Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?

Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?

Year: 1966

Runtime: 101 mins

Language: French

Director: William Klein

ComedyDrama

This biting satire of the fashion world follows 20‑year‑old Brooklyn native Polly Maggoo, a model navigating Paris runway shows dominated by opinion‑shaping editor Ms. Maxwell. As the absurd is presented as high art, Polly appears in the shallow TV documentary series “Qui êtes‑vous?” and is pursued by an eager filmmaker and the prince of Borodine, a tiny Soviet‑bloc nation.

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Timeline & Setting – Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? (1966)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? (1966). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1960s

Set against the mid-1960s Paris fashion culture, the story rides the wave of pop spectacle and media-driven celebrity. Fashion houses, television crews, and glossy magazines create a fast-paced, ironic backdrop that shapes desire and identity. This era’s glossy, artificial sheen amplifies the satire of superficiality surrounding Polly.

Location

Paris, Brooklyn

The film unfolds largely within Paris's glittering fashion world, with runway shows, photo shoots, and glossy studios serving as a backdrop. Polly's Brooklyn origins contrast with the opulent ateliers she enters, highlighting a clash between working-class beginnings and high fashion. The city becomes a character in itself, a stage for spectacle and detachment.

🗼 Paris fashion scene 🗽 Brooklyn roots

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:03

Main Characters – Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? (1966)

Meet the key characters of Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? (1966), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Polly Maggoo (Dorothy McGowan)

A 20-year-old American model who becomes a Paris sensation, Polly is the focal point of a media circus. She navigates a world of photographers and designers with poise while remaining emotionally guarded. Her thoughts, glimpsed in voiceovers and daydreams, question whether love and identity can emerge from a spectacle built on surface.

💃 Fashion icon 🧠 Identity 🎭 Object of obsession

Prince Igor (Sami Frey)

The prince of a fictional East European kingdom, Igor becomes obsessed with Polly after seeing her in a magazine. He travels to Paris with an entourage, chasing a soulmate fantasy that clashes with the world Polly inhabits. His romantic fever is both comic and tragic, revealing the peril of mythologized love.

👑 Royal obsession 🌍 Romantic fantasy

Jean-Jacques Gruber (Philippe Noiret)

A smug, self-important TV journalist leading the Qui êtes-vous…? documentary, Gruber tries to frame Polly's life into a neat narrative. He becomes a symbol of media arrogance, using questions and edits to construct a story that suits the show's pace and style. The character embodies the shallow allure of televised storytelling.

🎬 Behind-the-scenes 🗞️ Media critique

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:03

Major Themes – Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? (1966)

Explore the central themes of Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? (1966), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🎭 Identity

Polly's inner life is mostly inferred through others' gaze, blurring self-knowledge with public image. The film toys with what is real when a person becomes a symbol of youth and modernity. Inner thoughts appear in voiceovers and fantasies, suggesting a disconnect between exterior persona and authentic self.

📺 Media Satire

A television crew transactionally probes Polly, exposing the emptiness and pretension of media narratives. The documentary segments mock self-importance and the hunger for sensational subjects. The film uses style and interviews to critique how platforms define and commodify fame.

👑 Fame & Obsession

Prince Igor's fixation on Polly turns romance into a public spectacle, a quest that collapses under the weight of fantasy. The world of royalty, fashion, and media treats love as an illusion, while Polly remains cryptic and unconvinced. The pursuit exposes how desire is manufactured and consumed.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:03

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves a protagonist, often young or inexperienced, being pulled into a world of glamour and surfaces. As they become a symbol or an object for others' projections, their own identity becomes fragmented. The conflict is internal and existential, centering on the question 'Who am I?' when the outside world only sees a constructed image. The ending often reflects this ambiguity, without a clear resolution.

Why These Movies?

These films are united by their deep thematic focus on the commodification of identity and the conflict between reality and performance. They share a specific mood blend: a surface-level glitter undercut by a core of melancholy. The pacing is steady, allowing for reflection, and the complexity is moderate, dealing with layered themes rather than convoluted plots.

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Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? Summary

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Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? Summary

Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? Timeline

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Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? Timeline

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