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Madilyn Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Claudio Carvalho In Paris, while crossing a bridge over the Seine, the bored bisexual millionaire Frédérique (Stéphane Audran) meets the homeless young street painter Why (Jacqueline Sassard) and invites her to drink tea at her apartment. They have a love affair and Frédérique brings the virgin Why to spend winter in her house in Saint Tropez, where two weird gay friends of her live. When Frédérique gives a party for a few guests, the handsome architect Paul Thomas (Jean-Louis Trintignant) hits on Why. She is seduced by Paul and spends the night with him in his place. On the next day, the selfish Frédérique visits Paul and seduces him. They travel together to Paris and when they return, Frédérique tells Why that Paul is going to live with them in her house. Why is disturbed and she secretly poses like Frédérique unsuccessfully trying to seduce Paul. One night, Why proposes them to get drunken expecting to go to their room and have a threesome, but she is unwanted by the couple. When Frédérique and Paul travel to Paris for an urgent business, the deranged Why follows them expecting to stay in Frédérique's apartment. But when she is rejected by the socialite, tragedy is announced."Les Biches" is a sensual and sexy thriller divided in four parts ("Prologue"; "Frédérique"; "Why"; and "Epilogue") and ahead of time for a 1968 film, dealing with themes like bisexualism and homosexualism in subtle situations. The romance between Frédérique and Why, for example, is never explicit but it is to be read between the lines through the glances of the socialite to her protégé. Why Frédérique supports her two gay friends is never clear but maybe she finds them amusing with their silliness. Paul Thomas seems to be only interested in Frédérique's money but his character is also not well developed and serves only as a pivot to the tragedy. The open conclusion is left to the interpretation of the viewer and a trademark of Chabrol. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): Not Available

lastliberal If you are looking for action, erotic or otherwise, this is not a film you will enjoy.It is a simple pleasure of color and emotion.The plot is simple: A rich woman (Stéphane Audran - Babette's Feast, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie) takes a liking to a poor young girl (Jacqueline Sassard). A man (Jean-Louis Trintignant - Z, Red) enters the picture, and friction results. That's it.But, don't let the simplicity fool you. There is an elegant dance among the characters as emotional games are played. It is the dance amid the beauty of St. Tropez that is the pleasure.

gridoon2018 "Les Biches" must be one of Claude Chabrol's sexiest movies ever. Both Stéphane Audran and Jacqueline Sassard are gorgeous women, but beyond that, the way the camera captures their bodies, their movements, their smiles, their kisses, etc. is purely erotic. They are also pretty terrific actresses. Audran fits her role like a glove, and Sassard (who sadly dropped out of acting after this film) gives a performance full of understated passion. The male lead, Jean-Louis Trintignant, is easily the least interesting and developed of the three main characters, but it doesn't matter much; the story begins and ends with the two women. Audran's two eccentric friends / freeloaders in her lavish house provide some amusing comic relief. The film is quite unpredictable in its development, in fact for a while it almost seems like everything might turn out just fine, until you remember that a) Chabrol doesn't like happy endings, b) that poisoned dagger could not have been introduced so early without a reason....Anyway, this is an absorbing, beautifully filmed psychological thriller, and I think it's also a great starting point for those still unfamiliar with Chabrol's work. *** out of 4.

jotix100 Claude Chabrol 1968 film "Les Biches" marked a turn for the director after a decade, or so, after breaking into movies. Unlike other French film makers, Chabrol showed he was more interested in style over politics. The structure of this film seems mapped out carefully as there is no spontaneous moment in the film. Chabrol calculated how he wanted to present the story in his own terms. The result is a film that was ahead of its times in many aspects, perhaps in the frankness the director treats with the subject at the center of the story.Unfortunately, we saw the film recently in the DVD transfer, which pales in comparison with the original way we saw on the big screen. Since the format is not the "letterbox" format, most scenes show only half of the actors faces. This is a film that cries for a better transfer because of the elegant lines Mr. Chabrol created for the film.The film is divided in three chapters involving the three principals of the story. Frederique, a rich bored woman wants the beautiful young street painter she meets on one of the bridges over the Seine. It's clear from the beginning what Frederique's real intentions really are. The glances Frederique gives the young woman, "Why", as she has named her, have an explicit connotation hard to ignore by this gorgeous creature.Things begin to change as Frederique and Why arrive at the Saint Tropez house. It's winter, so the place is empty. When the young architect, Paul Thomas, comes to a party at Frederique's he only has eyes for Why, but Frederique succeeds in snaring him. Why, in turn will begin impersonating Frederique in order to get Paul.The main strength in the film is the superior acting Chabrol got out of all his principals. Stephane Audran made an extraordinary contribution with her Frederique. Ms. Audran caught the soul of this woman and stole the film. The gorgeous Jacqueline Sassard appears as Why, in a role that showed her to be up to the challenge her co-star presented for the actress playing opposite her. Jean-Louis Trintignant is the less interesting of the principals because his character is an enigma. Comic relief come in the way of Henri Attal and Dominique Zardi, a gay couple staying at Frederique's home."Les Biches" is a film to watch to see a master like Claude Chabrol doing great work.