Les Seins de glace (1974)
Directed by Georges Lautner

Film Review

Although he is best remembered for his eccentric comedies, notably Les Tontons flingueurs (1963), Georges Lautner also directed a number of respectable thrillers, in the classic French policier mould.  Les Seins de glace is one such film and, thanks mainly to some respectable acting performances and glossy production values, it stands as one of Lautner's most memorable forays into the realm of psychological thriller.

The film is based on a novel by the American writer Richard Matheson, although Lautner made a number of significant changes to give the central story a more human dimension.  With one notable exception, every character in the film appears to be the villain and even when it is obvious who the murderer is the sense of mystery and intrigue prevails right up to the end.  The film's first half is particularly well-constructed, creating a mood and style that is unmistakably Hitchcockian.  Some downplayed comic touches lighten the tone appropriately in just the right places, just before another chilling plot development hits us in the face.  Things become tangled in the second half as the film begins to resemble more and more a conventional crime-thriller, although the beautifully framed, and highly poignant, ending is certainly worth holding out for.

The film stars real-life couple Alain Delon and Mireille Darc.  Unusually, Delon allows himself to stay in the background for much of the film, allowing the alluring Mireille Darc to take centre stage.  It is more Darc's film than Delon's, and the beautiful blond actress gives what is most likely her best performance as the mysterious Peggy.  Never has Darc's “come hither” smile appeared so sinister as in this film, creating just the right note of ambiguity for us to ponder on her character's sanity.   Only Claude Brasseur's “love is blind” romantic optimism persuades us otherwise - which probably explains why the truth, when it is revealed to us, is so hard to accept, and so utterly shocking.

Film Synopsis

A television scriptwriter François Rollin is walking on the beach in Nice when he encounters Peggy, a mysterious blonde to whom he is instantly attracted.  Despite her attempts to push him away, François trails Peggy to her home - a secluded villa - where he sees her embrace another man.  The latter turns out to be Peggy's lawyer, Marc Rilson, who warns François that the young woman is mentally ill.  According to Marc, Peggy killed her husband and is incapable of having a normal relationship with any man.  François is immediately suspicious and, realising that Peggy is in great danger, decides to rent an apartment with her.  The plan goes horribly wrong…