La vérité (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

Brigette Bardot acts like a copy of herself. She is the villainess who drives the film. She wants to kill herself but kills her lover instead. And then commits suicide. Her acting is FINE. I liked this film.

Brigitte Bardot is excellent, as are the rest of the cast. The film centers on a trial of Bardot's character for the murder of her lover, and the story of the relationship is told by flashbacks. Really worth seeing.

Entertaining

It's Bridget what more can you say

Very good story and shows the range of Bardot's acting ability more than anyof her other movies.

I had not seen this film since the 60's and enjoyed it!

Fine

Let me begin with a rather categorical statement: Henri-Georges Clouzot’s _La Vérité_ (1960) is a courtroom drama for people who are not mad about courtroom dramas. I count _12 Angry Men_ (Sidney Lumet, 1957), _Anatomy of a Murder_ (Otto Preminger, 1959), _Witness for the Prosecution_ (Billy Wilder, 1957), and _To Kill a Mockingbird_ (Robert Mulligan, 1962) among my favorite films, but I am not necessarily a fan of the genre. I would go as far as to say that I have a bias against it: courtroom dramas often seem slow to me, and I am personally not interested in the process they depict. When I watched the original _Law & Order_, I was more interested in the police investigation than in the second part of the show. _La Vérité_, however, kept me interested from beginning to end, and while when it comes to Clouzot I will always prefer _Diabolique_ (1955), the film under consideration here is one I will not soon forget.Dominique Marceau (Brigitte Bardot) is a lively, passionate small-town girl who accompanies her sister Annie, a musician, in her move to Paris. Dominique finds out that the big city has much to offer in terms of fun, but failing to secure a job, she falls in with the wrong crowd after Annie kicks her out of the apartment. Enter Gilbert (Sami Frey), a conductor and Annie’s boyfriend, who is smitten by the gorgeous Dominique. _La Vérité_ portrays the relationship between these mismatched lovers. As the film begins, Dominique is on trial for the murder of Gilbert._La Vérité_ employs a narrative technique that is popular with courtroom dramas: it presents the story in a series of flashbacks as the case is discussed in court. This is the main reason why I have described it as a courtroom drama for everyone, not only for enthusiasts of the genre. The film is also fast-paced, and especially in the first half of the movie, the courtroom scenes have just the right amount of humor to make the viewing experience enjoyable for all sorts of viewers. Clouzot, as you know if you have seen _Diabolique_, knows how to keep the audience’s attention.Brigitte Bardot is flawless as Dominique. Like Marilyn Monroe, she was often exploited for her physical attributes, but _La Vérité_ is one of the films that allowed her to show her impressive acting skills. Another example would be Godard’s _Contempt_ (1963). While both of these films feature scenes of Bardot wearing nothing or next to nothing, this is not done in an exploitative fashion, but is rather in keeping with the characters she plays. Sami Frey, for his part, is convincing in his portrayal of an insecure young man who manages to charm a woman apparently out of his league.Many courtroom dramas save a surprise for the end. So does _La Vérité_, but in a different way, and that is all I will say. The last sentence came as a punch in the stomach. Also like many other films that belong to the genre, _La Vérité_ puts society on trial, exposing its cynicism and hypocrisy.The Criterion Collection DVD includes the following extras:* _Le scandale Clouzot_ (62 minutes): a 2017 documentary by Pierre-Henri Gibert that traces Clouzot’s life and career. It features interviews with Clouzot, other filmmakers, and several people who were close to him, such as his brother and actors/actresses who worked with him. An excellent introduction for those who are new to this great, controversial filmmaker.* 1960 Interview with Clouzot (5 minutes): the filmmaker discusses the impossibility of judging another person impartially, which is the main theme of _La Vérité_. He also reveals that, originally, he had Sophia Loren in mind for the role of Dominique. Especially interesting are his comments on working with Bardot.* 1982 Interview with Bardot (20 minutes): focusing mostly on Bardot’s personal life and the brutal way in which the press followed her, the interview also includes comments on her work in _La Vérité_.I cannot believe I had not heard of _La Vérité_ before. It has renewed my interest in the work of Clouzot, whom I only know through _Diabolique_. I will now make a point of watching as many of his films as I can find.Next on my list by Clouzot, _The Wages of Fear_.Thanks for reading, and enjoy the film!

El producto llegó sin problemas y antes de la fecha indicada, el precio fue muy bueno tomando en cuenta que pertenece a la Criterion Collection, que por lo general tiene artículos muy caros.

Es un festival para cualquier cinéfiloProducto muy completo y muy cuidado(a mi juicio solo faltaría incluir el trailer del film)Igualmente es una joya de coleccionismo

L'envoi du chef-d'oeuvre d'Henri-Georges Clouzot, "La vérité", s'accomplit dans les meilleurs délais et arriva dans un état irréprochable. La somptueuse édition "Coin de mire" chez qui il ressort, après une ancienne diffusion chez "René Chateau" au début des années 2000, rend en outre honneur au meilleur long métrage de Brigitte Bardot (avec le sketch des "Histoires extraordinaires", "William Wilson"), à laquelle Marie-José Nat, Sami Frey, Charles Vanel, Paul Meurisse et le débutant Jacques Perrin donnent également la réplique. Il convient par conséquent de louer le sérieux, l'efficacité et la minutie du revendeur.

I first saw La Verite when it came out in theaters almost 60 years ago. I enjoyed the movie and would have given it 5 stars then. I enjoyed watching it again in DVD and rate it as 5 stars but for entirely different reasons than the first time. In this movie, G.H. Clouzot ("Le corbeau", "The wages of fear", etc.) shows the duel of two attorneys in a French courthouse: they are fighting on the level of guilt of Dominique Marceau (Brigitte Bardot), a young woman who confessed shooting and killing her ex-lover, a promising young maestro. When the movie was made, France was still a very moralistic and prude society, where the laws and rules had been established by men. Bardot, internationally the most famous French woman at the time, publicized a life style at the opposite of the French middle class moral conventions. She was a very poor actress but her very free lifestyle was very much in tune with her part in the movie. In contrast, Dominique's sister (Marie Josee Nat), under the gentlest appearance, hides a calculating, petty, and vindictive character, and exhibits all the conformism of the middle class. The movie was about French society.The French society has much evolved since then, but today the movie remains fascinating for a different reason. It shows the duel between two attorneys, neither of them really interested in "The Truth", but determined to win by any means. And if the defense attorney (Charles Vanel) appears more compassionate than his opponent (Paul Meurisse), his last words ("next week, we shall be in his shoes") reveal that he is just as cynical. It sounds very pertinent today. But also, the movie is worth watching just for the superb acting of the two attorneys. As an additional treat, Clouzot who filmed several concerts (e.g. Verdi's requiem directed by Karajan) shows his love of classical music by inserting some nice scenes of orchestral performance of spectacular pieces. I enjoyed them very much.

Criterion as always went far and beyond!Thank you!