Mistress Maîtresse

by Barbet Schroeder

France
1975
112 min
French OV
Feature film
Fiction
Color
DCP

Forbidden to the under 16

Retrospectives & Focus 2021

Official synopsis

Olivier, a young, unemployed man from the provinces, arrives in Paris and hooks up with Mario, a shady character who gives him a job selling art books door-to-door. They meet Ariane, a young woman living alone on the 5th floor of an old apartment building. As they return to break into it, they’re caught in the act by a leather-clad Ariane.

The programmer’s eye

Upon arriving in Paris, Olivier meets Ariane. Both magnificent, they live a sincere love amidst the games of other people, in splendid backdrops. “Mistress” is a film of rare elegance which never judges its characters.

— Victor Courgeon

Biography and Filmography

Born in 1941 in Tehran (Iran), Barbet Schroeder is a French director and producer of Swiss origin. As a child, he followed his geologist father to Colombia. He then chose France to conduct his studies. Schroeder collaborated with the film review Les Cahiers du cinema then directed two short films; Jean-Luc Godard took him as an assistant in “The Carabineers”. In 1962, he founded the production company Les Films du Losange with Éric Rohmer, which produced almost all of Rohmer's films and films by Jacques Rivette, Jean Eustache, Rainer W. Fassbinder and Wim Wenders. He collaborated with the Pink Floyd for “More” (1969) and “Obscured by Clouds” (1972), which gave a great place to the theme of freedom in settings representative of hippie culture. In 1974, he made a documentary on Idi Amin Dada in which he revealed the dictator. Barbet Schroeder then left to work in the United States. An admirer of Charles Bukowski, he commissioned the latter to write “Barfly” which assured him certain recognition and allowed him to direct “Reversal of Fortune” (1990) for which he was selected for the Oscars. He then directed other films in the United States before returning to France. (Fema La Rochelle)

2017 - THE VENERABLE W. - Barbet Schroeder - Director and screenwriter
2017 - OÙ EN ÊTES-VOUS, BARBET SCHROEDER ? (Short) - Barbet Schroeder - Director and screenwriter
2015 - AMNESIA - Barbet Schroeder - Director and screenwriter
2008 - INJU: THE BEAST IN THE SHADOW - Barbet Schroeder - Director and screenwriter
2007 - TERROR'S ADVOCATE - Barbet Schroeder - Director
2002 - MURDER BY NUMBERS  - Barbet Schroeder - Director
2000 - OUR LADY OF THE ASSASSINS - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1997 - DESPERATE MEASURES - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1995 - BEFORE AND AFTER - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1994 - KISS OF DEATH - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1992 - SINGLE WHITE FEMALE - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1990 - REVERSAL OF FORTUNE - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1987 - BARFLY - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1984 - TRICHEURS - Barbet Schroeder - Director and screenwriter
1982 - THE CHARLES BUKOWSKI TAPES - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1978 - KOKO: A TALKING GORILLA - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1975 - MISTRESS - Barbet Schroeder - Director and screenwriter
1974 - GENERAL IDI AMIN DADA: A SELF PORTRAIT - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1971 - THE VALLEY OBSCURED BY CLOUDS - Barbet Schroeder - Director and screenwriter
1971 - LE COCHON AUX PATATES DOUCES (Short) - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1971 - MAQUILLAGES (Short) - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1971 - SING-SING (Short) - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1969 - MORE - Barbet Schroeder - Director and screenwriter

Barbet Schroeder

Gérard Depardieu, Bulle Ogier, André Rouyer...

Les Films du Losange, Gaumont

Les Films du Losange

Les Films du Losange

by Barbet Schroeder

Born in 1941 in Tehran (Iran), Barbet Schroeder is a French director and producer of Swiss origin. As a child, he followed his geologist father to Colombia. He then chose France to conduct his studies. Schroeder collaborated with the film review Les Cahiers du cinema then directed two short films; Jean-Luc Godard took him as an assistant in “The Carabineers”. In 1962, he founded the production company Les Films du Losange with Éric Rohmer, which produced almost all of Rohmer's films and films by Jacques Rivette, Jean Eustache, Rainer W. Fassbinder and Wim Wenders. He collaborated with the Pink Floyd for “More” (1969) and “Obscured by Clouds” (1972), which gave a great place to the theme of freedom in settings representative of hippie culture. In 1974, he made a documentary on Idi Amin Dada in which he revealed the dictator. Barbet Schroeder then left to work in the United States. An admirer of Charles Bukowski, he commissioned the latter to write “Barfly” which assured him certain recognition and allowed him to direct “Reversal of Fortune” (1990) for which he was selected for the Oscars. He then directed other films in the United States before returning to France. (Fema La Rochelle)

2017 - THE VENERABLE W. - Barbet Schroeder - Director and screenwriter
2017 - OÙ EN ÊTES-VOUS, BARBET SCHROEDER ? (Short) - Barbet Schroeder - Director and screenwriter
2015 - AMNESIA - Barbet Schroeder - Director and screenwriter
2008 - INJU: THE BEAST IN THE SHADOW - Barbet Schroeder - Director and screenwriter
2007 - TERROR'S ADVOCATE - Barbet Schroeder - Director
2002 - MURDER BY NUMBERS  - Barbet Schroeder - Director
2000 - OUR LADY OF THE ASSASSINS - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1997 - DESPERATE MEASURES - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1995 - BEFORE AND AFTER - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1994 - KISS OF DEATH - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1992 - SINGLE WHITE FEMALE - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1990 - REVERSAL OF FORTUNE - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1987 - BARFLY - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1984 - TRICHEURS - Barbet Schroeder - Director and screenwriter
1982 - THE CHARLES BUKOWSKI TAPES - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1978 - KOKO: A TALKING GORILLA - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1975 - MISTRESS - Barbet Schroeder - Director and screenwriter
1974 - GENERAL IDI AMIN DADA: A SELF PORTRAIT - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1971 - THE VALLEY OBSCURED BY CLOUDS - Barbet Schroeder - Director and screenwriter
1971 - LE COCHON AUX PATATES DOUCES (Short) - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1971 - MAQUILLAGES (Short) - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1971 - SING-SING (Short) - Barbet Schroeder - Director
1969 - MORE - Barbet Schroeder - Director and screenwriter