The Bride Wore Black

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The Bride Wore Black

The original theatrical poster.
Directed by François Truffaut
Written by François Truffaut
Jean-Louis Richard
William Irish (novel)
Starring Jeanne Moreau
Michel Bouquet
Jean-Claude Brialy
Charles Denner
Michael Lonsdale
Music by Bernard Herrmann
Antonio Vivaldi
Release date(s) April 17, 1968
Running time 107 min
Language French
IMDb profile
This article is about the film. For the novel, see The Bride Wore Black (novel).

The Bride Wore Black (French: La Mariée était en noir) is a 1968 French film directed by François Truffaut and based on the novel of the same name by William Irish. It stars Jeanne Moreau, Charles Denner, Michel Bouquet, Michael Lonsdale, Claude Rich, and Jean-Claude Brialy.

It is a revenge film in which five men make a young bride a widow on her wedding day. She takes her revenge, methodically killing each of the five men using various methods.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Julie Kohler (Jeanne Moreau) is introduced to us trying to commit suicide, only to be stopped by her mother (Luce Fabiole) before she jumps from her window. She is in black clothing and in obvious grief, but the reason is not yet revealed. Suddenly, Julie changes her attitude and informs her mother of her decision to take a long trip to forget. Yet, apparently, this is not what she has in mind, since she gets on the train in the presence of her young niece and then right afterwards steps down from the other side. From this point on it is clear that she has something else in mind.
The next time we see her, her hair is changed, she's in white and looking for a man called Bliss. Bliss Claude Rich, a ladies' man, is having a party on the eve of his wedding but when Julie shows up mysteriously uninvited and totally attractive, he can't resist the temptation to approach her and try to find out whether she is a figure of his past.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Responses

The film received hostile criticism in France on its original release, and Truffaut later admitted that he no longer likes the film, and that the critics were right.[1]

[edit] Influence

  • The film was also the inspiration for Kate Bush's song "The Wedding List" on her album Never for Ever.[citation needed]
  • Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies (2003) bear many similarities to The Bride Wore Black, since they also depict a bride getting revenge on her husband's murderers and crossing them off a list. However, Tarantino has stated that he has never seen the film, and that he derived the plot from the Japanese film Lady Snowblood (1973).[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Truffaut, interview with Richard Roud for Camera Three (1977), released on the Criterion Collection edition of Jules et Jim, Disc 2.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
The Films of François Truffaut
1950s Une Visite • Les Mistons • Une Histoire d'eau • The 400 Blows
1960s Shoot the Piano Player • Jules and Jim • Antoine and Colette • The Soft Skin • Fahrenheit 451 • The Bride Wore Black • Stolen Kisses • Mississippi Mermaid
1970s The Wild Child • Bed and Board • Two English Girls • Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me • Day for Night • The Story of Adele H. • Small Change • The Man Who Loved Women • The Green Room • Love on the Run
1980s The Last Metro • The Woman Next Door • Confidentially Yours
Screenplay only Breathless • The Little Thief • Belle Époque (miniseries)
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