Eva (1962)

 Set in Venice, a roughly hewn Welsh novelist (Stanley Baker) is attracted to a manipulative French femma fatale (Jeanne Moreau). But that attraction will destroy him as she humiliates him and robs him of his manhood. Based on the novel EVE by James Hadley Chase (NO ORCHIDS FOR MISS BLANDISH) and directed by Joseph Losey (ACCIDENT). What a history Losey's film has had. His original cut was 2 hours and 35 minutes but the movie's distributor cut it down to one hour and 49 minutes and in the process destroyed some of the film's negative which made it impossible to see the 2 hour and 35 minute cut Losey intended. Using footage found in Sweden and Finland, the film has been restored to a length of two hours and 7 minutes which represents the most complete cut of the film. It's a much more coherent film than the edited version (yes, I've seen it). At heart, the film is a variation of Prosper Merimee's CARMEN, a man destroyed by his obsession with a manipulative vixen. As an actress, Moreau had been down this road before with characters like Juliette in LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES and Catherine in JULES AND JIM. It's a difficult film to watch but it's superbly acted, not only by Moreau but by Baker in an atypical role. Seeing this rough and tumble Welshman humiliate himself is quite disconcerting. It's a compelling melodrama that is finally (or at least partially) seen the way it was meant to. The excellent underscore is by Michel Legrand (a lot of score was removed from the shorter versions). With Virna Lisi, James Villiers, Giorgio Albertazzi and Lisa Gastoni.