The Duchess of Langeais

This exquisite period film represents the reunion of actress Jeanne Balibar, who plays the title role, and French New Wave director Jacques Rivette, who directed Balibar in his hit VA SAVOIR. Antoinette (Balibar) is the Duchess, a married coquette who frequents the most extravagant balls in 1820's Paris during The Restoration. Hypocrisy and vanity reign. Handsome general Armand de Montriveau (Guillaume Depardieu) feels true love upon first meeting the Duchess. Flattered, the alluring Antoinette orchestrates a calculated game of seduction, but repeatedly refuses the general. Despite his sincere romantic declarations, Montriveau's passion remains unfulfilled. When he eventually seeks revenge, Antoinette's love awakens. But it may well be too late for the star-crossed lovers. "In Jacques Rivette's remarkable THE DUCHESS OF LANGEAIS, romantic devotion becomes a perverse kind of warfare, in which a lover who admits that he's in love loses the campaign." - Denby, NEW YORKER. From IFC Films.