Search - Le Jupon Rouge on DVD

Jealousy examined politically.

tamiii | San Juan Capistrano, Ca. United States | 11/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For twenty years, Manuela, a forty-four year old fashion designer, has cared for concentration camp survivor, Bacha, whose important and effective work in Amnesty International Manuela likewise supports. However, when Manuela meets the beautiful twenty-seven Claude, an attraction arises which incites Bacha's jealousy. Author and director Genevieve Lefebvre compares and explains the unfolding dynamics to the human and emotional damage done by torture, which Bacha both suffered and dedicated herself to fight against. Viewers may be reminded of Another Way, Novembermoon, and Maedchen in Uniform where lesbian love stories were likewise given a political meaning."

Not Exactly a Movie

Amos Lassen | Little Rock, Arkansas | 05/08/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

""Le Jupon Rouge"

Not Exactly a Movie

Amos Lassen


"Le Jupon Rouge" stars three excellent actresses but it is something less than a movie. To me it seemed to be more of a radio play. Do not misunderstand me though--it is not a bad movie but it could have been so much better. I think the storyline which is very sketchy is the reason for this. The characters also could have been developed better.
The story rests on a Holocaust survivor played by Alida Valli. She is a political writer and an activist. Her secretary is Marie-Christine Barrault and she is an aide and a friend. Most of the action is spoken out and played off screen. The characters talk about what happened, what was happened and what just happened rather than showing it. This is a pity because we had a chance to see some real emotion and some fine drama. The film has excellent settings but we needed to see what we were hearing about. The Holocaust is a hard subject to deal with but it is a part of our collective history and it certainly was responsible for many changes.
Again, this is not a bad movie--it is disappointing because it could have been an excellent film.
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