey kept it, and it defined seventies French cinema's visual language for desire.
This spawned three sequels and an American remake—The Woman in Red with Gene Wilder—proving midlife crisis transcends borders.
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