LA PISCINE (1969)
Literary Cinema
LA PISCINE
Jacques Deray’s classic La Piscine (1969) is an aptly titled film as it's at the pool where the characters bathe, relax, kiss, play, and drown. There are countless reasons to watch La Piscine, but most notably, its cast is incomparable—starring cinematic icons with palpable chemistry Alain Delon and Romy Schneider (who themselves dated ten years prior to filming the movie) and a young Jane Birkin. The costumes are designed by André Courréges, of modern mini-skirt fame, and the fashion can serve as inspiration for quintessential summer gear; understated yet glamorous, breathable yet graceful. The shots are composed and the color is seasonally lurid. Yet, beyond its eye-candy aesthetics, La Piscine also tells a suspenseful story of lust, envy and rage. Even the literary love a good plot.
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As discerning literary women ourselves, we at So Textual believe your summer reading stack can be as intellectually enriching as it is indulgent—dismissing the notion that the “beach read” must be light, throwaway, or emotionally shallow.
The Official So Textual Summer Reading List blends the literary with the leisurely—think Mediterranean villas, blue skies, glittering water, and long afternoons spent with a book in hand.
These are the books that smart, sophisticated, well-read women are slipping into their carry-ons for this year’s summer vacation. Some are sun-soaked and romantic; others are contemplative and quietly devastating. All have been chosen for the thinking woman’s summer.