The Bitch

La Chienne (The Bitch) is a 1931 French film, the second sound film directed by Jean Renoir. Poor Maurice is an unhappily married cashier who is an amateur painter. He meets Lulu by accident. Not realizing she's a prostitute, he falls in love with her. She and her pimp milk Maurice for everything. It doesn't end well for anybody.

Fritz Lang remade it as Scarlet Street with Edward G. Robinson.

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TimeOut calls it "Wonderfully moving, with great performances." Films de France calls it "authentic and emotionally involving" and says, "it represents something of a landmark in cinema." FilmRef.com says, "Jean Renoir creates an incisive, provocative, and excoriating commentary on human behavior, class structure, and social conduct". Rotten Tomatoes has a critics score of 100%.