Mississippi Mermaid
- Director François Truffaut
- Starring Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Nelly Borgeaud
-
We Say
-
Jean-Paul Belmondo is Louis Mahe, owner of a cigarette factory on the French colonial island of Reunion. He orders a bride by mail and instead receives a beautiful imposter, delivered to him on the titular boat. Bewitched, he marries her anyway, a move that leads to murder, theft and potentially, a life on the run. But he doesn’t regret it one bit.
One of Truffaut’s lesser known films, the plot is pure pulp-naïf, chock full with clanging coincidences and the occasional implausibility too far (as if a man packing the sexual oomph of Belmondo would have to resort to a mail order bride for companionship). But it’s an exhilarating thriller, dashing from the sun-dappled colonies to snowbound rural Switzerland, veering from melodrama to horror (Louis’ discovery of his potential fate via a cartoon strip is chilling) and unremittingly adult in its treatment of human relationships.
Christopher Brocklebank
Christopher is a freelance writer, editor and Northern expat who lives in the badlands of south-east London. He is currently writing a book about British horror films of a trashier era (i.e. the 1970s).
Latest from Christopher Brocklebank
Leave a comment
Make sure you enter the (*) required information where indicated.
Basic HTML code is allowed.
