Simone Barbès + Stormé: The Lady of the Jewel Box

Director: Marie-Claude Treilhou

1980 / 98min / DCP

“Treilhou’s debut is an unforgettable journey to the end of the night constructed from three bravura extended sequences: our protagonist’s gig as an usher at a porno theater, her visit to a lesbian nightclub straight out of von Sternberg, and a ride home in the car of a suspiciously mustachioed stranger. Produced and edited by Vecchiali, who would have Ingrid Bourgoin reprise her role as Barbès in his C’est la vie! later that same year, adding a fascinating intertextuality to the greater Diagonale project.”—Series curators Bingham Bryant and Graham Carter