Bay of Angels (French: La baie des anges) is a 1963 French romantic drama film written and directed by Jacques Demy. Starring Jeanne Moreau and Claude Mann, it is Demy's second film and deals with the subject of gambling. The costumes were designed by Pierre Cardin.

Plot

Jean Fournier is a quiet young bank employee in Paris, living with his widowed father. After accompanying his colleague Caron to a casino and winning at roulette, he decides to have a holiday on the French Riviera, despite his father's warning that gamblers always lose in the end. In the casino in Nice, he meets Jackie Demaistre, a middle-aged woman who has left her husband and infant son to pursue her compulsion. The two develop an emotional connection, though she warns him that she will sacrifice anything to keep on gambling, not for the money, she claims, but for the thrill. As her remaining belongings are in a suitcase at the railway station, where she plans to sleep, he offers her his hotel room. They drink, talk, and make love. Back in the casino, the two win a fortune with which, having bought a sports car and smart clothes, they take a suite in Monte Carlo and hit the tables there. Losing everything, they take the train back to Nice, where Jean convinces his father to send him some money. When this too is lost in the casino, Jean calls it a day and walks off, saying that he is returning to Paris. Hurt at this double rejection, of her and of their gambling partnership, Jackie angrily tells him to go. Shortly afterwards, she runs after him and the two embrace in the sunset.

Cast

Jeanne Moreau as Jacqueline "Jackie" Demaistre Claude Mann as Jean Fournier Paul Guers as Caron Henri Nassiet as Monsieur Fournier André Certes as the bank director Nicole Chollet as Marthe Conchita Parodi as the hotel manager

References

External links

Bay of Angels at IMDb Bay of Angels at the TCM Movie Database Bay of Angels review by The Village Voice Bay of Angels: Walking on Sand – an essay by Terrence Rafferty at The Criterion Collection