Therese and Isabelle
by Radley Metzger
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Anna Gael, Barbara Laage, Essy Persson, Remy Longa, Simone ParisDirector: Radley Metzger
Brand: First RUN Features
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
Running Time: 118 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-02-21
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: FIRST RUN FEATURES
Movie Reviews of Therese and Isabelle
Movie Review: A classic lesbian coming of age movie
Summary: 5 Stars
This Radley Metzger lesbian coming of age movie from 1968 is a true masterpiece! It is a well-directed, charming and bittersweet piece of nostalgia.
It tells the story of an elegant woman, called Therese, who comes to pay a visit to her former private school. Due to a holiday the school is empty. Wandering through the deserted facility, she begins to reminisce about her past and her encounter with Isabelle a fellow classmate, 20 years ago. Despite certain odds, Therese and Isabelle fell madly in love.
The European influence of its making is undeniable. But it avoids diffuse excursions in intellectualism and, ultimately, boredom. «Therese and Isabelle» is by no mean the usual sexploitation flick. Nonetheless, even if the nudity is rather tame (by standards of the late 60's), it represents an inherent part of the storytelling. The growing attraction between the two main characters is paralleled by the increasingly showing of skin. It gets more and more «daring» as the love affair slightly reaches its climax.
The black and white photography is very sophisticated with nicely crafted crane and wide shots as well as poignant close-ups. Due to its non-linear storytelling, there are also some interesting «virtual» interactions - thanks to invisible fade-outs - between the present day and the past, i. e. between the adult Therese and visions of her vivid memories.
«Therese and Isabelle» does also willfully neglect a lot of conventional clichés. Remember: It has been in 1968. There is no dominating/evil and no submissive/angelic character. Therese and Isabelle both take bold steps to deepen their relationship. They are equals, willing to make their own decisions. And there is no proverbial mob condemning «unnatural behavior». In fact, they simply did not get caught. So, if there is no happy-end it is not because of someone else's malignity. Which is quite refreshing.
Essy Persson (Therese) and Anna Gaël (Isabelle) deliver a very sensitive performance with a naive on-screen chemistry between the two actresses. Persson may have been 27 during the filming process, which sometimes stretches the plausibility of her playing a 17 years old adolescent but, on the other hand, it was a helpful factor when she had to play the older Therese.
The screenplay is based on a mostly autobiographic French novel written by Violette Leduc. «Therese et Isabelle» was first published in 1966 but largely expurgated before publication by feminist icon Simone de Beauvoir (a close friend of Leduc's) due to its alleged unsuitable and graphic content. The definitive edition was finally published in 2000. During the movie, the off-voice of Essy Persson/Therese delivers several suggestive excerpts from the book.
The memorable original score has been penned by Georges Auric, a famous French musician who composed the music for such classics as «Moulin rouge», «The Wages of Fear», «Roman Holiday» and «Lola Montès».
Summary of Therese and Isabelle
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