The Female (French: La femme et le pantin, lit.

It is the fourth film adaptation of the 1898 novel The Woman and the Puppet by Pierre Louÿs.

The film stars Brigitte Bardot and António Vilar, with Darío Moreno.

Mateo Diaz is a wealthy gentleman who loves and respects his wife but no longer finds her attractive because she is paralysed.

Brigitte Bardot wrote in her autobiography that although the crew would call director Julien Duvivier "Dudu", the set was not harmonious.