Maîtresse

Maîtresse
Maîtresse
Directed by	Barbet Schroeder
Written by	Barbet Schroeder; Paul Voujargol
Produced by	Pierre Andrieux
Starring	Gérard Depardieu; Bulle Ogier
Cinematography	Néstor Almendros
Music by	Carlos d'Alessio
Release date	1976;
Running time	112 minutes
Language	French

Maîtresse (French for "mistress" or "teacher") is a 1975 French film directed by Barbet Schroeder, starring Bulle Ogier and, in one of his earliest leading roles, Gérard Depardieu. The film provoked controversy in the United Kingdom and the United States because of its graphic depictions of sado-masochism.

Plot[]

Olivier (Depardieu) is a small-time crook. He and a friend happen to meet a woman, Ariane (Ogier) whose plumbing needs to be fixed. They fix the pipes and learn that the landlord downstairs is away. They take the opportunity to burgle him. However they discover that in fact downstairs Ariane has a torture chamber—she is a professional dominatrix. At Ariane's request, Olivier assists her with her work and slowly becomes obsessed with her, but struggles with her sado-masochistic activities. Olivier tries to understand and take control of Ariane, whom he believes frightened in her job; however, as their love blossoms, their natural roles of dominant and submissive cannot be overcome.

Cast[]

Gérard Depardieu as Olivier
Bulle Ogier as Ariane
André Rouyer as Mario
as Lucienne
Roland Bertin as Man in Cage
as Emile
Holger Löwenadler as Gautier

Release in the United Kingdom[]

Maîtresse was first submitted to the British Board of Film Classification in 1976. Examiners' reports agreed that the film was well made and not exploitative, but under their censorship standards of the time it had to be refused a certificate: "the actual scenes of fetishism are miles in excess of anything we have ever passed in this field".^[1] This meant that it could not be shown in a public cinema and instead was given showings in private cinema clubs. However in 1980 the film was subsequently re-examined for public release by the BBFC, and in February 1981 was granted an 'X' certificate in a cut version. To gain the certificate, a total of 4 minutes and 47 seconds' footage was removed from three scenes, most notably the scene in which Ariane nails a client's scrotum to a plank of wood, an act that was not simulated (and was not performed onscreen by Bulle Ogier^[2]). In 2003, the film was submitted for a third time, and was passed for an 18 certificate with all previous cuts waived.

In November 2012, Maîtresse was released in a new Blu-ray Disc/DVD dual-format edition by the BFI, its first appearance on Blu-ray Disc.

The film was rated X in the United States.

The film was rated R18 in New Zealand for sexual violence, sex scenes and offensive language.

Reception[]

John Simon wrote "Maîtresse fails both as serious filmmaking and pornography".^[3]

References[]

^ BBFC examiners' report, 14 October 1976, PDF included on BFI Maîtresse DVD.
^ Bulle Ogier interview, Films Illustrated magazine, October 1980.
^ Simon, John (1983). John Simon: Something to Declare Twelve Years Of Films From Abroad. Clarkson N. Potter Inc. p. 318.

External links[]

Maîtresse at IMDb
Maîtresse at Rotten Tomatoes
Maîtresse at AllMovie
Maîtresse an essay by Elliott Stein at the Criterion Collection

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[1] BBFC examiners' report, 14 October 1976, PDF included on BFI Maîtresse DVD.

[2] Bulle Ogier interview, Films Illustrated magazine, October 1980.

[3] Simon, John (1983). John Simon: Something to Declare Twelve Years Of Films From Abroad. Clarkson N. Potter Inc. p. 318.

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