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7/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Une femme a passé remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Alright, so if you're the type who lives for silent films, especially the ones that really dig into a character's messed-up inner workings, then Une femme a passé might just be for you. It's a deep dive into melodrama, for sure. 🎬
But honestly, if you need quick dialogue, fast edits, or someone to genuinely root for, you're probably gonna be bored stiff. This one’s a slow, deliberate burn, built around a central figure who’s pretty hard to connect with on an emotional level.
Suzanne Talba as Frau Concha? Wow. She really *sells* this whole 'fille perdue' thing. Her eyes, man, they just seem to look right through everyone, like she’s seeing ghosts or something. There's nothing there, no warmth.
You see it in her gestures too. So precise, so deliberate. Never a wasted movement, but also never one that hints at actual feeling. It’s like watching a puppet master, not a person.
There's this moment, early on, where she's talking to one of her admirers, and she just *smiles*. But it’s not a happy smile. It’s a smile that says, “I know exactly what I’m doing to you, and I don’t care.” Chilling. 🥶
The men in this film... they're mostly just putty in her hands. You almost feel bad for them, but also, you're watching it unfold like a car crash. Luc Dartagnan's character, for instance, he practically wilts on screen under her gaze. You can just feel him deflating.
She just drops them, one after another, as soon as she’s bored. No remorse. Just a shrug, a turn of the head, and on to the next. It’s quite something to witness that level of detachment.
One scene, she’s taking money from a guy, and her expression is just so blank. It’s not cunning, not triumphant. Just... transactional. Like she’s buying milk.
The sets are pretty simple, which works. It keeps the focus squarely on Concha and her interactions. Nothing too distracting, which is smart because Talba’s performance is the whole show here.
Sometimes the camera just *lingers* on her face. For a long time. You're left to really sit with that blankness, that lack of... anything. It makes you uncomfortable, in a good way for the movie’s intent.
The pacing, though, can be a bit of a slog when Concha isn’t front and center. When the men are left to their brooding and despair, it feels like it drags. You just want her back on screen, stirring things up again.
I kept wondering, does the film want me to feel anything for her? Even a tiny bit? But then she'd do something else utterly cold, and any flicker of empathy just vanished. It's a stark portrayal, for sure.
That sequence near the end, after everything has gone totally sideways for everyone around her, she’s just… *there*. Standing. Watching. It’s not sad, not triumphant. Just utterly, completely empty. Like a vacuum. 🌬️
“One reaction shot lingers so long it becomes funny.” Not quite funny here, but definitely *unsettling* in its length. It forces you to confront her indifference.
It’s not a film that gives you easy answers or clean resolutions. It just presents a character study of someone truly, deeply unfeeling. And then it just… stops. Like she’s moved on, and we’re left to pick up the pieces.
If you're curious about early portrayals of powerful, almost monstrous female figures in cinema, this is definitely one to check out. It’s a bit of a journey, but Suzanne Talba makes it worth the effort, even if it leaves you feeling a little cold.
IMDb —
1921
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