The Marquise Of O (1976)

Set in 1799 during the Russian invasion of Italy. A young widow (Edith Clever) lives with her parents in a fort commanded by her father (Peter Luhr). When she finds herself pregnant, she swears she has no idea how it happened as she has had no sexual relations with a man since the death of her husband. Based on the novel by Heinrich von Kleist and directed by Eric Rohmer (MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S). I'm not a fan of Rohmer, I find most of his films tedious and exhausting. Winner of the Grand Prix at the Cannes film festival, this film is perhaps the most accessible of his movies and in spite of its snail pacing, I quite enjoyed it. Not that I didn't have problems with it. After all, this is a film about rape and a woman who marries her rapist and a happy ending for all! That aside, it's a gorgeous looking film courtesy of Nestor Almendros (THE STORY OF ADELE H) with solid performances by Clever and Bruno Ganz as the Russian Count in love with her. With Edda Seippel and Otto Sander.