Catherine Deneuve’s face—a blank canvas on which, over the years, skilled artisans have raised the colors of emotions. An arched eyebrow, a slow, downward glance, just subtle brushstrokes that a camera follows. Her dark eyes never betray Deneuve herself, only the character. The porcelain skin has flaws—though they must be scripted.
Director Francois Truffaut has applied his own palette to the canvas. In Mississippi Mermaid (1969), Deneuve must convey the wide-ranging, scattered emotions of a psychologically damaged woman. We may experience repulsion, sympathy, understanding and condemnation, all within a few brief scenes. It’s life.
This is a film noir without concomitant histrionics and cliches. There is a femme, and she is fatale. Murder, sexual intrigue, and bad money. There is love of a kind—but it has been polluted with desperation and chaos.
The action begins on Réunion, the French island off Madagascar, where Louis Mahé (Jean-Paul Belmondo), the heir of a cigarette factory, is about to meet his mail-order fiancée. A woman named Julie Roussel (Deneuve), shows up but doesn’t resemble the Julie as described in the letters.
Doesn’t matter. She plays poor Louis like a Stradivarius.
Belmondo’s role conflicts with his reputation as an all-around bon vivant ladies’ man. Now, he is under a spell, not dazed or confused, but blithely tossing aside caution. There is an existential resignation to his behavior. Deneuve moves strategically, carefully, tossing a garter here, a lipstick there. The trap is set but the bait remains invisible.
Throughout, Deneuve’s face remains a beautiful instrument, eventually forming a mirror in which we, the audience, shockingly, uncomfortably, recognize ourselves.
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