Belle (André Delvaux, 1973)

Mathieu Grégoire is an esteemed author who lives in Spa with his wife and daughter and leads a carefully structured life. One day while out walking in the desolate landscape of the High Fens he meets a mysterious woman whom he calls 'Belle'. An obsessive passion is kindled in Mathieu and in a short space of time he loses all control over his existence. Initially able to keep his love affair a secret from the outside world, after a while he struggles to do so and, gradually, ever-larger cracks appear in his respectable, middle-class existence.

Director: André Delvaux / Screenplay & dialogues: André Delvaux / Camera: Ghislain Cloquet / Sound: Antoine Bonfanti / Art Design: Claude Pignot / Editing: Emmanuelle Dupuis, Pierre Joassin / Production: Jean-Claude Batz / Production Co.: La Nouvelle Imagerie & Albina-productions / Music: Frédéric Devreese / © La Nouvelle Imagerie

Cast Jean-Luc Bideau: Mathieu Grégoire / Danièle Delorme: Jeanne Grégoire / Adriana Bogdan: Belle / Roger Coggio: Victor / René Hainaux: Le substitut / Stéphane Excoffier: Marie / John Dobrynine: Le Fiancé / Valeriu Popesco: L'Étranger / Suzanne Gohy: La Mère / Arlette Emmery: La Récitante / Yvette Merlin: La patronne des Jolités / François Beukelaers: Le faux étranger