Rent Flesh of the Orchid (1975)
2.9 of 5 from 59 ratings
1h 50min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- A emotionally disturbed young woman, Claire is the heir to a great fortune. She is kept prisoner in a château by her aunt who wants her money. The game keeper, her guardian, tries to rape her but she manages to escape. In her flight she meets Louis who is also running away from two killers. He becomes her lover. In a world of grotesque characters, bizarre incidents, brutal murders and incessant driving rain, this dark and erotic thriller is compelling thanks to the incredible performance of Charlotte Rampling. Will Claire be able to make sense of her own identity?
- Actors:
- Charlotte Rampling, Bruno Cremer, Edwige Feuillère, Simone Signoret, Alida Valli, Hans-Christian Blech
- Directors:
- Patrice Chéreau
- Producers:
- Vincent Malle
- Writers:
- James Hadley Chase, Jean-Claude Carrière
- Aka:
- La chair de l'orchidée
- Studio:
- Bluebell
- Genres:
- Drama, Thrillers
- Collections:
- The Instant Expert's Guide to François Ozon
- Countries:
- France
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Reviews (1) of Flesh of the Orchid
Looks great, but ... - Flesh of the Orchid review by NP
This is a beautifully photographed thriller starring a cast of prolific actors, from Charlotte Rampling, Bruno Cremer (whom I recognised from the wonderful Vanessa Paradis vehicle ‘Noce Blanche/White Wedding’) and Hugues Quester (from Jean Rollin’s extraordinary ‘La Rose de fer/The Iron Rose’). If I was more familiar with French cinema, I’m sure a lot more actors would be recognisable to me.
Rampling does here what she always does – adds a lot more to her role (that of Claire) than is written. Yet, even she cannot make anything compelling out of this wafer-thin story, which involves little more than shunting her from one freezingly stunning location to another. There’s sporadic blood and violence, but the main attraction this has for me is to enjoy the way the story is told, rather than the story itself. Even that becomes somewhat laborious from time to time, sadly. My score is 4 out of 10.
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