MADAME ROSA.
France, 1977, 120 Minutes, Colour.
Simone Signoret, Claude Dauphin, Samy Ben Youb, Gabriel Jabbour.
Directed by Moshe Mizrahi.
Oscar, Best Foreign Film, 1977, perhaps indicating a move towards sentiment and hope, this generally gentle, painful story concerns an old prostitute, Jewish with memories of Auschwitz, a Muslim Algerian boy, son of pimp and prostitute in the racial melting pot of Paris. It is concerned with love, family, deep needs, illness and death. Simone Signoret's commanding presence gives the film great strength, especially in the unflinching treatment of the themes of ageing, ugliness, the presence or absence of God and death. The film is also a symbol of Jewish- Arab harmony, one feels that the audience's being immersed in this sometimes sordid, often loving, world, is a Gospel kind of experience.
1. The success of the film as popular entertainment? For French audiences, Jewish, Arab audiences? International? Its receiving the Oscar as the Best Foreign Film? Indication of the tempo and tone of the 70s?
2. The quality of Simone Signoret's presence and performance? How much did the success of the film rely on her?
3. The conventional material in the story ? the story of the ageing prostitute with the heart of gold, the prostitute type in France? Her Jewish background and Auschwitz? Children, the bond between an old woman and a young boy? How authentically were these conventional themes treated, with realism, with sentiment, appropriate?
4. The appeal of the young boy, the boy without parents, the boy seeking a substitute mother, the emotions in a young boy at the verge of puberty? The seeing of Madame Rosa through his eyes and his pain and love?
5. The French atmosphere of the film, the atmosphere of the presentation of French prostitutes on the screen, the sympathetic presentation? The background of the war, concentration camps, Paris in the 70s? Paris as an international melting pot?
6. The background of Jewish-Arab? relationships and hostilities? The bonding of the two in this film? Jewish-Arab? and religious background, political implications, social implications?
7. Paris as the setting, its streets, tenements, shops? The Jewish section? The prostitutes and their world? The amalgam of the races, black and white, Algerians?
8. The introduction to Madame Rosa and the constant use of this title, also for Madame Lola? Catching her in the street returning from shopping, the people greeting her and her popularity, her strength to climb the stairs, the welcoming of people in the apartment, the snubbing of the old man who was dying, the collage of the children and their love and attention to Madame Rosa? The situation of her caring for the children? The introduction to Momo and his closeness to Madame Rosa and her relying on him? The rest of the film as illustrating the bond between the two?
9. The information about her house, living there for twenty years, the sixth floor, the ageing prostitute retired and looking after prostitutes' children? The cheques supporting her? The visits of the parents? The meals and their living together, her educating them, respecting their background culture and religion? Keeping the secrets of their origins? True and false documents? Her being a mother to these children and their need for a substitute mother? The need for love in their lives? The comments made throughout the film on the children of prostitutes?
10. The film's portrayal of the people in the apartment block: the Algerians and their help, bringing the doctor, Madame Lola and her giving money, her kindness (the explanation of her boxing background), the old man who seemed to snub her and then paid her a visit and brought her flowers when she was well, the impact of his death and the ambulance coming? People's willingness to help her?
11. The film's drawing of the character of Madame Rosa: her age, her work, the significance of her life and her memories, her pride, her lover who betrayed her, memories of Auschwitz and their repercussions on suffering, her attitude towards God? The importance of her Jewish hideaway and her going there during the night, Momo taking her there to die, her wanting to pray there? Her illness, fear of cancer, overeating, the turns that she had, the affecting of her brain? The significance of her phobia about hospitals, her discussions with Dr. Katz? The visuals of her illness, her spasms? The imagination of the S.S. coming to get her? Her being ill in bed and people looking after her, especially Madame Lola? Seeing her in her hideaway as an old woman?
12. Her standards of good and evil, of right and wrong, of honour, of values? Her lies to Momo to protect him, to keep him, lowering his age? Her sincerity about the children, bringing them up? The importance of Momo in her life, as her child, relying on him? For her death?
13. Dr Katz as sympathetic? Her worry about Momo with him? The background of his father's visit? Momo finding out about her illness from Dr Katz? His telling the lies about the trip to Israel at the end?
14. How important was the portrayal of Momo? A sympathetic boy? His place in the house? His wandering the streets, his act with his umbrella ? and his explanation of this to Ramon and Nadine? His walking the little boy down the street and stealing? The wanting the dog and the stealing of it? His motivation for selling it so suddenly and getting rid of the money? Madame Rosa's reaction and yet her tearing up his money solicited from the kindly prostitute? The importance of his encounter with Nadine and their conversation, his following her and the repercussions for his life? The importance of his father's visit? Madame Rosa's technique of getting him to tell the truth so that Momo would hear? Her decision to pretend that Momo was not his son? The violence of Momo's parents' background ? the father the pimp, the mother the prostitute, her death, his being in the mental institution, the shock to his system about his son's religion and his death ? and the Algerians putting him on the stairs? The effect on Momo of knowing about his family?
15. The theme of the friendship with Nadine, her working in the film editing office and running things backwards and its effect on him and his desire for life to start again? Her home, her children and their initial attitude, their asking him to stay at the end? Ramon and his kindliness? The taping of his story and the repercussions of this at the end with the further taping of the story? Their address so that he did have friends after Madame Rosa's death?
16. The importance of the character of Monsieur Hamill? his age, Islamic tradition, his wisdom, his advice, his teach Momo, his age and his calling him Victor? Eliciting compassionate love from Momo? His comment that man could not live without love?
17. The build-up to Madame Rosa's death? Momo's Israel story, taking her downstairs, preparing her for her death in her hideaway and its appropriateness? The manner of her dying, her wishing it, facing it? The candles and her death? His getting the make up, his wanting to die with her but the practicalities of the smell and people breaking in? His having to come out of this tomb and live his life?
18. How valuable an exploration of human relationships?
