★ 7 / 10
There are two pivotal women in this film
CinemaSerf
There are two pivotal women in this film, and it's not going to be easy for the young and impressionable "Olivia" (Marie-Claire Olivia) to decide in which camp…
There are two pivotal women in this film, and it's not going to be easy for the young and impressionable "Olivia" (Marie-Claire Olivia) to decide in which camp to put her feet! She is an English lass who has arrived at a posh finishing school in France where she is welcomed by the school's charismatic and enigmatic "Miss Julie" (Edwige Feuillère) with whom she forms an instant attachment. Then there's the more cutely manipulative "Miss Cara" (Simone Simon) who has some sort undefined illness that sees half the school constantly pampering her and indulging her every need. She, too, is fascinated by their tutor and doesn't take at all kindly to the idea of this visiting, foreign, interloper... To put it mildly there's now an enjoyable frisson developing that has a very slight sexual change to it, too, as the women square up nicely in the most dignified and ladylike of fashions of course. Sure, there are some coming of age elements to the plot, but actually it's the rather subtly played games of jealousy that I liked here. There are few male characters to clutter up the toxicity of the dynamic of longing, yearning and back-stabbing and it proves that some clever writing and decent photography can convey tension and raw desire far more potently than nudity and profanity ever could. Ninety minutes flies by, and it's worth a watch.
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★ 7 / 10
Olivia
CinemaSerf
There are two pivotal women in this film, and it's not going to be easy for the young and impressionable "Olivia" (Marie-Claire Olivia) to decide in which camp…
There are two pivotal women in this film, and it's not going to be easy for the young and impressionable "Olivia" (Marie-Claire Olivia) to decide in which camp to put her feet! She is an English lass who has arrived at a posh finishing school in France where she is welcomed by the school's charismatic and enigmatic "Miss Julie" (Edwige Feuillère) with whom she forms an instant attachment. Then there's the more cutely manipulative "Miss Cara" (Simone Simon) who has some sort undefined illness that sees half the school constantly pampering her and indulging her every need. She, too, is fascinated by their tutor and doesn't take at all kindly to the idea of this visiting, foreign, interloper... To put it mildly there's now an enjoyable frisson developing that has a very slight sexual change to it, too, as the women square up nicely in the most dignified and ladylike of fashions of course. Sure, there are some coming of age elements to the plot, but actually it's the rather subtly played games of jealousy that I liked here. There are few male characters to clutter up the toxicity of the dynamic of longing, yearning and back-stabbing and it proves that some clever writing and decent photography can convey tension and raw desire far more potently than nudity and profanity ever could. Ninety minutes flies by, and it's worth a watch.
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★ 6 / 10
I hardly know her.
Pjtaylor-96-138044
'Olivia (1951)' is a French drama about a teenager who arrives at an all-girls school and soon finds herself besotted with one of its alluring headteachers.…
'Olivia (1951)' is a French drama about a teenager who arrives at an all-girls school and soon finds herself besotted with one of its alluring headteachers. One of the earliest French films to portray lesbianism (which surely means it's one of the earliest overall films to portray lesbianism, right?), the film does feel fairly revelatory in its open presentation of what would surely have been considered taboo way back then (and still isn't as accepted as it should be). It almost takes place in an alternate reality where everyone's a lesbian, and in that regard it's pretty great. It never judges its characters for their same-sex attraction, never depicts them questioning their true feelings or struggling with their apparent morality, never shows society shunning them for their desires. Really, the only thing stopping me from singing its praises more is the fact that it unfortunately falls into the trap of depicting an adult teacher reciprocating feelings for her teenage students, an icky dynamic that taints the waters of otherwise refreshingly near-perfect LGBT+ representation. The flick doesn't necessarily condone teacher-student/ adult-child relationships, depicting the headteacher struggling between giving into her temptation and restraining herself from it, but it doesn't outright condemn them, either. In some ways, it provides a nuanced look at a very flawed individual; any assertions that what's happening is wrong are laid squarely upon the adult's inability to clearly reject her students' advances, rather than on the students for developing their infatuations (which, in many ways, seem to be fostered thanks to the odd competition that occurs between the two headteachers - who are partners, by the way - and their ego-driven need to be loved by those in their charge). However, I'm just not a fan of same-sex attraction being used in scenarios in which attraction in general simply isn't appropriate, as it reinforces the erroneous yet wide-spread notion that members of the LGBT+ community are predators who will ultimately harm children in one way or another. The fact that this seventy-four-year-old film's flawed approach is better than that of many much more recent efforts isn't so much commendable as it is depressing, as we really ought to be a lot better at this by now. Still, given its age and typically non-judgmental approach, I have to give it praise where it deserves it. The feature is also consistently compelling, with delightfully dreamy cinematography and relatively fully-drawn characters. It's also surprisingly funny on occasion thanks to a comedic side character whose entire schtick is that she has a big appetite. It's ultimately an engaging and well-made effort that's a bit uncomfortable due to its age-gap dynamics, but is still an interesting piece of LGBT+ media history which is much more progressive than you may expect.
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TOMATOMETER
· 11 reviews
86%
AUDIENCE
6.9/10
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