La Femme fardée (1990)
Directed by José Pinheiro

Film Review

Françoise Sagan's novel La Femme fardée (a.k.a. The Painted Lady) gets badly mauled in this listless adaptation, an attractively photographed film which fails to sparkle in spite of its glittering cast.  José Pinheiro was probably not the most suitable director to adapt Sagan's psychological novel, his talents being best suited for gritty thrillers, such as Parole de flic (1985) and Ne réveillez pas un flic qui dort (1988), which starred Alain Delon.  The latter's son Anthony is one of the celebrity actors who allowed themselves to be roped into Pinheiro's La Femme fardée, although he fails to have much of an impact, his semi-nude scenes with Jeanne Moreau being more nauseous than erotic.  Jacqueline Maillan and André Dussollier are mostly wasted in a film that starts out looking like an Agatha Christie mystery but too quickly reveals itself as a sluggish comedy-drama without a corpse in sight.  The subtlety of Sagan's complex novel clearly went over the heads of the screenwriters, who end up delivering a dreary succession of vignettes that struggle to hold the viewer's attention.  Raoul Coutard's eye-catching cinematography provides a badly needed gloss to this lacklustre film.

Film Synopsis

As a cruise liner sets out to sea its passengers can have no idea of the stormy passage that lies ahead.  Armand Bautet-Lebrêche, a powerful magnate, is accompanied by his stunning wife Edma, who amuses herself with her fellow passengers - Éric Lethuillier, the owner of a leftwing newspaper who likes to taunt his wife Clarisse, an alcoholic heiress who overdoes the make-up; Simon Béjard, a populist filmmaker travelling with aspiring actress Olga; Andréas Fayard, a professional gigolo in search of a fortune; and Julien Peyrat, a louche auctioneer.  Entertainment is provided by the world-famous singer La Doria and renowned pianist Kreuze.  As Andréas sets about seducing La Doria, Julien takes an interest in Clarisse as he looks for a buyer for a painting entitled La femme fardée...