This cinematographically highly caloric film opens with a scene of pure gluttony, serving as an appetizer for a juicy main course society gossip. The story, derived from a 19th century Romantic author Jules Barbey d’Aurevilly, is based on a scandalous marriage between a noble yet penniless gambler and womanizer, and an aristocratic virgin of exquisite beauty. The latter trait is shared by both young spouses, which makes the idea of him having “an old mistress” (in literary translation) and not being able to part with her, even more outrageous in the minds of their Victorian contemporaries. D’Aurevilly’s subtly chauvinistic portraiture of the mistress as femme fatale of a non-French descent (she is an illegitimate daughter of an Italian princess and a Spanish toreador) was traditional for the times, as well as the notion of her wild and evil power over a married man in love with his flawless wife. By choosing this rather outdated premise, Catherine Breillat—an outstandingly talented, edgy, and original filmmaker—creates a crowd pleaser, yet remains truthful to her own vision of raw passion, pure in its sincerity. Breillat, who called it “my dearest film,” worked on it for ten years, and its rich fabric, superb cast, luscious cinematography, and skillfully directed acting delivers a nicely wrapped package of wildly beautiful entertainment. “The Last Mistress” opens July 18 at the Embarcadero Center Cinemas in SF and Shattuck Theatres in Berkeley. For more information, visit http://www.ifcfilms.com/ Photo: Asia Argento as La Vellini and Fu’ad Aït Aattou as Ryno de Marigny in THE LAST MISTRESS directed by Catherine Breillat. Photo credit: Yorgos Arvanitis/Guillaume Lavit d’Hautefort/Flash FilmAn IFC Films release.
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