The Truth

Dominique Marceau stands trial for the murder of Gilbert Tellier, a talented musician. Witnesses describe the relationship between the two, and the court hears how Dominique left the provinces for Paris and lived a life that the prosecution and the presiding judge treat as evidence against her. Gilbert was engaged to her sister Annie, a violin student. A defence lawyer, Maître Guérin, faces a prosecutor, Maître Éparvier, who turns the dead man into a victim and Dominique into a woman without a heart. The testimony does more to sketch the two personalities than the speeches of the lawyers.

Henri-Georges Clouzot directed and co-wrote the film, which came after Diabolique in his filmography and before Woman in Chains. The screenplay is credited to Clouzot, Simone Drieu and Véra Clouzot, with Raoul Lévy producing for the Italian and French companies Han Productions and C.E.I.A.P. Brigitte Bardot plays Dominique, alongside Sami Frey as Gilbert, Charles Vanel as Maître Guérin, Paul Meurisse as Maître Éparvier, Louis Seigner as the presiding judge and Marie-José Nat as Annie, among 48 credited cast members. Made for about 2 million dollars, the drama runs 127 minutes.

On IMDb the film holds 7.6 out of 10 from roughly 5,400 votes, and on TMDB it also sits at 7.6 from over 200 votes, a level of agreement between the two audiences.