English Title: The Smiling Madame Beudet
Directed by: Germaine Dulac
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: Madame Beudet (Germaine Dermoz) is an unhappily married woman who is driven to thoughts of murder by her insensitive husband (Alexandre Arquillière).
Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): Monsieur Beudet owns a tabby and white cat which appears halfway through the film. The cat rides on Monsieur Beudet’s shoulder as he walks down the stairs.
The cat is held and cuddled by Monsieur Beudet in another scene which Madame Beudet appears to be remembering.
Later Madame Beudet is startled by a noise at the door and opens it quickly, only to have the cat run into the room.
Sitting down on a bed, Madame Beudet calls to the cat, who seems reluctant to come to her. In fact it appears that someone had to throw the cat in her direction from offscreen. In the next shot she picks up the cat and holds it tightly. This tender moment is disrupted when she hears something and jumps up, throwing the cat to the floor.
The cat appears once more, racing down the stairs after a gunshot.
Final Mewsings: Cats don’t like being in the middle of marital strife.
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