Don't Touch The White Woman!

Watch Don't Touch The White Woman!

  • 1974
  • 1 hr 50 min
  • 6.0  (947)

Don't Touch The White Woman! is a 1974 French-Italian comedy-western film directed by Marco Ferreri. The movie stars an ensemble cast that includes Marcello Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Michel Piccoli, Ugo Tognazzi and Philippe Noiret. The movie is set in the heart of Paris in 1871 amid the tumultuous days of the Paris Commune. The story takes place in a Parisian square that has been transformed into an American Wild West-style frontier town for a fundraising carnival. The carnival, filled with cowboys, Indians and saloons, is attended by the French upper class, which makes for a humorous contrast to the American-style environment.

Marcello Mastroianni plays a shady businessman, Sir Winston, who has come to the carnival to make a quick profit by selling weapons to both sides of the ongoing war. Catherine Deneuve plays the Duchess of Montpensier, a noblewoman who is leading a campaign to support the cause of the Commune. Michel Piccoli is General George Armstrong Custer, a virile and ruthless American army officer who is in town to provide a Wild West show.

As the story unfolds, the carnival becomes a stage for political allegory, where the movie satirizes the upper-class French society through the caricature of the Duchess of Montpensier. The movie uses the grandeur and extravagance of the carnival to portray the obliviousness of the wealthy to the plight of the working class. The carnival becomes a metaphor for the decadence of the bourgeoisie and the debauchery of the powerful.

The film also features a subplot involving the love triangle between Custer, his wife (played by Milena Vukotic), and his mistress (played by Stefania Sandrelli). This subplot serves to emphasize the dichotomy between the individual pursuit of pleasure and the greater needs of society.

The movie is filled with absurd humor, jarring tonal shifts, and meta-narrative elements. Don't Touch The White Woman! is a postmodern take on the Western genre, with the movie using the staple cowboy iconography to comment on contemporary social issues.

The film was received with mixed reviews upon its release. Some critics saw the movie as a biting satire that dealt with serious political issues, while others criticized it for being a mishmash of conflicting styles and tones. Regardless of its reception, the film remains a unique entry in the Western canon, and a great example of the experimentalism of the 70s era of filmmaking.

Overall, Don't Touch The White Woman! is a surreal, energetic, and often absurd movie that takes a lighthearted look at the political turmoil of 1871 Paris. The film's blend of humor, satire, and historical context creates a unique viewing experience that is sure to entertain fans of experimental cinema.

Don't Touch The White Woman!
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Description
  • Release Date
    1974
  • Runtime
    1 hr 50 min
  • Language
    Italian
  • IMDB Rating
    6.0  (947)
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