A shallow, provincial wife finds her relationship with her preoccupied husband strained by romantic notions, leading her further towards Paris and the country wilderness.
Cinematography
Henri Decae's moonlit river sequence changed how sex looks on film.
Acting
Jeanne Moreau's face does more acting than most scripts.
Director
Louis Malle
Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Tournier
Alain Cuny
Henri Tournier
José Luis de Vilallonga
Raoul Flores
Jean-Marc Bory
Bernard Dubois-Lambert
Judith Magre
Maggy Thiebaut-Leroy
Gaston Modot
Coudray
Michèle Girardon
Secretary
Claude Mansard
Marcelot
Lucienne Hamon
Chantal
Pierre Frag
Gib Grossac
Jean-Claude Brialy
Boy on a ride (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This film triggered the 1960 US Supreme Court case that established 'redeeming social importance' as protection for artistic works, effectively ending the Hays Code's stranglehold.
Malle shot the famous river scene in a single night with a skeleton crew; Moreau was genuinely freezing and later called it 'the most beautiful night of my career.'
FR
