Les amours célèbres (1961)

Lauzun: The Duke of Lauzun is in love with the delightful [woman]. Louis XIV has set his sights on her. One evening, he orders his faithful Champagne to bring the lady—who is willing, incidentally—to his private chambers. Lauzun returns in time and prevents the king from satisfying his desire for [her]. Jenny de Lacour: Around 1880, Jenny, a high-class courtesan, is in love with René, a handsome young man much younger than she is. Afraid of losing him, she devises a vile scheme. A man in her employ throws vitriol in René’s face. Blinded, he will remain her lover. A police commissioner’s intervention foils Jenny’s plan. Agnès Bernauer: In Bavaria, in the [century], Duke Albert of Wittelsbach, heir to the throne, falls in love with the ravishing Agnès. He secretly marries her, although his father opposes the marriage... Albert takes up arms against him, but Agnès is abducted. Condemned to death for witchcraft, the young woman is thrown into the loch with a stone around her neck. Albert rushes to save her. The current carries him away with her. Dialogues by Jacques Prévert. The Actresses: In 1804, Mademoiselle Raucourt, a celebrated and adored actress, is eclipsed by Mademoiselle Duchesnois. Her anger is all the greater because her lover, the Baron de Jonchère, has succumbed to her rival’s charms. Mademoiselle Raucourt creates a new tragedienne from scratch, who will become the famous Mademoiselle George. The latter achieves a triumph.