The Ape Woman
The Ape Woman (Italian: La donna scimmia, French: Le Mari de la femme à barbe) is a 1964 Italian-French drama film directed by Marco Ferreri. It was entered into the 1964 Cannes Film Festival.[1] The film was inspired by the real-life story of Julia Pastrana a 19th-century woman exploited as a freak show attraction by her manager Theodore Lent.
| The Ape Woman | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Marco Ferreri |
| Produced by | Carlo Ponti |
| Written by | Rafael Azcona Marco Ferreri |
| Starring | Ugo Tognazzi |
| Music by | Teo Usuelli |
| Cinematography | Aldo Tonti |
| Edited by | Mario Serandrei |
Release date |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | Italy France |
| Language | Italian French |
In 2008 the film was selected to enter the list of the 100 Italian films to be saved.[2][3][4]
Plot
Marie, the "Ape Woman" (Annie Girardot), is completely covered with hair; the entrepreneur Focaccia (Ugo Tognazzi) discovers her in a convent in Naples; he marries her (a condition imposed by the nuns) and begins exhibiting her to the public. He tries to sell her to a man who insists on her virginity, but she is a little reluctant. After tasting success in Paris, she dies during childbirth. Focaccia recovers her mummy from the museum of natural history and exhibits it in Naples.
Cast
- Ugo Tognazzi as Antonio Focaccia
- Annie Girardot as Maria
- Achille Majeroni as Majoroni
- Filippo Pompa Marcelli as Bruno
- Ermelinda De Felice as Sister Furgonicino (as Linda De Felice)
- Elvira Paolini as Chambermaid
- Ugo Rossi as Ponszoner
See also
References
- "Festival de Cannes: The Ape Woman". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
- Massimo Bertarelli, Il cinema italiano in 100 film: i 100 film da salvare, Gremese Editore, 2004, ISBN 88-8440-340-5.
- Massimo Borriello (4 March 2008). "Cento film e un'Italia da non dimenticare". Movieplayer. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
- "Ecco i cento film italiani da salvare". Corriere della Sera. 28 February 2008. Retrieved 19 April 2013.