Stanislas, a wealthy Paris gallery owner and patron of the avant-garde artist Gilbert, watches from a privileged position as Gilbert's partner José, an attractive young woman who works in television, becomes drawn into his world. A photograph Stanislas shows her sparks a growing fascination, and the relationships among the three grow ever more complicated and hard to control.

How it was made

Henri-Georges Clouzot directed the film and wrote it with Marcel Moussy. It was the only one of his films completed in colour and the last of his career. Andréas Winding handled the cinematography, and the cast includes Michel Piccoli, Pierre Richard, Bernard Fresson, Joanna Shimkus and Laurent Terzieff. Its style draws on pop and psychedelic art, with a striking dream sequence that recalls 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Reception and legacy

The film belongs to a wave of late-1960s works that examined the male gaze on women, alongside titles such as Blowup, Peeping Tom and Belle de Jour. In a 2016 survey of review sites, it received 67% at SensCritique and 72% at AlloCiné, figures that point to a divided reception between audiences and critics.