The Cheat (1950)

Original title

Manèges

Directed by

Yves Allégret

Genre

drama film, film noir, flashback film

Country

France

Runtime

1h 31m

Rated

NR

Rating

7.0 of 10 from 19 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A woman manipulates and schemes to take control of her husband's business. The story unfolds through flashbacks and the characters' unspoken thoughts.

bleakcynicalharshtenseflashback-drivennoirishunsettlingbitter

What happens

Manèges is a French film directed by Yves Allégret and released in 1950. The film stars Simone Signoret (married at the time to Allégret, although the marriage came to an end soon after), Bernard Blier and Jane Marken. It is shot in black-and-white in film noir style, with extensive use of flashback and the voiceover of characters' unspoken thoughts. Manèges is noted for the exceptionally harsh and cynical manner in which Allégret delineates the characters of his two female leads, and has been accused of being misogynistic in tone. It was shot at the Neuilly Studios in Paris. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Auguste Capelier and Alexandre Trauner. The film was released in English-speaking markets under various titles, including The Wanton, The Cheat and The Riding School. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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