Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne (1945)
There are certain actors that are simply born for the camera. Spanish-French actress Marìa Casares , best remembered for her magnificent performance in Jean Cocteau's Orpheus , was one of them. Her face, simultaneously mask-like and expressive, is the key element to the success of Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne , Robert Bresson's second feature film. Bresson, better known for movies like A Man Escaped (1956) and Au hasard Balthazar (1966), went on to become one of the most prominent exponents of minimalist cinema: Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne is among his least remembered work and it's quite easy to see it's an early work - its austere, affected style contrasts strikingly with the director's following production, acclaimed and respected for its authenticity. Still, Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne remains a great film on its own right, a captivating tale of love and betrayal that might not be representative of the director's distinctive style but that is still...