Available on physical media from Radiance Films on 07/22/2025
Rosa works on the street of Les Halles in Paris, she’s the favorite of many, but is she happy?
Written and directed by Paul Vecchiali, Rosa la Rose is a drama that feels both dated and timeless, the story itself is somewhat timeless, one of a young woman doing her best to survive and make a good life for herself in a hard world, but also one that is peppered with true 1980s French culture, from the clothes to the locations to the language used, the film sets itself with both feet firmly planted in the mid-1980s in Paris. That being said, the writing here is solid with some truly touching segments to a story that could have been a very hard watch. The tone here is almost light at times with the ladies doing their work, picking up Johns, and taking them away for a few Francs. The way these ladies are depicted feels human with some complexity to them and not pure toys or faceless source of release for their clients. They each have a personality, troubles, and good moments. They each are depicted well in writing, direction, and acting.
The cast here is led by Marianne Basler as the titular character, giving a charming, touching, and complex performance. She takes the character of Rosa and makes her someone you might know, someone you might be, in a touch situation, making the most of life as best she can. Her performance pulls the viewer in from the start and gives them a character to root for, even when she’s not making all the best decisions. She’s a complete human and the performance is as well. She’s charming, she is personable, and she’s fully three dimensional. Joining her as her pimp Gilbert is Jean Sorel, a famous figure of French cinema proving why is was so with a charismatic performance that makes the viewer want to like him against the odds. The actor is more magnetic than the character here, but it works. The rest of the cast is great to watch with performances that are at times colorful and at times almost timid. The film here shows a spectrum of solid performances.
The look of the film here is great with cinematography by Renato Berta and Georges Strouvé, but the main part of how the film looks here comes from the production design by Pierre Palero and Michel Roques and from the costumes by Nathalie Cercuel and Antoinette Dimance. The work of these folks helps give the film its style, its look, and its connection to Paris in 1986. Their work is beyond solid and leads to just the right touch of style througout. The costumes in particular feel like the 80s and look right.
Rosa la Rose: fille publique is a drama that faces a part of the population that many ignore and gives them humanity, agency (within the limits of their work), and emotions. These are complete people making the best of a bad situation until they need something else. There is something charming about how this story is brought to the screen, and the attention to details is lovely.
This new release from Radiance Films is a 2k restoration approved by writer/director Paul Vecchiali. The extras are not exactly numerous, but they are of high quality with the preferred one being the archival interview with Paul Vecchiali and the archival interview with Marianne Basler and Jean Sorel. The booklet included has new writing by Marina Ashioti and archival interviews that are an interesting read.
