The Last Mistress (Une vieille maîtresse) (An Old Mistress)

I don't know the details, but it appears that Blockbuster really "locked up" the distribution rights to this brilliant, heart-breaking French film. There are currently no plans to release this to the mass retail U.S. market, so your options are to find a Blockbuster copy, import it from another region 1 country, or buy from someone who has done one of those two things.Though I'm tempted to prattle on about the movie itself, countless reviews of this Cannes Film Festival Palm d'or nominee can be found online. I will say, it is one of the most stunning, sexually frank, thought-provoking, and melancholy period pieces I've ever seen (I'm a cinemaphile, so I've seen a lot). Filmmaker Catherine Breillat has finally made the film I always felt she was capable of--a true masterpiece. (My opinion of her work at large, is that I always liked what she was attempting, but never found her films that engaging.) I also think Asia Argento was criminally overlooked for her performance here, she has matured from being a joke of an actress (see any of her early films)...to a wonderfully subdued, but still sexually brazen siren who, unlike many of her counterparts, does not "over act." (I think her newfound acting maturity is why she is working with top notch filmmakers, like Breillat and Assayas, despite her relative obscurity in the U.S.)What I'd like to address specifically though, is this version of the dvd. The Blockbuster version appears to be the same "unrated" version that played in theatres. I saw it theatrically and watched the dvd, and while Blockbuster has a reputation for editing/censoring their films, to my knowledge, I didn't notice that being done here.(Be warned...the sex scenes are fairly graphic, though less so than Briellat's previous films.)I would also like to say, being that I managed to acquire two copies of the film (an authentic imported Region 1 DVD and the U.S. Blockbuster version) that this one wins hand down for three reasons:1. This is the 114 minute U.S. and film festival release of the film (most imports of the film are the 104 min. French cut of the film--I prefer the longer version.)2. Though the bit rate is higher on my import DVD, the encoding is far superior on the Blockbuster DVD, thus the image quality is better. Further, the Blockbuster DVD (unlike the import) is enhanced for widescreen 16:9 televisions.3. The subtitles are larger, and easier to read--the actual translations were identical to both dvds I watched.How much you're willing to pay for this film is up to you, I've seen the prices fluctuate, but if you do want to add this to your film library, I would definitely suggest the Blockbuster DVD for its superior picture quality/widescreen TV enhancement, and any DVD version is going to give you a better movie experience than a digital version, though frankly, the digital versions of this film are MUCH more affordable.

I saw that this was #2 rated in the most popular category for foreign films so i thought i would give it a try to see what all the hype was about and to see why it was so popular. And after seeing it I am still stuck with that question. Yes the actors did a good job and the storlyine was interesting but after seeing the whole thing i don't think it's that good of a film. Plus the ending was a big let-down. Overall i probably would not recommend this movie. They could have got prettier girls for actresses and maybe cleaned up the story more even with a better ending! I get it it's about lovers who can't be separate but to me the movie was somewhat torturous and I am being generous by giving it a rating of 3 stars! I would recommend watching something that you are in the mood for. If you are in the mood for a twisting love story that urks your heart this movie is for you!

Stunning and theatrical. Everything I like in a thinking person's period piece: evocative setting, passion, complexity in plot and characters, nice sweep of time, museum-quality costuming, consistently watchable. But, one can not watch it as "background music." It is to savo in all its ravishing details. Nudity, sex scenes, yes, but for most adult audiences, these are done with quality and charm; they do not make one flinch. They are erotic, but not pornographic. As to characters and cast: Asia Argento plays a quirkily gorgeous femme fatale with sly elegance, yet she is able to project an air of vulnerability; the young man is handsome and a very credible actor; the triangle at the heart of the film involves a beautiful rival who rivals not by wiles but through a certain purity of intention, and the young man is no cad. Rather, he has enough sensitivity to recognize the gift she presents him with, while at the same time, he is in thrall to a most compelling and singular woman. There is just enough suspense. What will he do?This is a film that reminds one of classical French pot-boilers. On an aesthetic level it is outstanding. Finally, it is well worth paying attention to and it rewards one every step of the way for doing so.still transporting enough to take one out of the ordinary to a classic story.

At its core, The Last Mistress raises the age old question, What constitutes marriage? The long term earthy sexual bonding of two people or a societally regulated legal arrangement. Hence, Ryno and Vellini, two people orbitting the gravity of their sexual bond, sometimes close and sometimes far but always moving around the same center. Yet their self imposed social norms and economic necessities disturb but never break that bond.I bought The Last Mistress on DVD after Tivo-ing it on the Independant Films Channel. The DVD happened to be the 104 minute Canadian release by Mongrel Media, also NTSC Region 1 as in the US. The IFC broadcast and DVD are identical in content. However, the DVD version runs slightly faster, hence a ten minute or so time discrepancy. The speed difference raises Ryno's voice pitch slightly so that it is not as deep and full as in the IFC version, but the sensual aura seems to be unaffected. The DVD had a much brighter picture and a thinner font on the English subtitles.Otherwise I concur with other reviewers in that this film should have gotten alot more attention and play in the mainstream market. While certainly physical and earthy, it is by no means prurient or pornographic. Sadly, many cannot or choose not to discern the difference.

What a marvellous film , beautiful to watch , sexy , funny and particular on point now that period drama is moving towards the more modern fun. Asia captivates from the start as the mistress from Malaga and this is a very hot hot film for a 15.

le produit a été livré dans les délais. pas de problème pour regarder le dvd.film intéressant sur les mœurs de la classe aisée du xix siécle.

Présence de l 'actrice Asia de Argento.Malheureusement.Ce n'est pas le scénario que j'attendais.

While doing a search for Gay / Lesbian based films, I came across this one... and before anyone makes the same mistake as me... a two second badly acted out kiss between the Mistress and her "maid"... does not intitle the film free admission into this section. This it definately for Hetros amoungs us, and I Hope you enjoy... because even saying that...it's a terrible movie.Please note I've never witten a review on a film before, but this one was truely awful.

This is one of the most intense and beautiful movies I ever seen. I don't speak French and don't like reading subtitles. But one gets so captivated by the story that it doesn't matter anymore.