La Belle Dame Sans Merci

Germaine Dulac played a central role in the development of a modern ‘impressionist’ and politically progressive cinema that was looking for a form to make the inner lives of its characters tangible. For this story, Dulac was inspired by a ballad by the English poet John Keats: After the actress Lola de Sandoval is abandoned by her lover, she begins to play with the feelings of her subsequent suitors. Rather than simply portraying a classic femme fatale, Dulac breaks down the narrow, one-dimensional images of women of her time. In ‘one of the director's most personal and modern works’ (Il Cinema Ritrovato), the French bourgeoisie is also taken for a ride, providing an appropriate dose of sarcasm. (Bianca Jasmina Rauch)