Le Miroir à deux faces
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Le Miroir a deux faces | |
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Directed by | André Cayatte |
Written by | André Cayatte Gérard Oury dialogue: Jean Meckert |
Produced by | Henry Deutschmeister Alain Poiré Robert Sussfeld (executive producer) |
Starring | Michèle Morgan Bourvil Ivan Desny |
Cinematography | Christian Matras |
Edited by | Paul Cayatte |
Music by | Louiguy |
Production companies | CEI Incom Franco London Films Paris Union Films Société Nouvelle des Établissements Gaumont (SNEG) |
Distributed by | Société des Etablissements L. Gaumont |
Release date |
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Running time | 96 minutes |
Countries | France Italy |
Language | French |
Le Miroir à deux faces is a 1958 French drama film directed by André Cayatte who co-wrote screenplay with Gérard Oury, Jean Meckert and . The film stars Michèle Morgan, Bourvil and Ivan Desny. It was called The Mirror Has Two Faces in English, but this is not the literal translation; the word is à ("with") not a ("has"), and so would be better translated as The Two-Sided Mirror.[1]
The film was loosely remade in the U.S. as The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996) adapted by Richard LaGravenese, and starring Barbra Streisand and Jeff Bridges.
Synopsis[]
Pierre Tardivet, a professor, marries Marie-José Vauzange, a sensitive and intelligent girl who is physically unattractive. Tardivet soon begins to treat Marie-José cruelly, making her life very unpleasant and joyless. Two children are born from the marriage. Then, Tardivet suffers a car accident and is tended by Dr. Bosc, a famous plastic surgeon. Bosc operates on Marie-José and transforms her into a beautiful woman. Tardivet then begins to treat her even more cruelly. He becomes embittered and hateful towards Marie-José because her changed appearance makes him think she is no longer his. Marie-José and her sister's husband, Gérard Durieu, want to elope and restart their lives, but they are stopped when Pierre Tardivet kills Dr. Bosc. This dramatic act recalls Marie-José to her duties as a wife and mother, and she renounces her happiness to tend to her husband and children.
Cast[]
- Michèle Morgan - Marie-José
- Bourvil - Tardivet
- Ivan Desny - Gérard
- - Véronique
- Gérard Oury - Dr. Bosc
- Sandra Milo - Ariane
- Georgette Anys - Mme. Benoit
- Julien Carette - M. Benoit
- Georges Chamarat - M. Vauzanges
- Jane Marken - Mme. Vauzanges
- Sylvie - Mme. Tardivet
Critical reception[]
Time Out wrote: "Interesting to re-view this in the light of the Streisand 'remake', though any resemblance are so superficial as to appear coincidental," and added that "Cayatte shows his customary relish for the unpleasant: the nightmare honeymoon in Venice is richly detailed and Sylvie sketches in the quietly venomous mother-in-law with her usual economy. If Streisand's film was quintessential '90s Hollywood feel good, this is equally characteristic '50s French astringency."[2] TV Guide commented: "The filmmakers do a fine job of delving into the problems people face when a fairy tale-like transformation takes place, though the film suffers from an over-analysis of the situation. Also, Morgan is too glamorous to pull off the type of physical transformation that occurs."[3]
References[]
- ^ Mordden, Ethan (11 April 2019). On Streisand: An Opinionated Guide. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190651770 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Le Miroir a deux faces". Time Out London. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
- ^ "The Mirror Has Two Faces | TV Guide". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
External links[]
- Le Miroir a deux faces at Films de France
- Le Miroir a deux faces at Alice Cineme
- Le Miroir �� deux faces at IMDb
- Le Miroir à deux faces at AllMovie
- 1958 films
- French-language films
- Films directed by André Cayatte
- French films
- 1950s French film stubs