The Public Woman

The Public Woman

113 mins | Drama | June 16, 1984

An inexperienced young actress is invited to play a role in a film based on Dostoyevsky's 'The Possessed'. The film director, a Czech immigrant in Paris, takes over her life, and in a short time she is unable to draw the line between acting and reality. She winds up playing a real-life role posing as the dead wife of another Czech immigrant, who is manipulated by the filmmaker into commiting a political assassination.

The Public Woman

113 mins | Drama | June 16, 1984

The Public Woman
An inexperienced young actress is invited to play a role in a film based on Dostoyevsky's 'The Possessed'. The film director, a Czech immigrant in Paris, takes over her life, and in a short time she is unable to draw the line between acting and reality. She winds up playing a real-life role posing as the dead wife of another Czech immigrant, who is manipulated by the filmmaker into commiting a political assassination.
IMDb rating 6.4
Producers Hachette-Fox Productions
Original title La Femme publique
Directors Andrzej Żuławski
Writers Dominique Garnier, Andrzej Żuławski

Cast

Francis Huster

as Lucas Kessling

Lambert Wilson

as Milan Mliska

Patrick Bauchau

as Ethel's Father

Gisèle Pascal

as Gertrude

Roger Dumas

as André, le photographe

Diane Delor

as Elena Mliska

Jean-Paul Farré

as Pierre

Olivier Achard

as Le premier assistant réalisateur

Yveline Ailhaud

as Rachel

Michel Albertini

as Maurice

Marianne Basler

as Une jeune anarchiste

Nathalie Bécue

as L'habilleuse

Lucas Belvaux

as François

René Bériard

as Mgr Shlapas