by Hal Erickson
synopsis
One suspects that the torrid melodrama The Wench had a somewhat stronger title when it was first released in France. The title character, played by Maria Casares, is a cook/housemaid named Carmelle. Hired by wealthy, unmarried farmer Rabasse (Jean Brochard), Carmelle keeps her employer at arm's length until he promises to name her as sole beneficiary in his will. Upon Rabasse's death, Carmelle takes advantage of her new-found wealth and prestige by sleeping with practically every male in town. This being a French film, Carmelle is not required to pay for her sins, as she would have in a Hollywood production. One subplot involving an implicit incestuous relationship would, of course, have been vetoed from the get-go by the American censors.
