Its original French title is Ne touchez pas la hache ("Don't touch the axe").

The film stars Jeanne Balibar and Guillaume Depardieu as lovers in the 1820s,[2] who are involved in a tormented and frustrating relationship.

She even receives him in her nightdress, claiming to be ill. For she is a born coquette, delighting in her power over Armand yet always denying any bodily intimacy.

The scene shifts forward to Armand and his friends who, after the rebuff in the convent, decide to storm the place in the middle of the night and abduct Antoinette.

The site's critical consensus reads, "At times plodding and dialogue heavy, The Duchess of Langeais is nevertheless an intriguing and rewarding dissection of class and gender relations.