Blanche **** (1971, Ligia Branice, Michel Simon, Georges Wilson, Lawrence Trimble, Jacques Perrin) – Classic Movie Review 10,151

Writer-director Walerian Borowczyk’s entrancing 1971 French medieval romance Blanche tells the tragic story of a lovely, pure young wife (Ligia Branice) of an old baron (Michel Simon), and the handsome stepson Nicolas (Lawrence Trimble), visiting king (Georges Wilson) and his page Bartolomeo (Jacques Perrin) who lust after her.

This grown-up fable of honour and revenge, of love and lust, based on Juliusz Slowacki’s 19th-century poem Mazepa, is compelling, beautifully realised and finely acted. But perhaps it is most notable for its lush painterly look in the gorgeous (Eastmancolor) cinematography by Guy Durban and André Dubreuil, and the Production Design and Art Direction by Jacques D’Ovidio.

Branice, the Polish director’s wife, flies about gorgeously like the white dove she symbolises.

Blanche was deservedly a big art-house hit of its day, though the mild erotic art film nudity and sex did not harm its box-office appeal.

Blanche (1971): Ligia Branice.

Ligia Branice was married to Walerian Borowczyk until his death on 3 February 2006.

It also features Denise Péronne, Jean Gras, Michel Delahaye, Roberto, Genevieve Graves, Stanley Barry and Guy Bonnafoux.

Blanche is directed by Walerian Borowczyk, runs 93 minutes, is made by Abel & Charton and Télépresse Films, is released by Cinémas Associés (1972) (France), is written by Walerian Borowczyk, based on the poem Mazepa by Juliusz Slowacki, is shot by Guy Durban and André Dubreuil in Eastmancolor, is produced by Dominique Duvergé and Philippe d’Argila, is scored by Christian Boissonnade, Annie Challan, Agnès Faucheux, Maurice-Pierre Gourrier and Florence Lassailly, and is designed by Walerian Borowczyk and Jacques D’Ovidio.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,151

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