The Scarlet Lady (1969 film)

Lucille Lombardi, a beautiful young Italian heiress to a perfume business, discovers that her boyfriend and marketing manager, Julien Auchard, has bankrupted her family business, cheated her out of her wealth, and left her penniless. Devastated by the betrayal and the loss of her villa in Nice, and feeling hopeless, Lucille flies to Paris, sells her jewelry and binges on champagne and caviar while contemplating suicide. At first, she plans to leave Julien a note blaming him for her suicide, but realizing it would have little effect on him, she instead opts for revenge and decides that she must kill Julien before ending her own life. Knowing that Julien travels to Paris every Friday, Lucille holds off on suicide for one week until she has a chance to kill the man who ruined her life.

While in Paris, Lucille buys a used Austin Princess luxury car, steals a gun from a gun shop and sets about planning her revenge while continuing her lavish spending on designer clothes and expensive food. Uncomfortable being alone, she invites a stranger named François, a marine salvage expert, to have a romantic lunch with her at the Eiffel Tower. When Lucille reveals her intentions to end her life later that week, François shows genuine concern for her and vows not to leave her side. Lucille eludes him after lunch and he is unable to follow. In the coming days, François desperately tries to locate her as she continues her spending spree while waiting for Julien to arrive in Paris.

While posing as a Swiss journalist, Lucille becomes entangled with a New York News correspondent named John Bert, a shady Argentine man named Alberto de Villalonga, and Tom Sturges, the drug-addled manager of the English rock band the Timothys. She goes on a series of dates, continuing her extravagant spending during her final days. Meanwhile, François continues his desperate search for the woman he believes will kill herself on Friday. After receiving no help from the police, he tracks down all the Austin Princess owners in Paris, hoping it will lead him to Lucille. Despairing on not finding her, François resigns himself to his work, which involves a lucrative new salvage operation in Venezuela that will make him wealthy (from the shady Argentine Alberto as it turns out).

On Thursday night, Lucille wanders the streets of Paris alone. A man approaches her, mistaking her for a prostitute, and she goes back to his place to have sex, later giving away the 300 francs she was paid. On Friday, Lucille meets Julien at Orly Airport and lies that she has a wealthy investor who can buy back the company that Julien now owns. Interested in the deal, Julien accompanies her to her hotel room where she pulls her gun, demanding that she accompany him to his appointment in Chantilly. Intending to kill them both in an auto accident, Lucille has second thoughts just as they are about to crash into a transmission tower. "You disgust me so much that it will save your life", she tells Julien as she leaves him at the roadside and drives away.

Back in Paris, François spots Lucille's Austin Princess by chance and follows her to the Eiffel Tower, where she intends to end her life. At the top, Lucille considers jumping, but something prevents her. When François arrives at the top, he finds her eating dessert in the restaurant where they enjoyed their romantic lunch, and they smile at each other.

Principal photography took place from 18 November to 31 December 1968.^[1]