The Scarlet Lady (; ) AKA The Bitch Wants Blood is a 1969 French/Italian comedy film directed by Jean Valère and starring Monica Vitti, Maurice Ronet, and Robert Hossein. Written by Paul Gégauff and Jean Valère, the film is about a beautiful Italian businesswoman who, after being swindled out of her fortune by her boyfriend, travels to Paris to kill him before killing herself. Plot A beautiful Italian businesswoman, Lucille Lombardi (Monica Vitti), discovers that her boyfriend and marketing director, Julien Auchard (Robert Hossein), has bankrupted her family business, cheated her out of her wealth, and left her penniless. Shocked by the betrayal, the loss of her villa in Nice, and feeling that all is lost, Lucille decides to sell her jewelry and binge on champagne and caviar before committing suicide. Her binge renders her intoxicated and leaves her daydreaming about revenge. At first she plans to leave François a note blaming him for her death, but realizing it would have little effect on him, she decides that revenge is the only course—that she must kill Julien before ending her own life. Knowing that Julien travels to Paris every Friday, Lucille decides to hold off on suicide for one week until she has a chance to kill the man who ruined her life. After arriving in Paris, Lucille buys an Austin Princess luxury car and sets about planning her revenge while continuing her lavish spending on designer clothing and food. Uncomfortable being alone, she invites a stranger named François (Maurice Ronet), 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 states that he will not allow it—that he'll not leave her side. Lucille manages to elude 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 on fine clothes and expensive food and champagne while waiting for her ex-boyfriend to arrive in Paris. While posing as a Swiss journalist, Lucille becomes entangled with a New York News correspondent named John Bert (Claudio Brook), a shady Spaniard named Alberto de Villalonga (Albert Simono), and the drug-addled manager, Tom Sturges (Gérard Lartigau), of an English rock group named The Timothys who just appeared at London's Royal Albert Hall. She goes on a