La Vérité (1960) ****
Henri-Georges Clouzot's La Vérité (The Truth) (1960) is different than the average courtroom drama in that the matter of guilt is not what is in question when it comes to a young woman's having killed her former lover. Rather, what the court is out to prove is whether the killing was premeditated or a crime of passion.
Brigitte Bardot as Dominique Marceau is electrifying on screen, here given a full range of emotions to act with—from playful/sexy to pouty/cranky to barren/destitute to hysterical/suicidal. The action is pretty closely split down the middle between the courtroom and flashbacks, painting a picture of Dominique's backstory and playing with structure in an almost Rashomon-like way at times.
The film succeeds in bending the viewer to its will, as I found my allegiance subconsciously shifting back and forth, both based on Dominique's actions and her cruel treatment at the hands of the prosecution (lead by a ruthless Paul Meurisse). La Vérité makes one wonder how it is ever truly possible to judge a person objectively, without personal biases or moralistic standards entirely influencing the decision-making process.
Brigitte Bardot as Dominique Marceau is electrifying on screen, here given a full range of emotions to act with—from playful/sexy to pouty/cranky to barren/destitute to hysterical/suicidal. The action is pretty closely split down the middle between the courtroom and flashbacks, painting a picture of Dominique's backstory and playing with structure in an almost Rashomon-like way at times.
The film succeeds in bending the viewer to its will, as I found my allegiance subconsciously shifting back and forth, both based on Dominique's actions and her cruel treatment at the hands of the prosecution (lead by a ruthless Paul Meurisse). La Vérité makes one wonder how it is ever truly possible to judge a person objectively, without personal biases or moralistic standards entirely influencing the decision-making process.
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