The Smiling Madame Beudet
An unhappily married woman devises a scheme to get rid of her husband.
From the archive
I've been researching newly public domain films from 1929 and earlier, so I'm uploading the best possible copies that I can find. La Souriante Madame Beudet, or, The Smiling Madame Beudet in English, has been classified as one of the earliest feminist films. It's not difficult to see why this might have been the case, as the woman plots to kill her loveless and possibly abusive husband. What director Germaine Dulac is most remembered for however is her impressionist style of direction that is on full display in this visually interesting picture.
Why this is free to watch
The Smiling Madame Beudet (1923) is hosted by the Internet Archive as a public-domain or openly licensed work, which means its copyright has expired, lapsed, or was released by the rights holder. The uploader declared an explicit licence, linked in the source panel. Nitrate streams the file directly from the Archive and hosts no video itself.
- Director
- Germaine Dulac
- Starring
- Germaine Dermoz, Alexandre Arquillière, Jean d'Yd, Yvette Grisier, Madeleine Guitty, Raoul Paoli, Armand Thirard
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