UNE FILLE IN DEUX (A GIRL CUT IN TWO)

France, 2007, 115 minutes, Colour.
Ludivine Sagnier, Benoit Magimel, Francois Berleand, Mathilda May, Caroline Silhol, Marie Bunel.
Directed by Claude Chabrol.

A Girl Cut In Two is Claude Chabrol for the 21st Century. For more than 40 years, Chabrol wrote and directed many films about French society, fidelity and infidelity, violence and murder. These are the ingredients of this particular film, which is based on the story of Stanford White and Evelyn Nesbitt at the beginning of the 20th century (alluded to in Doctorow’s Ragtime and dramatised by Richard Fleischer in The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing with Joan Collins, Ray Milland and Farley Granger, 1955).

The centre of the film is the girl who is cut in two, emotionally, played by Ludivine Sagnier. The two men in her life are an aging writer, famous, married for 25 years but a roué. She falls in love with him, infatuated but in love. She is pursued by the schizophrenic son of an industrial family, played by Benoit Magimel who had appeared in several of Chabrol’s films. Ultimately, she marries the young man while always being in love with the older author.

This plays havoc with the suspicions of the young man and, finally, in a public place he shoots the author. The film shows the consequences of the shooting on the young woman who has had to move from naivety and gullibility and ambition in her role as a television weather performer to an interviewer and her future.

She is finally seen, symbolically, working for her magician uncle in the trick of the woman sawn in half. However, during the final credits, there is a close up of Ludivine Sagnier, whole - and a survivor.

While this may not be one of the greatest of Chabrol’s films, it has all his hallmarks of skill and his interesting themes.

1.Cabrol’s work over forty years? The similarity of themes: society, class clashes, relationships, fidelity and infidelity, sexuality and sensuality? Celebrity?

2.The French world, an authentic world of the author, the TV world and its deceptions, trickery and magic? The world of industry and the wealthy? The scenes in Lisbon and the contrast with France? The musical score?

3.The title, the final images and the magician’s trick? The symbol of Gabrielle’s divided experience? The final close-up, her survival?

4.The introduction to Charles, Capucine and her driving, the blood-red colour on the car, the radio and the opera, turning it off, entering the real world? Charles and his relationship with his wife, age, devotion, married twenty-five years? His success, status, people’s adulation? His books? Wealth, his lavish house? The television interview and his comment about Puritanism or decadence? In the makeup room, flirting? Gabrielle meeting him, his attraction? The book signing, his flirting with the women? Paul and his attack? The auction, his explanation, buying the manuscript, erotic, the gift for Gabrielle? Taking her to his secret apartment, the sexual relationship? Taking her to the club, the decadent men and their discussions, Capucine and her presence? Sexual behaviour – all unseen? His going to England, saying goodbye to Gabrielle? Later, hearing of Gabrielle’s marriage? The visit during her dress fitting? Her continued love for him? His lies to his wife? The restaurant with his wife and Capucine, Paul’s sarcasm? His speech at the dinner? His death?

5.Paul, his appearance, age, manner, schizophrenic, his minder? The book signing and his verbal attack on Charles? Saying he despised this class? With Gabrielle, the meeting, taking her to dinner? Her saying she was not in love with him? His pursuit, the drunken approach, the flowers and his apology? Charles’s flowers? Within his family, his mother, his sisters? His whims, throwing the glass on the floor? The phone calls for Gabrielle, his gifts, taking her to Lisbon? Pressuring her to marry him? Her resistance, her drinking, change of heart? The marriage preparations, taking her to dinner, his mother’s arrogance? The ceremony, his suspicions about Charles? The build-up to the occasion, the shooting?

6.Paul’s mother, her type, her daughters and their haughtiness, the flirting sister? Paul and the criticism? Society, doing charitable work but not looking after her children? Her being against Gabrielle? The speech, the shock at the shooting, managing Gabrielle, the issue of the money, Gabrielle’s testimony, her telling the story of Paul and the death of Thibault in the bath?

7.The character of Gabrielle, seeing her on air, the weather girl, in the makeup room, with the bosses and their flirting with her, the issues of promotion, her being her own woman, independence? Seeing Charles, infatuated? The credibility of their relationship? Charles’s friend and the story of his twenty-two-year-old daughter and the fifty-year-old man? Charles and the book signing, the auction, the gift of the book, the sexual encounter, his cavalier attitude, her throwing the book back? Her going with Paul, the dinner, Paul and his pursuit? Her going home, the strong bond with her mother, talking everything over with her mother? Her dressing in the provocative dress, the feather for Charles? Not humiliated or ridiculous? Going to the club – and not seeing what happened to her? Her naivety, gullibility? Charles’s leaving, her fretting, staying at home, Paul and taking her to Lisbon, her gift for him, the pressurising to marry, the critique of Charles, her drinking, accepting? The cold meal and Paul’s mother and her rudeness? The dress fitting and her relying on her mother, Charles’s visit, declaration of love? The wedding, her married life, tensions, Paul and the sexual experience, suspicious of where she had learnt her techniques? The build-up to the dinner? The shooting? Paul’s mother and the pressure, the story of Thibault, her testimony?

8.Gabrielle’s mother, kindly, confiding in her daughter, listening to her daughter? The uncle and his help? The uncle and his finally offering her the job – the presentation of the saw and the girl cut in two?

9.Charles’s wife, her continued fidelity, calling her a saint? Capucine, the editor, manager – and her sinister presence in the club?

10.The world of television, ambitions, interviews, superficiality? Sexual favours for promotion? The world of the authors, the decadent rich? The ordinary world and the attractiveness for people to move to wealth, celebrity, glamour?

11.Claude Chabrol, the background of the Stanford White case in the United States – reworking the murder of a celebrity? For the 21st century?