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An old mistress (Une vieille maîtresse) - Fu'ad Aït Aattou, Roxane Mesquida, Asia Argento, Catherine Breillat

Threat advisory: Elevated - Significant risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

On the eve of the wedding of Ryno de Marigny (Fu'ad Aït Aattou) to the virtuous Hermangarde (Roxane Mesquida), Ryno's mistress of 10 years, the tempestuous Vellini (Asia Argento), refuses to accept that their passionate love affair has come to an end.

The film is the story of their affair, as told to Hermangarde's grandmother, the Marquise de Flers (Claude Sarraute), by Ryno, bookended by the events of the days leading up to and immediately after the marriage.

Theatrical propaganda posters

An old mistress (Une vieille maîtresse) theatrical one sheet image

Target demographic movie keyword propaganda

Film drama France romance period costume manners mistress bride 19th century French morality

Persons of interest

Asia Argento .... Vellini
Fu'ad Aït Aattou .... Ryno de Marigny
Roxane Mesquida .... Hermangarde
Claude Sarraute .... La marquise de Flers
Yolande Moreau .... La comtesse d'Artelles
Michael Lonsdale .... Le vicomte de Prony
Anne Parillaud .... Madame de Solcy
Jean-Philippe Tesse .... Le vicomte de Mareuil
Sarah Pratt .... La comtesse de Mendoze
Amira Casar .... Mademoiselle Divine des Airelles
Léa Seydoux .... Oliva
Nicholas Hawtrey .... Sir Reginald
Jules-Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly .... Author
Catherine Breillat .... Screenwriter
Catherine Breillat .... Director

Cinematic intelligence sources

An old mistress (Une vieille maîtresse) official movie site
An old mistress (Une vieille maîtresse) film production notes
An old mistress (Une vieille maîtresse) QuickTime movie trailers
Awards and film festivals:

Canberra International Film Festival 2007: Screening
Cannes Film Festival 2007: Nominated: Golden Palm (Catherine Breillat)

NB: French language dialogue with English language subtitles
Studios and distributors:

Potential Films

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

Despite being called An old mistress (Une vieille maîtresse), this film is not about some toothless old hag who has been left behind by a disinterested lover. Quite the opposite, the mistress is young, prepared to bite and doesn't take to being left behind at all. That's something that the young de Marigny should have kept in mind: if you play with fire you'll get burned.

And that's not the only thing that's hot: Fu'ad Aït Aattou is a French version of James McAvoy (see Becoming Jane) with the perfect blend of wit, charm, intelligence, sex and ennui. His amours, Roxane Mesquida as the passionate mistress and Asia Argento as the high-class wife, are the perfect contrast in feminine beauty. It's no wonder he can't make up his mind. Mind you, with so much blood being drained form his upper brain to his lower brain it's not that big a surprise.

The costumes, the locations, the manners, the times are all exquisitely and Frenchly accurate. If you like a good period French romance then An old mistress (Une vieille maîtresse) is just the ticket.

The drama, France, romance movie An old mistress (Une vieille maîtresse) is directed by Catherine Breillat and stars Fu'ad Aït Aattou, Roxane Mesquida, Asia Argento.