Private Collections

1979 1h 43m FR

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 38

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Three stories. A solitary sailor falls from his boat and washes ashore on a tropical island. While seeking rescue, he's found by a nearly naked woman who is playful and compliant. He decides to erase his signs of distress and remain on the island. What awaits? In the second, an adolescent searches for the words of a nursery rime he remembers bits of. His journey takes him into dreams, sexual awakening, and Oedipal fantasy. Third, a man of wealth in late-nineteenth century Paris hires a prostitute for the night. She's also cabaret performer and takes him to her room. He fears he's about to be robbed. What's her secret?

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Roland Blanche
(segment "L'île aux sirènes")
Marie-Catherine Conti
(segment "L'armoire")
Marpessa Dawn
a siren
Laura Gemser
(segment "L'île aux sirènes")
Jūzō Itami
(segment "Kusa-Meikyu")
Hiromi Kawai
(segment "Kusa-Meikyu")
Yves-Marie Maurin
the customer (segment "L'armoire")
Hiroshi Mikami
(segment "Kusa-Meikyu")

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Walerian Borowczyk
Writers: Walerian Borowczyk, Guy de Maupassant, Jean-Michel Ribes
Languages: Japanese, French, English
Countries: France, Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

47 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Japanese, French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Japan.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Walerian Borowczyk, shot by Robert Fraisse. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michèle Boëhm shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Roland Blanche and Marie-Catherine Conti and Marpessa Dawn carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0228149 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Walerian Borowczyk directs. Robert Fraisse behind the camera. Michèle Boëhm cuts. Produced in France, Japan. Dialogue in Japanese, French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

147 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Japanese, French, English.
3International production across 2 countries: France, Japan.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Walerian Borowczyk, shot by Robert Fraisse. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Michèle Boëhm shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Roland Blanche and Marie-Catherine Conti and Marpessa Dawn carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0228149 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 38 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.