Story of An Old Lady
When I filmed Marthe Jarnias
- "old Aunt Lydie" -
I had her talk about her life.
This short film shot on 16 mm
went moldy in storage.
We hereby present
this superbly rotten version
as a tribute
to the charming Marthe.
There was once a house made of feathers.
And in this house of feathers lived an old lady.
Every morning, after taking her shower of feathers,
she would sit down and wait for death to come along slowly.
OK, that's cinema.
It's a film I shot in '84
called "7 Rooms, Kitchen, Bathroom".
And in this bathroom, I needed an old lady.
I sent an assistant out
to find an old lady at least 80 years old
who'd agree to undress, surrounded by feathers.
The one who agreed, Marthe Jarnias,
aged 84, had no hang-ups about it whatsoever.
I then asked Marthe to be in "Vagabond".
She agreed at once,
but said she preferred there to be no nudity this time.
So, I reassured her. It's about a vagabond in the South of France.
She does odd jobs here and there.
She comes across a rich old lady
in a house with 7 rooms.
I couldn't imagine acting at the age of 84, you know?
Yolande?
You must order her around like a servant.
Tell her to clean things properly. Go on.
I have to say: "Clean things properly"?
Yolande?
Be careful of my little cup!
I'm very fond of it.
My godmother gave it to me for my first communion.
Yolande?
Listen, Yolande.
The silver must be cleaned. My friend Lucy's coming to tea.
- Did you have servants? - Never!
- What did you do, then? - I was in service.
You served?
More than I was served, yes!
I was a maid of all work
for a notary.
And then?
Then, I went to Paris to work for an attorney.
Then, I worked for the secretary-general of the Opera.
Always as a servant?
Always.
So, when you act it?
It makes quite a change!
I've always been a maid all my life.
Then, all of a sudden, I'm the boss. It makes me laugh.
If my nephew could see me, he wouldn't believe his eyes!
Nephews are all vultures.
I know.
In the laughter which unites this rich lady and this poor girl
their social classes cease to exist.
It is also a chance for Marthe, through laughter,
to get a kind of revenge on her life of labor.