La Marge: La Gnose D’une Fille. La Phantasmagorie D’une Melancolie.
The Margin, adapted from Andro Pieyre de Mandiargues’ novel, is a film that, like perfume, lingers: sweet, sultry, and almost stifling. Walerian Borowczyk, the filmmaker, like a painter who pictures the human form in frames, is famously known for the sensuality in his works. However, the emotional richness that the film carries is rooted to the characters. There are, of course, the unmistakable cinematic portraits of sorrow and sex in american films, Sigismond, played by Joe Dallesandro, and Diana, played by Sylvia Kristel. These two, in addition to the other characters, were able to morph La Marge from a basic erotic drama to a profound reflection of the societal issues, dilemmas and conflicts of the performers. Their narratives, the performances and the off-screen realities of the lives shape La MargeThe themes of The Drifting Husband begin with the intertwining lives of the protagonist, Sigismond and the ‘cool-headed’ – ‘detached’ Diana. Every mundane detail of Sigismond’s life before meeting Diana licenses the ‘prostitute’ to entrap Sigismond seamlessly. What we thought was some sort of escape from lifelessness, Diana’s presence provides no liberation, and turns out to serve the very opposite purpose.
One of the key elements to Sigismond was the ‘enigma’ and the manner in which ‘Little Joe’’ carved an identity for himself.’. Sculpted vividly through the lens of Dallesandro, with the unique distinction of becoming the very image rest of the world identifies and associates Lou Reed’s line ‘the boy toy’ with_who seems to have the potential and at the same time the destruction.
The parallel Sigismond draws with La Marge stands out in Dallesandro’s quest for an identity for himself – the slides from ordinary aspects of life to the depths of obsession, then eventually to desperate despair on the news of the demise of the loved wife. For a man with Dallesandro’s background, rife with hardships with losing identity, with the life he led filled was led seemed to have been the only reality he knew. The world of exploitation filled stardom. Dallesandro and Sigismond’s narratives blend into one and the same on the sheer thought of Dallesandro mirroring Dallesandro.
Diana, the Untouchable Desire
Next comes Diana, a mysterious prostitute performed by Sylvia Kristel. For Kristel, the international public was already a phenomenon. Just two years prior, she burst onto the stratosphere with Emmanuelle, which, to this day, remains one of the most commercially successful erotic films. However, Emmanuelle positioned her as the epitome of liberated eroticism, La Marge revealed a much darker, sorrowful effect.
Diana is captivating and also remote, having a sexual allure while being emotionally unavailable. For Sigismond, she embodies everything that is desirable and at the same time unattainable. She is a fleeting fantasy whose obsession becomes Sigismond’s. What makes the character Dianai so unique is the mystery around her. Is she a fantasy, or a muse, or just any other woman with an occupation?
Kristel’s case is an exact opposite. She too achieved fame at a relatively young age. However, her beauty was often overshadowed by the more sensual side of her image. Behind the movie screen, she had rocky and turbulent relationships, a history with addiction, and was exhausted due to being typecast in roles of physical eroticism.
To Kristel, and also to the rest of the world, Kristel was a detached individual, and she came to that realization in later interviews. She was admired by millions, but no one was able to truly understand her. That quiet pain, which came from being trapped by her image, was present in the character she played, Diana. Kristel was able to play that character so effortlessly because the pain was so prevalent in her life too. Kristel’s character transcended the ‘hooker with a heart of gold’ and became a reflection of the cultural mirrors, commenting on the way women are objectified by society.
How They Prepared for a Dance of Shadows
Borowczyk had a reputation for wanting realism from his performers. For La Marge, he urged Dallesandro and Kristel to not “perform,” but rather to be in the space. Dallesandro, whose career had hinged on pure naturalistic cinema in Warhol’s and Paul Morrissey’s films, never practiced much. Rather, he relied on instinct, projecting his own vulnerability and confusion onto Sigismond.
Kristel, on the other hand, prepared for the role by removing the glamour from Diana. She toned down her normal sexual expressiveness by practicing prolonged periods of silence and blank stares. The aim was not to command the audience’s attention, but rather to distance themselves, much like how Diana remained emotionally distant from Sigismond.
With the camera, Borowczyk sought to maintain a balance of intimacy and distance. Scenes were always shot with a reduced crew, allowing freedom, but also a sense of exposure. Kristel later remembered feeling some discomfort during the more sexual scenes, but had faith in Borowczyk’s artistic approach. She knew he viewed nudity not as a part of eroticism, but as the use of texture.
Film Moments That Left The Audience Speechless
The film is filled with sequences that will for ever be imprinted in the memory of the cinematics. Sigismond is one of the rawest characters in the film, especially when he receives the dastardly telegram about the demise of his wife and child. Dallesandro’s broken composure is truly painful to watch but also, feels so genuine. One view that is also concerning is when, as he is falling apart, Diana’s quiet refusal to comfort him is echoed as she still chooses to keep her emotional distance.
At the time, the audiences were clearly divided. The French reviewers appreciated the film’s artistry as well as Borowczyk’s daring approach to eroticism. On the contrary, some demoted it as slow and heavy with nudity, lacking in narrative. Meanwhile, fans of Dallesandro and Kristel found it a bit more interesting: a rare meeting of two cult icons who, along with their scars, also shed their beauty to show their vulnerability.
In some cinephile circles, La Marge was even construed as a critique on consumer culture—Sigismond obsessively commodifying Diana, until his obsession with her leads to his downfall. It wasn’t just erotic drama for the viewers of the 1970s. It was also a tape that recorded the consequences of desire cut lose from the boundary of reality.
The Captivating Disarray of a Stunning Mistress
There was an element of agony and ecstasy on the set. Borowczyk was a master of placement, devoting hours to lighting and configuring the set to achieve a painted look. He was dubbed the Renaissance Man of the Movie Production. To be painted as such was a compliment, but paint brushed onto a delicate canvas hint of Borowczyk was where the canvas was slightly ripped. He was intense and sometimes it drove Dallesandro mad because Dallesandro loosed with the restringing chaos of the set.
The peremated nudity was something Kristel struggled with. naked was a concept associated with the artistic prowess that came with pencil stroking of Emmanuelle, however, pressing waist with waist was something that was Borowczyk was not developed to only endorse. Rumor has it was she who decided on the path of self-imposed isolation. Gone from the set she was, but when she turned the next eye of a new dawn, she faced the enemy with a vow of victory.
The nuance of the performances brought out on was a professional kiss that neither actor could bear to lose. Borowczyk on the other hand acknowledged the actuality that La Marge was indented not to excite but rather, stay within the audience. That too Borowczyk felt was half the battle.
Why These Characters Have A Lasting Impact
In retrospect, Sigismond and Diana are figures illustrative of the duality of liberation and loss. Sigismond characterizes the everyman who struggles with family and forbidden passions. His appeal then, relates to the one that his character assumes with today’s audience, quite palpable. Diana embodies the total commodification of beauty, a fragmented image that is alienating and dehumanizing to women.
Their iconic status is derived not only from the story itself, but the elements of their lives that Dallesandro and Kristel so masterfully integrated. He, the beauty and fame spewer, who had and perhaps always will be, the outsider. She, the image of the unwilling goddess and the self-doubting. Together, these two turned La Marge to be more than a narrative simply sculpted from the two’s profound desire, but also a sculpture of two beings caught in a web of their own, wrestling their own reality.
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