The Ape Woman (Italian: La donna scimmia, French: Le Mari de la femme à barbe) is a 1964 Italian-French drama film directed by Marco Ferreri. It was entered into the 1964 Cannes Film Festival.[1] The film was inspired by the real-life story of Julia Pastrana a 19th-century woman exploited as a freak show attraction by her manager Theodore Lent.
The Ape Woman | |
---|---|
![]() Film poster | |
Directed by | Marco Ferreri |
Written by | Rafael Azcona Marco Ferreri |
Produced by | Carlo Ponti |
Starring | Ugo Tognazzi |
Cinematography | Aldo Tonti |
Edited by | Mario Serandrei |
Music by | Teo Usuelli |
Release date |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
Countries | Italy France |
Languages | Italian French |
In 2008, the film was selected to enter the list of the 100 Italian films to be saved.[2][3][4]
Marie, the "Ape Woman", is completely covered with hair; the entrepreneur Focaccia discovers her in a convent in Naples; he marries her (a condition imposed by the nuns) and begins exhibiting her to the public. He tries to sell her to a man who insists on her virginity, but she is a little reluctant. After tasting success in Paris, she dies during childbirth. Focaccia recovers her mummy from the museum of natural history and exhibits it in Naples.
The Ape Woman was released in 4K restoration[5] on Blu-ray and digital platforms on 11 October 2021.[6]
![]() | This article related to an Italian film of the 1960s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
![]() | This article related to a French film of the 1960s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |