A passionate affair set against the intense encounter between a film-maker and a novelist. The story begins with young scriptwriter François tracking down the author of a once-scandalous novel. His aim is to adapt the work for the screen but several elements of the novel he finds difficult to comprehend. The author, Jeanne, is initially cautious of relaying information, insisting the presumably autobiographical book in no way relates to her personal life. However, eventually she takes the man into confidence to tell the background of Benvenuta.
Acting
Fanny Ardant's mercurial presence—every glance withholds and reveals.
Direction
Delvaux stages desire like a séance, never quite showing the ghost.
Director
André Delvaux
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Delvaux adapted this from Suzanne Lilar's novel, itself a meditation on her own marriage—so it's adaptations all the way down.
The film's structure mirrors psychoanalysis: François as analyst, Jeanne as analysand, the 'truth' always deferred and reconstructed.
FR
