Jean Chevrier Movies

Jean Racine's 17th-century tragedy finds Phedre (Marie Bell) professing her love for her stepson when her husband King Thesee is rumored to be dead. When the king returns very much alive, his son Hippolyte is banished and later is killed in a chariot accident. The irate king makes plans to poison his wife for her alleged infidelities with his son. The feature appears to be a filmed version of the play. Jacques Dacqumine plays the king torn between his love for his son and the woman who chose to love the ill-fated Hippolyte. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

This French/Italian sword 'n' sandal effort is set in the Rome of 476 BC. The Eternal City is threatened with invasion from the Etruscans, with soldier-of-fortune Louis Jourdan in the vanguard. When offered a truce, Jourdan demands that the Romans offer hostages as a sign of good faith. He is especially interested in making the acquaintance of Sylvia Sims, the militaristic leader of a group of female warriors (the "Amazons" of the title). As the film hastens to its conclusion, we learn that Jourdan and Syms are the only honorable people around; with plenty of treachery and back-stabbing in both the Roman and Estrucan camps, it's a wonder if anyone will be left standing for the final battle scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Le Couteam sous la Gorge (The Knife to the Throat) is the Gallic equivalent of Hollywood's Ransom! Jean Servais stars as a prominent physician whose son is kidnapped. The twist here is that one of the film's ostensible villains is the hero. Jean Chevrier co-stars as a gangster whose life Servais once saved, and who takes it upon himself to rescue the kid single-handedly. For a big-budget production, Le Couteam sous la Gorge is surprisingly sparse and skimpy at times. The film was lensed in Cinepanoramic, a French variation on 20th Century-Fox's CinemaScope. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Showing no signs of slowing down in his 70th year, Sacha Guitry served as director and writer of the lavish historical epic Napoleon, and also costarred as Talleyrand. It is now hard to assess the quality of the film, since most American prints are severely edited, and the color photography appallingly washed out. Reviewers in 1955 admired the effort that went into this $1,800,000 production, but complained that the viewer left the film with no deeper understanding of Napoleon Bonaparte than the viewer had had when coming in. Daniel Gelin poses impressively as the young Bonaparte, registering emotion only when things go wrong in his conquest of Europe, while Raymond Pellegrin is somewhat better as the older, more jaded Napoleon (the transition between the two actors is handled in a near-comic fashion). The Revolution is reduced to a few fleeting scenes, while the rest of the film is devoted to political infighting and betrayal. The huge supporting cast includes Michele Morgan as Josephine and Lana Marconi and Dany Robin, respectively, as Napoleon's mistresses Waleska and Desiree. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The title of this French maritime drama translates to The Big Flag. Jean Chevrier plays Favrel, a life-long navy man who is being pressured by his wife to quit the service. Favrel decides to accede to his wife's wishes, breaking the heart of midshipman Hardouin (Marc Cassot), who idolizes the older man. Complicating matters is the fact that Hardouin is in love with Favrel's niece. Through the heroic example of Hardouin, Favrel realizes that he is now and always will be a navy man through and through, despite the protestations of his wife. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The life story of famed French aviatrix Helene Boucher is detailed in Horizons san Fin (Endless Horizons). Giselle Pascal stars as Boucher, who is first seen in 1930, leaving her millinery shop behind in favor of the wild blue yonder. Though the world of aviation was still essentially an all-male one (despite England's Amy Johnson and America's Amelia Earhart), Boucher perseveres, eventually breaking all existing male and female speed and height records. A bit slow on the uptake in the dramatic scenes, the film soars (no pun intended) during the aerial sequences. Horizons san Fin was the winner of the Catholic Award at the 1953 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

It is Maria Felix's turn to play one of Ancient Rome's most notorious femme fatales in Messaline. Sleeping her way to the top, Messaline weds Emperor Augustus (Memo Bessani), all the while entertaining dozens of virile young males. Enjoying unbridled power, the empress holds the entire Roman Empire in her grip. When her husband and courtiers fail to satisfy her, she takes to the streets disguised as a prostitute to sexually exploit a few average citizens. Filmed on an enormous scale, Messaline contains all that is expected of a Roman epic, including a few graphically detailed episodes in the Colosseum. Among those tossed to the lions is dancing girl Cynthia (Delai Scala), who like empress Messaline displays pulchritude aplenty before her inevitable demise. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Donne e Briganti (Women and Bandits) was the second of two Mario Soldati-directed films released in Europe during the last week of June, 1951 (the first was Je Suis de la Revue). Set in the early 19th century, the film recounts the Robin Hood-like adventures of bandit Michele Pezza (Amedeo Nazzari), better known as Fra Diavolo. This same character was depicted along more villainous lines in the famous 1830 opera by Auber, which was filmed in 1933 as The Devil's Brother, with Dennis King in the title role and Laurel and Hardy as comic relief. In Donne e Briganti, Fra Diavolo is his own comic relief, his tongue firmly in cheek as he robs from the rich, gives to the poor, and takes time out to romance his wife Marietta (Maira Mauban) and mistress Flora (Jacqueline Pierreux). According to this film, Fra Diavolo was also something of a patriot, opposing the invading forces of France. Sumptuously produced, Donne e Briganti falters only in the indecisive camera work by Mario Montuori. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Woman of Evil in this French melodrama is a lady named Louvaine (Helena Bossis). She's a pianist in a tiny café, where her erstwhile lovers, landowner Laurent (Charles Vanel) and surgeon Diego (Jean Chevrier), make nightly visits. The rising passions within the café are counterpointed by the rising flood waters in the surrounding region. When originally released in France, Woman of Evil ran considerably longer than its current 87-minute running time. It was pared down for American consumption to meet the then-prevailing censorial standards. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi