Bulle Ogier opens the secret door to debasement
Barbet Schroeder's Maitresse, from 1976, struck me as one of his more entertaining efforts. Schroeder seems fixated on the balance of power in relationships: think of the tugs of war between the antagonists in Single White Female, Reversal of Fortune, Barfly and General Idi Amin Dada : A Self Portrait. In Maitresse, a dominatrix schools a young drifter in the proprieties of bourgeoise convention while he, in return, opens up her to a less rigid and proscribed lifestyle.
Gerard Depardieu and Bulle Ogier provide a nice contrast as the two leads. Depardieu plays an aimless sociopath, bread and butter for him early in his career, with apish charm. Ogier, a wisp of a woman compared to her hulking co-star, is wonderful as a seasoned pro used to retaining control whose passion bucket is upended by her lover. Despite the torture and S/M paraphernalia, Schroeder's tone here is wryly comic. This is a comedy of manners where the mismatched partners must learn to compromise in order to coexist. Ogier and Schroeder announced their engagement after filming wrapped, so it is not hard seeing Maitresse as a cockeyed work of romantic devotion. An early closeup of Ogier topped by a halo of fluorescent light tips us to Schroeder's passion. (8/8/19)
Gerard Depardieu and Bulle Ogier provide a nice contrast as the two leads. Depardieu plays an aimless sociopath, bread and butter for him early in his career, with apish charm. Ogier, a wisp of a woman compared to her hulking co-star, is wonderful as a seasoned pro used to retaining control whose passion bucket is upended by her lover. Despite the torture and S/M paraphernalia, Schroeder's tone here is wryly comic. This is a comedy of manners where the mismatched partners must learn to compromise in order to coexist. Ogier and Schroeder announced their engagement after filming wrapped, so it is not hard seeing Maitresse as a cockeyed work of romantic devotion. An early closeup of Ogier topped by a halo of fluorescent light tips us to Schroeder's passion. (8/8/19)
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