Cinq femmes marquées

Martin Ritt who partnered with Paul Newman in such films as The Long Hot Summer, Hud, and Hombre did this rather unknown work that was critically well received back in the day, but remains fairly unknown to today's filmgoers. I remember well seeing 5 Branded Women in theater back in the day and never saw it again until very recently.

The women are Yugoslavs who have all been seduced and abandoned by one German sergeant played by Steve Forrest. All slept with him for various reasons, all are trying to survive the best way they can. After partisans capture Forrest with one of them, all of them are shorn of their hair as reminders of what fraternization with the enemy means. The five woman so branded are Silvana Mangano, Jeanne Moreau, Vera Miles, Barbara Bed Geddes, and Carla Gravina. Gravina is pregnant by Forrest. The Germans banish the women because they remain walking symbols of partisan reprisals. As for Forrest that son of the fatherland is shorn of something that doesn't grow back.

The women stick together because all they have now is each other. Not for long because when a partisan band headed by Van Heflin sees the now armed women deal with a Nazi patrol, they get accepted in the band. But their rules are pretty strict as they all find out.

War is a brutal business and guerrillas fighting occupiers make it the most brutal kind of war. The mixed feelings that director Ritt leaves you with, you are supposed to have. You watch 5 Branded Women and especially if you are a woman you wonder what you might do to survive.

5 Branded Women is both an anti-war film and a film that shows you just what you might have to do to repel an invader. Nice ensemble performances from the whole cast and a strong if mixed message is delivered.

I can remember walking past the uk poster hoarding in1960 for this movie,really wanted to see it but as an eleven year old was taken to see something more appropiate, when the time came for my weeky cinema treat... however i never forgot this movie.i did eventually catch up with it on uk tv in1978 on late ,and as far as i know never shown again. the film itself is excellent and typical of the war product that was coming out of the de laurentiis studios a that time. it has an extraordinary number of famous and talented american and italian and french actors.i love this movie and cannot believe the negative reviews it had over the years. jeanne moreau is quoted as saying she only made it to pay her tax bill !! i have a number of public domain copies obtained over the years, but it should be re-mastered ...originally released by paramount,but i guess the key to this now lies with the de laurentiis organisation.

This is a masterful grim piece of eloquence all the way, with outstanding acting by above all Silvana Mangano and Van Heflin, but also Jeanne Moreau and Richard Baseheart make unforgettable characters. The war story could hardly be more grim: under German occupation of Yugoslavia, five women are seduced by a German officer and punished for it by getting their heads shaved and chased out of town, where they have to survive as thieves and parasites in the wild until fate unites them with partisans, led by Van Heflin. A German officer is taken prisoner (Richard Baseheart) under the care of Jeanne Moreau, and another of the five women is helplessly pregnant. Love and sexual relationships are forbidden among the partisans, and violation of that rule means instant execution. Martin Ritt's direction is impressing in its very sinister strictness, while only the music offers some relief and relaxation and some enjoyment of beauty. The photography is also execellent. In brief, this is an important film in its thorough insight into the conditions of women at war seduced by Germans. They are fully aware of their shame and extremely difficult condition and situation, but you could say that they survive by just being women. The film is full of precious moments, and even a little baby is allowed to join the party. This is a jewel of a most unusual war film of great dramatic intensity all through.

This relatively unknown gathers a very impressive cast of both European and American actors and actresses. Silvia Mangano gives a fine performance as the leader of the titled women. These women are casted away from a little town in Yugoslavia 1943 because they have slept with a Nazi Sargent (except innocent Vera Miles who didn't go beyond kissing but anyway is accused as the others), not before they are humiliated by their own people by cropping their hair.

The girls bound together and they wander around the country until they resolve to join the partisans despite their initial resilience. The women will form relationships with the partisans and a captured German Captain (R. Basehart).

But it's wartime and this is no Hollywood movie: there are no happy endings or black and white feelings or situations. The movie is gritty and somehow cruel. The movie has its flaws, the pacing could be better and some characters feel underdeveloped, but all things considered, this is a very good movie. It's not released on DVD, but you can find it over the Internet. It's well worth the search.

I have not seen this movie in many years. But I remember it being very interesting. I always love Barbara Bel Geddes. She is one of the most overlooked actresses of our time. When I saw those women walking down the street with their heads shaved, it was a shock for a little boy. I was about 10 when I saw this movie, but it left an impression on me.