You are here:

The Virgin's Bed

Name: The Virgin's Bed
Director: Philippe Garrel
Released: 1969
Duration: 114 min

Representation Score

7.4/10

Good

1969

Not Rated

Director

Philippe Garrel

Runtime

114 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Philippe Garrel’s work critiques authority by centering a self-proclaimed Savior outside traditional social roles. The film challenges the dominance of established institutions and the cruelty of the collective. The film successfully deconstructs traditional masculine competence. Instead of a dominant hero, it presents a fragile, trembling protagonist who exposes the blindness and mockery of the surrounding social order. However, the film lacks concrete evidence of racial or LGBTQ+ diversity. While the narrative critiques straight-centered power, the absence of specific identity-driven character arcs limits the depth of its representation.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does The Virgin's Bed have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film doesn't show LGBTQ+ identities or same-sex intimacy explicitly. However, the protagonist's frail body contrasts sharply with the imposing masculinity of soldiers and mercenaries.

How does The Virgin's Bed portray gender?

Good

The film subverts traditional male clichés by focusing on a thin, bewildered protagonist. His vulnerability is set against the aggressive, organized masculinity of the city.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Virgin's Bed?

Limited

There are no specific details about the ethnic makeup of the city. The historical or allegorical setting does not provide clear evidence of diverse racial backgrounds.

How does The Virgin's Bed represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film offers a progressive critique of established institutions. It portrays the city's social structures as cruel, highlighting the experience of the misunderstood outsider.

Does The Virgin's Bed include disability representation?

Fair

The protagonist is portrayed as psychologically unstable, described as a 'madman.' This centers a non-normative experience, though the use of madness remains ambiguous.

Present on Screen

Subverts traditional male clichés by centering a fragile, non-dominant protagonist.
Provides a progressive critique of established social and institutional structures.
Explores non-normative psychological experiences through the lens of the outsider.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or specific character arcs.
Provides no verifiable evidence of racial or ethnic diversity within the setting.
The portrayal of psychological instability risks relying on 'madness' as a cliché.

Official Synopsis

30 year old child enters the new city, riding on a donkey. He says he is the Savior. He has spent no time among men. He is trembling with cold. His clothes are soaked. His mother was overprotective ; his father conspicuously absent. He knows that he must face the mockery, refusal, ignorance and blindness of the men around him. They travel in gangs, in large numbers : soldiers, mercenaries or the like, on majestic, imposing horses. Everything is out of proportion to his thin, bewildered, innocent body ; he is the madman of the new city...

How are these scores produced? →