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The Last Mistress

The Last Mistress (French: Une vieille maîtresse, literally "An old mistress") is a 2007 French-Italian film based on the novel Une vieille maîtresse by the French writer Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly. It stars Asia Argento and Fu'ad Aït Aattou as the two main characters. The movie was directed by the French filmmaker Catherine Breillat and was selected for the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.[3]

The Last Mistress

Catherine Breillat

Pascale Chavance

  • 25 May 2007 (2007-05-25) (Cannes Film Festival)
  • 30 May 2007 (2007-05-30) (France)

104 minutes

France
Italy

French

$5.7 million[1]

$1.8 million[2]

Plot[edit]

In 1835 Paris, Ryno de Marigny (Fu'ad Aït Aattou), before marrying the young and innocent Hermangarde (Roxanne Mesquida), makes a last visit to La Vellini (Asia Argento), his Spanish mistress, to bid goodbye in an act of lovemaking. His liaison with La Vellini is the subject of Parisian gossip, and before Hermangarde's grandmother gives her blessing, she wants to hear from Ryno everything about this relationship. Ryno reveals a tempestuous story but indicates that his ten-year romance is over; he now is in love with Hermangarde. After the marriage, the newlyweds move away to a castle at the seashore. They are happy and soon Hermangarde conceives. But the "last/old mistress" reappears, and while Ryno tries to keep her out of his life, she is not to be rejected, and Hermangarde finds out about it.

as La Vellini

Asia Argento

as Ryno de Marigny

Fu'ad Aït Aattou

as Hermangarde

Roxane Mesquida

as la marquise de Flers

Claude Sarraute

as la comtesse d'Artelles

Yolande Moreau

as le vicomte de Prony

Michael Lonsdale

as Mme de Solcy

Anne Parillaud

as le vicomte de Mareuil

Jean-Philippe Tessé

as la comtesse de Mendoze

Sarah Pratt

as Mademoiselle Divine des Airelles

Amira Casar

as The singer

Lio

as l'arrogante

Isabelle Renauld

as Oliva

Léa Seydoux

as Sir Reginald

Nicholas Hawtrey

as la dame de Pique

Caroline Ducey

as le comte de Cerisy

Jean-Claude Binoche

as le valet de Mareuil

Thomas Hardy

as le valet de Rigny

Jean-Gabriel Mitterrand

as le chirurgien

Eric Bouhier

as le cardinal de Flers

Frédéric Botton

Critical reception[edit]

The movie was well received by the critics. It appeared on some critics' top 10 lists of the best films of 2008. Stephen Holden of The New York Times named it the fifth best film of the year,[4] and Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter named it the ninth best.[4]


Rotten Tomatoes reports that 77% of 98 critics gave the film a positive review, for an average rating of 6.7/10. The site's consensus states that "More complicated than your average bodice ripper, Catherine Breillat's Last Mistress features beautiful costumes, wrought romances, and a feral performance from Argento."[5] Metacritic gave the film a score of 78 out of 100, based on 25 critics.[6]

at IMDb

The Last Mistress

at AllMovie

The Last Mistress

at Box Office Mojo

The Last Mistress

at Films de France

Une vieille maîtresse

Cannes Festival press kit