Faibles Femmes [Three Murderesses] *** (1959, Alain Delon, Mylène Demongeot, Pascale Petit, Jacqueline Sassard) – Classic Movie Review 11,198

‘EXPOSED! What a delicious piece of assassination!’ The 1959 French black comedy film Faibles Femmes [Three Murderesses] stars Alain Delon in his third feature, launching him as a star.

‘EXPOSED! What a delicious piece of assassination!’

Writer-director Michel Boisrond’s 1959 French-Italian Eastmancolor black comedy film Faibles Femmes [Three Murderesses] stars the 23-year-old Alain Delon in his third feature, crucial to launching him as a star, though it was the next year’s Plein Soleil (1960) that made him one.

Delon plays hunky but smug young playboy Julien Fenal who arrives for the wedding of ex-girlfriend Agathe (Pascale Petit) to older André (Pierre Mondy), though Agathe does not want to give Julien up, but she has to compete with sexy Sabine (Mylène Demongeot) and lovely Hélène (Jacqueline Sassard), even if he has a fiancée. Fed up with Julien, the three women decide to become Three Murderesses, and steal poison from the pharmacy of Agathe’s father, Monsieur Courcel (Albert Médina).

It is written with a nice wicked sense of humour by Michel Boisrond and Annette Wademant, based on a novel by Sophie Catala.

It is also known as Three Murderesses, Women are Weak, and Le donne sono deboli.

This commercial entertainment was a success at the French box office and was released in the US, with Delon making personal appearances in New York to promote it.

The cast are Alain Delon as Julien Fenal, Mylène Demongeot as Sabine, Pascale Petit as Agathe, Jacqueline Sassard as Hélène Maroni, Simone Renant as Helene’s mother Marguerite Maroni, Monique Mélinand as Julien’s mother Madame Fenal, Héléna Manson as the Mother Superior [la mère supérieure], Pierre Mondy as Agathe’s husband André, Noël Roquevert as Helene’s father Édouard Maroni, Albert Médina as Agathe’s father Monsieur Courcel, Anita Ruff as Anita Pérez, Adrienne Servantie as Agathe’s mother Madame Courcel, André Luguet as Julien’s father Monsieur Fenal, Magdeleine Bérubet as Sister Marguerite, Géo Valdy as L’Examinateur, Lucien Guervil as Le Procureur, and Yves Barsacq as Le Consommateur.

Faibles Femmes [Three Murderesses] [Women Are Weak] is directed by Michel Boisrond, runs 95 minutes, is made by Euro International Films and Transcontinental Films S A, is released by Les Films Marceau (1959) (France), National Telefilm Associates (NTA) (1959) (US), Twentieth Century Fox (1960) (US) (dubbed) and Paramount British Pictures (1960) (UK), is written by Michel Boisrond (screenplay and dialogue) and Annette Wademant (screenplay and dialogue), based on a novel by Sophie Catala, is shot in Eastmancolor by Robert Lefebvre, is produced by Paul Graetz, and is scored by Paul Misraki, with Production Design by Jean André.

Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon (8 November 1935 – 18 August 2024) is best remembered for Faibles Femmes [Three Murderesses] [Women Are Weak] (1959), Plein Soleil aka Purple Noon (1960), Rocco and His Brothers (1960), L’Eclisse (1962), The Leopard (1963), Le Samouraï (1967), The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968), La Piscine (1969), Le Cercle Rouge (1970), Un flic (1972), Mr Klein (1976) and Notre Histoire (1984).

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,198

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