STORY OF WOMEN (DVD/1.66/MONO/1988/ENG-SUB) DVD

Story of Women
The women in this story are the customers of amateur abortionist Isabelle Huppert. The time is 1941, and the place is a Nazi-occupied French town. Struggling to survive, Huppert turns to illegally terminating unwanted pregnancies for a hefty fee. As her income increases, Huppert moves her family from their grimy surroundings to a posh apartment, sharing her digs with her new friend, prostitute Marie Trintignant. Completely seduced by her affluent lifestyle, Huppert ignores her shell-shocked husband Francois Cluzet, preferring to dally with Nazi collaborator Nils Tavernier. Things take a disastrous turn after one of Huppert's "customers" dies and her disgruntled husband turns her over to the authorities. Story of Women was inspired by the real-life tale of Marie-Louise Girard, who in 1943 was executed by the Vichy Government, who'd declared abortion as a Crime Against the State because it diminished the number of potential soldiers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Isabelle Huppert as Marie François Cluzet as Paul Marie Trintignant as Lulu/Lucie Nils Tavernier as Lucien Lolita Chammah as Aurore Gauvin as Guillaume Foutrier as Marie Bunel as Ginette Dominique Blanc as Jasmine

Crew Francoise Benoit-Fresco - Art Director Corinne Jorry - Costume Designer Alain Wermus - First Assistant Director Michel Dupuy - First Assistant Director Claude Chabrol - Director Monique Fardoulis - Editor Matthieu Chabrol - Composer (Music Score) Francoise Benoit-Fresco - Production Designer Jean Rabier - Cinematographer Yvon Crenn - Production Manager Marin Karmitz - Producer Jean-Bernard Thomasson - Sound/Sound Designer Claude Chabrol - Screenwriter Colo Tavernier O'Hagan - Screenwriter Francis Szpiner - Short Story Author

Story of Women
A quietly observed true-life tale, The Story of Women neatly avoids lionizing its central figure, based on Marie-Louise Girard, who was executed for performing illegal abortions in Vichy France. Marie is a woman with a practical disposition; when a friend asks Marie to help her terminate her pregnancy and the result is successful, Marie realizes that there is more to life than a loveless marriage to a husband suffering from shell shock. She is not, in short, a moral crusader, but a businesswoman, and her practicality extends to having an affair with a collaborator who can provide her with some measure of sexual pleasure. Rarely cracking even a tiny smile, Isabelle Huppert makes Marie a rather chilly character, but you can't help admiring her resourcefulness in the midst of a population that director Claude Chabrol portrays as either walking dead or opportunistic traitors. Standing up to the swinish Vichy authorities at the story's end, Marie finally comes off as a figure of dignity. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
 

Isabelle Huppert: Venice International Film Festival, Volpi Cup for Best Actress (winner)

Golden Globe, Best Foreign Language Film (nominated) Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Best Foreign Film (winner) National Board of Review, Best Foreign Film (winner) New York Film Critics Circle, Best Foreign Film (winner)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French Subtitle Options: English Sound Processing: Additional Features: New Digital transfer, enhanced for 16x9 televisions Scene comments by Claude Chabrol Presentation by critic Joël Magny Interviews with producer Marin Karmitz and writer Francis Szpiner Director filmography Original French theatrical trailer Essay by film critic and author Wheeler Winston Dixon DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1: Vistavision MPAA Rating: DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 108 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Madame Latour [6:12] 2. A Favor [6:58] 3. Hard Times [7:57] 4. The Gift [3:07] 5. Lucie/Lulu [9:36] 6. A New Profession [4:24] 7. The Proposition [6:23] 8. Nazi Games [4:24] 9. Desperate Measures [6:51] 10. Lucien [3:21] 11. Consequences [6:02] 12. Dirty Job [5:07] 13. Women's Business [1:12] 14. Discovery [4:45] 15. Betrayal [1:59] 16. Detained [5:28] 17. State Pawn [3:37] 18. Maximum Penalty [8:31] 19. Moral Restoration [3:00] 20. End Credits [6:34]