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'Les Biches' Aims for Poetry, Turns out to Be Dull Movie

'Les Biches'

The French have a go at a lesbian picture with indifferent results. Moves very slowly in an effort to be poetic but only succeeds in boring. Adult. 97 minutes.

By EMERSON BATDORFF The French make even less interesting lesbian pic tures than the Americans do. For sheer dullness, "Les Biches" takes the cake.

It tries to extract all the poetry possible from a prolonged homosexual encounter. It moves so slowly, it dwells so lovingly on artsycraftsy photography, it be comes so satisfied with itself.

Worst of all, while trying to make poetry it descends to some extremely amateur devices including a pair of W comic male homosexuals

who operate a good deal like two of the three Stooges.

There is no denying the beauty of Stephane Audran as the wealthy lesbian, or of Jacqueline Sassard as the poor little waif who make chalk drawings of does (female deer) on Paris sidewalks.

(The title needs some explanation for non-French audiences. It means "The Does" and refers at least in part to Miss Sassard's artistic endeavor and by extension to the two women themselves.)

A lot of lesbian pictures use the theme for an excuse for nudity. This one avoids it. The closest we get is Miss Audran undoing the top button of Miss Sassard's jeans.

The rest is all implied. Glances back and forth

across a room. Subtle touch-

es to the cheek. Regretably, Miss Audran has a penchant for wiping Miss Sassard's mouth after she drinks champagne, a gesture that irritated me if not Miss Sassard.

The menage of two male homosexuals and two female ones is confusing enough, but into it comes a straight man. Jean Louis Trintignant.

First he is pursued by the younger of the two women, the waif, who seems to be a switch hitter. Then he is pursued by the richer lesbian who also has tendencies toward AC-DC, as they say. With her he makes a semipermanent alliance.

The waif hangs on, listening outside their door at nights and otherwise thinking evil thoughts. She finally is driven mad by this situation and commits an indiscretion involving a poisoned knife.

The ending, I thought, was far better than the rest of the picture, but it didn't come soon enough after the start.

Directed by Claude Chahrol. Screenplay by him and Paul Geaouff. Produced by Andre Genoves. VIP Distributors.

The cost includes Stechone Audran, Jacqueline Sasserd, Jean-Louis Trintignant.