Madame Beudet smiles all the time, but she's not happy. Her husband, Mr. Beudet, an upstart merchant, makes her life too narrow. One evening, they have a quarrel. Monsieur wants to go to the Théâtre Municipal tonight, she doesn't. For once, Madame Beudet doesn't smile. Beudet leaves, slamming the door, and she exclaims: "For twelve years I've been attending the insipid spectacle of my married life, I want something else...".
—Guy Bellinger