Thérèse Desqueyroux

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Thérèse Desqueyroux
A poster by Franciszek Starowieyski for a film Thérèse Desqueyroux published in Poland at the time of the film first release.
Directed by	Georges Franju
Produced by	Eugène Lépicier
Written by	François Mauriac (novel /script) Claude Mauriac Georges Franju
Starring	Emmanuelle Riva Philippe Noiret
Music by	Maurice Jarre
Cinematography	Raymond Heil Christian Matras
Editing by	Gilbert Natot
Distributed by	20th Century Fox (Fr.)
Release date(s)	1962
Running time	109 min.
Country	France
Language	French
IMDb profile

Thérèse Desqueyroux is a 1927 novel by François Mauriac.

In 1962 it was made into a French movie directed by Georges Franju, and scripted by him with François and Claude Mauriac. It stars Emmanuelle Riva and Philippe Noiret. Riva won the Volpi Cup for best actress at the Venice Film Festival for her performance.

[edit] Plot

Thérèse is living in a provincial town, unhappily married to Bernard, a boring man and upper-class twit whose only interest is preserving his family name and property. They live in an isolated country mansion surrounded by servants. Early in her marriage her only comfort is her sister-in-law Anne, but Anne later leaves. Desperately lonely and trapped, Thérèse accidentally learns that an increase in Bernard's medication makes him ill. She tries to poison her husband with arsenic, but the dose isn't fatal. Thérèse is arrested, but Bernard refuses to press charges, instead bringing her home to a prison of his own devising. He locks her in a bedroom and allows her only cigarettes and wine. Much later, he frees her for a party, and their friends are shocked at her deterioration. The movie recounts in flashback the circumstances that led to her being charged with poisoning her husband.