Directed by Jacqueline Audry, Olivia (1950) is a little-known French drama about an English student who, while attending a French finishing school, falls in love with her headmistress. The film is based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Dorothy Bussy and stars Marie-Claire Olivia as the title character. The young English teen struggled to fit in at her previous school and finds the new school more welcoming. The girls at the new school are separated into two cliques: one clique favors Mademoiselle Julie (Edwige Feuillere) and the other favors Mademoiselle Cara (Simone Simon). Mademoiselle Julie is a competent headmistress. However Mademoiselle Cara is volatile, emotionally manipulative and suffers from a mysterious ailment that may be a figment of her imagination. When Mademoiselle Julie whisks Olivia away for a private field trip to Paris, Olivia's feelings for her headmistress deepen. Back at the finishing school, tensions arise. Secrecy, jealousy, tragedy. What will become of Mademoiselle Julie and Olivia?
Olivia (1950) is a rare gem. A lesbian drama directed by a woman is not unusual to find these days but back in 1950 it was virtually unheard of. Olivia is not the best film. It's overblown and a bit convoluted. Simone Simon is in her element as the temperamental and pouty Mademoiselle Cara. Feuillere and Olivia are dutifully restrained in their performances. But if you've seen such films as Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), which is a masterpiece in its own right (you can read my review here), and want to watch an equivalent from a different era, Olivia is a good companion film. I had never heard of this film before discovering it on OVID.tv, a newer streaming service that I've been having a great time exploring. Olivia was recently restored and is currently distributed through Icarus Films. I highly recommend you seek out this rarity if you get a chance.