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Thrse Raquin (1953 film)
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Wikipedia article
'Thrse Raquin' (also 'The Adultress') is a 1953 French-Italian drama film directed by Marcel Carn and starring Simone Signoret, Raf Vallone and Jacques Duby.Hayward p. 244 The story is loosely based on the 1867 novel of the same title by mile Zola but with the setting updated to 1953.Goble p. 979 It was shot at the Neuilly Studios in Paris and on location in Lyon. The film's sets were designed by the art director Paul Bertrand. It was screened at the 14th Venice International Film Festival where it won the Silver Lion.
Plot
Thrse, an orphan, has been brought up by her widowed aunt in a dingy backstreet shop in Lyon and married to her sickly first cousin Camille. Into their stifling existence comes Laurent, a lively Italian truck driver. He is immediately struck by Thrse, who succumbs to him but will not abandon her husband and aunt. Once aware of the relationship, Camille and his mother plot to get rid of Thrse.
Camille will take her to Paris and hand her over to another aunt, but Laurent climbs onto the train and, his temper overcoming him, pushes Camille out in the dark at full speed. He slips out at the next stop and Thrse maintains to the police that she was asleep in her compartment the whole time. The news of Camille's death gives his mother a stroke that leaves her speechless, cared for by Thrse who warns Laurent to stay away and not attract police attention.
However there was another man asleep in Thrse's compartment on the train and, when he sees the newspaper reports, comes down to Lyon and asks for half a million francs to stay silent. Knowing that Thrse and Laurent might kill him rather than pay, he leaves a letter with the maid in his hotel, asking her to post it to the police if he does not return. They manage to find 400,000 francs, which he accepts and gives them a signed receipt but, on leaving, he is knocked over by a lorry and dies. The film ends as the maid takes his letter to the post.
Cast
*Simone Signoret as Thrse Raquin
*Raf Vallone as Laurent LeClaire
*Jacques Duby as Camille Raquin
*Sylvie as Madame Raquin
*Maria Pia Casilio as Georgette, la bonne
*Marcel Andr as Michaud
*Martial Rbe as Grivet
* Paul Frankeur as Le contrleur
* Alain Terrane as Un camionneur
* Bernard Vron as Le postier
* Francette Vernillat as Franoise, la bossue
* Lucien Hubert as Le chef de gare de Dijon
* Madeleine Barbule as Madame Noblet, une cliente
* Nerio Bernardi as Le mdecin
* Roland Lesaffre as Riton, le matelot matre-chanteur
References
Bibliography
* Goble, Alan. 'The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film'. Walter de Gruyter, 1999.
* Hayward, Susan. 'Simone Signoret: The Star as Cultural Sign'. Continuum, 2004.
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