Sunday, December 29, 2013

BLUEBEARD (2009): Only Marry Sincere Maidens


Here's part of IMDb's plot summary for Catherine Breillat's version of Bluebeard (French: La Barbe bleue): 

[In] the year 1697, as Lord Bluebeard (Dominique Thomas) prepares to make Marie-Catherine (Lola Créton) his seventh wife. Marie-Catherine's youth and innocence make her an especially attractive quarry to Bluebeard, and rather than murder her right away, he decides to wait a while in order to savor the terrible joy of claiming her life. However, as Bluebeard becomes caught in a cycle of events that keep him from following through on his wife's murder, the two slowly become something like a normal couple and Marie-Catherine begins to turn the tables on her spouse.


Catherine Breillat's version of Bluebeard (French: La Barbe bleue) is yet another example of an ephebophile playing the role of Captain Save a Ho Nymphet.

Bluebeard doesn't understand that natural looks are one of the least important characteristics of an ephebophile but that as long as a man is neat and clean, his mental make-up is the most important characteristic that is needed to marry a nymphet.


For example,  possessing a high self-confidence, having self-control (i.e., power), and being focused (i.e., consistently being in The Now) are far more important than being apparently "handsome".

Bluebeard is self-conscience about his "unattractive" looks - especially his blue beard; therefore, after Marie-Catherine's father dies and leaves her with no dowry, Bluebeard invites Marie-Catherine, her sister and a bevy of other poor maidens to the castle. Bluebeard is "generous" and is willing to help one of the nymphets escape poverty through marriage - without the need of a dowry.


Despite their wide age-gap, Bluebeard's blue beard, and his low self-esteem, Marie-Catherine is extremely eager to marry Blue Beard. But not because she is (initially) attracted to him. Like most nymphets, Marie-Catherine has an agenda, which is that she wants to escape poverty. And like most Captain Save a Ho Nymphets, in the end, Blue Beard suffers greatly due to Marie-Catherine's initial insincerity.

No comments:

Post a Comment