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The Ape Woman 15 rating

A man discovers a woman (three-time César winner Annie Girardot) whose body is entirely covered with hair, and marries her to exploit her as a funfair attraction.

Drama 1963 94 mins

Director: Marco Ferreri

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Overview

Maria (three-time César winner Annie Girardot) is a young woman suffering from excessive body hair who is discovered in a convent by an unscrupulous entrepreneur and paraded as a fairground attraction. This is a really tender and moving film whose pathos is enhanced by the fact that, like David Lynch’s The Elephant Man which came 15 years later, it is based on a true story.

Carlo Ponti, the producer (and Sophia Loren's ex-husband) convinced the director Marco Fererri to rewrite a happier ending to make the film more appealing to the 1964 Cannes jury. The creative compromise seemed to pay off, earning Ferreri a Palme d’Or nomination. The version seen here is the bleaker one, closer to the director’s artistic vision and, indeed, the historical truth.

Director
Marco Ferreri
Featuring
Ugo TognazziAnnie Girardot
Genres
Drama
Certificate
15abusive behaviour, racism, sexualised nudity
Released
1963
Country
Italy
Language
No Dialogue with English subtitles