MADEMOISELLE

 

Once upon a time this might have been directed by King Vidor with Bette Davis as the sexually frustrated schoolteacher but I doubt that even Miss Davis could have gotten up to the mischief Jeanne Moreau does here. "Mademoiselle" is Tony Richardson's hugely underrated, Jean Genet scripted tale of sexual obsession with Moreau's passion for handsome woodcutter Ettore Manni driving her to commit arson, flood farms and poison the water.

Vidor, of course, would have made this material even more hysterical than it is and probably a lot camper but Richardson and Genet manage to keep it in check and there is a shocking matter-of-factness about Moreau's actions where the distinction between pure evil and simple psychological malajustment becomes increasingly blurred.

Genet never 'explains' Moreau although her tendency to wear high heels and dress in her Sunday best while commiting her crimes sends its own kinky message. Filmed in France, released in English and magnificently photographed in black and white Panavision by David Watkins, this gem has never been given its dues and is largely unknown. See it at all costs.