Nace una mujer

This was one of only two films that touched me to the deepest (the other was "A Summer place"). For years after I first saw it in 1965, this was my "all-time favourite". It was absolutely perfect in all respects: the cinematography, the incredibly moving Delerue score, the performances by Gozzi (better than her memorable "Sundays and Cybele" of three years previously), who subsequently all but disappeared from view, by Melvyn Douglas, Stockwell, and Ingmar Bergman regular Lindbloom, all of this blended together into such an emotionally satisfying package that even today I think back to it with trepidation (there's just so much one can take)... I really think there should be an Oscar category for "unaccountably neglected masterpieces". "Rapture" would get one hands down. If you have the chance to see it, just watch for the terrific contrasts between the moody seaside cliff and mansion scenes and the vulgar, brash, city noises. They are a splendid metaphor for what you get and what you long for. The experience will haunt you for always.

This is a great film. For some reason this movie really struck a cord with me when I first caught in on tv back when I was a teenager. The lighting, the French location, the novelty [to me] of the film style...I must have watched it a hundred times. Even though I haven't seen it in a few years, I still remember how Agnes is so overwhelmed by everything in her life and seems to like to hide her in childlike world. And Dean Stockwell is actually pretty cute; I was surprised to find out this the same Dean Stockwell that was later on Quantum Leap. My mother told me that he was quite the heartthrob in the Sixties, and one can see why in this film. I also read the book by Phyllis Hasting, and it is a whole lot darker in tone than the film. I think it also explores the father-daughter relationship in more detail than the film. This and some of her other books seem very anti-male.

Those who remember kid actress Patricia Gozzi's stirring performance in Sundays & Cybele (1962) will be equally amazed at the remarkable range she displays in this outing. As Agnes (or "Aun-yez", as the French pronounce it) she easily steals the film from headliners Dean Stockwell & Melvyn Douglas. Not a bad feat for a 15-year-old with limited previous film experience -- and none in English language films! Her completely believable performance as the sheltered & confused daughter of an embittered retired judge (Douglas) is nothing less than riveting.

The movies' premise in a nutshell revolves around Agnes' conviction that a scarecrow she has made has come alive after fugitive Stockwell dons its clothes while on the run, and the ensuing relationship that develops between the two. Stockwell, whose fine performances have graced so many films, doesn't have much to do this time around. Film veteran Douglas, on the other hand, gets in some memorable scenes. Georges Delerue provides the gorgeous music he was noted for -- perfect for the film.

Whether this particular movie grabs you or not, at its conclusion you'll no doubt find yourself wondering why Gozzi -- whose career seemed to come to a grinding halt shortly after this -- didn't continue acting into her adult years and become a major star. It's one of those perplexing mysteries of filmdom!

This is a film that I've seen twice, the last time in 1972, that has stuck with me all these years. Patricia Gozzi was so alluring and the score so haunting and beautiful...I remember waiting for the credits to role to see the name of this unknown actress and the composer. It's the first I'd heard of Georges Delarue and the first of many times I'd heard a mesmerizing score and later seen Delarue's name. I'd love to see this movie again.

I have just tracked down this film, through this site, many years after the one and only time I saw it. I saw it as a B film i.e. tagged on to the main feature but it left such a lasting impression I cannot remember what the main feature was.

It was the beginning of the film that made such an impact on me and that I remember most.The idea of a scarecrow coming to life (Joseph in hiding) and Agnes'd reaction which gripped me. The photography was dark and powerful.The developing relationship between Agnes and Joseph and her fathers reaction to it was moving. I do not know what I would make of it now but I hope it would generate the same emotions that I felt as a teenager.