The Crime is Mine – Franciose Ozon, French

March 25th 2024

The Crime is Mine

In 1930’s Paris, Madeline, a pretty penniless and talentless actress, is accused of murdering a famous producer, and a new life of fame begins until the truth comes out.

A wildly entertaining French farce set in Paris in 1935.

 Director and Screenplay Writer: Fransois Ozen

Starring: Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Isabelle Huppert, Danny Boon and Edourd Sulpice 

In Paris in 1935, with a wide assortment of debt collectors lining up at her door, pretty, young, penniless, and untalented struggling young actress Madeline decides to visit the famous French Producer Monterrana’ at his house. The meeting goes badly, and she leaves with an awful story of his attempted assault. The minute she returns, she tells Pauline, her down-and-out roommate, best friend, and aspiring young lawyer. Before long, and for no apparent reason, someone puts a bullet in the head of the famous producer. As if the cruel hardship of poverty is not enough, the penniless actress Madeline is accused of murdering him. When it seems she can escape justice quicker by confessing the crime she does, setting off an even funnier chain of events that brings the real killer and faded silent film star Odette Chaumette back into the light.

The Director, Fransois Ozen, creates a world of gorgeous 1930s gowns, Art Deco luxury, a corrupt court, and a gullible public that is thrown into a frenzy by Madeline’s supposed crime. As part of Madeline’s explanation of the crime and defense of it, they plead for the goodness of sisterhood and solidarity, arguing against the way men have exploited women.