MovieChat Forums > La dentellière (1977) Discussion > A double tragedy?

A double tragedy?

posted 10 years ago by Charlot47
4 replies | jump to latest

Every viewer must feel for the tragic descent of Béatrice. Her passivity and inability to express herself lead to mental breakdown and a psychiatric hospital. There she at least finds a sort of peace.

Some however have been hostile to François, seeing him as perpetrator rather than another victim. But isn’t he almost her double, a terribly shy only child doing a job (full-time study in his case) that demands little serious interaction with other humans? Béatrice’s only friend is well advanced in sensuality, while the friends of François seem to be ahead of him in political and intellectual awareness.

Isn’t the tragedy that a weak and insecure young man of the upper middle class honestly but mistakenly thought he could make a life with a largely inarticulate working class girl? She could not use words to show her feelings and he could not read them from her actions. Even if he had understood her better, did he have the capacity to give her the love she needed?

[–] DaVooz 10 years ago

I liked reading your post Charlot47 as I also wonder if they could have made it accepting or understanding their differences. I'm in a mess because of a stressfull relationship that runs five and a half years and started with me needing her but saying her it wouldn't work, then her thinking what a gentleman and maybe he can help me. It just doesn't evolve into something constructive and it is emotionally wrecking me.

I remembered having read something in the nature of race, social group and culture being significant factors. You say intelligence is also one of them, I think it's the willingness to try and overcome, the absence or presence of (what I call) mental laziness (or the opposite of that). Pride, convictions of beliefs, stubborness and not being able to communicate (and yet think you dó communicate) are also factors?

François was influenced in a negative way by his entourage and family. Béatrice wasn't very energetic or full of initiative. Well, that's in teh film in an obvious way. I don't Charlot47, I think it's a powerfull story and theme and very, very sad.

with [cheese]

[–] DaVooz 10 years ago

I wrote down the poetry at the end, maybe you could help me with the translation or an analysis? Here it is:

Il sera passé â coté d'elle
juste à côté d'elle sans la voir.
Parce qu'elle était de ces âmes
qui ne font aucun signe, mais qu'il
faut patiemment interroger, sur
lesquelles il faut savoir poser le regard.

Un peintre en aurait
fait autrefois le sujet d'un tableau
de genre. Elle aurait été
Lingère
Porteuse d'eau
ou Dentellière.

Claude Goretta - La Dentellière
d'apres le roman de Pascal Lainé
prix goncourt (editions Gallimard)

with [cheese]

[–] DaVooz 10 years ago

This doesn't seem altogether right though:

It will be passed next to her
right next to it without seeing it.
Because it was one of those souls
who make no sign, but
must patiently question on
which must be able to ask the look. (...interpret the pose, facial expression...)

A painter would
once made the subject of a painting
gender. She was
Lingère
Water Carrier
or Lacemaker.

...He must have gone right by her without even noticing her...
...Because she was one of those undescript people...
...one has to study carefully...
...and read their facial reactions ever so subtly...
...A painter could have made it a subject of a genre piece...
...She was
...Lingère(?)
...Water Carrier
...or Lacemaker.

with [cheese]

[–] DaVooz 10 years ago

I'm sorry to admit I felt the ending was: admitting of ones insignificance. That's terrible to realise...

with [cheese]