Summaries

An unwed pregnant teenager is run out of town and years later she returns there as a rich woman, raising the town's expectations with her generosity, but she's only out for revenge.

Karla Zachanassian had a child by Serge Miller as a teenager. When Serge refused to marry her, she was driven out of town. By her own wit and cunning, she has returned as a millionairess for a visit. The town lays out the red carpet expecting big things from Karla, only to learn that her sole purpose is to see Serge Miller killed...—Dave Kocsis <[email protected]>

In the small town named Guellen, the Mayor, Council and residents are preparing to welcome the wealthy and powerful Karla Zachanassian that left the hometown when she was seventeen years old and now is returning. Guellen and the inhabitants are completely broken since the mines and factory are closed and they hope Karla, who is one of the wealthiest persons in the world, would invest in the town. The owner of a small shop, Serge Miller, who might be the next mayor, is invited to receive Karla since they had been sweethearts. When Karla arrives, the Mayor offers a dinner to her. In his speech, he recalls beautiful moments of Karla while living in Guellen. When he finishes, she tells that his speech is a lie and makes corrections. She tells that her school teacher was abusive with her; her father was an alcoholic and lazy worker; she lost her virginity with Serge and got pregnant; Serge paid two friends to defame her and she lost her daughter that died one year later; because of her record, she moved to Trieste to work in a whorehouse, where she met her husband. Now she offers a fortune (one million) to Guellen and another million to be shared by the residents provide they execute Serge. What will the population do?—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Details

Keywords
  • revenge
  • rural setting
  • wealth
  • based on play
  • grande dame guignol
Genres
  • Drama
Release date Jul 30, 1964
Motion Picture Rating (MPA) Not Rated
Countries of origin United States Italy France West Germany
Language English French
Filming locations Ponte Galeria, Capranica, Viterbo, Lazio, Italy
Production companies Cinecittà Dear Film Produzione Deutsche Fox AG (Defa)

Box office

Tech specs

Runtime 1h 40m
Color Black and White
Sound mix Mono
Aspect ratio 2.35 : 1

Synopsis

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