Rita Cadillac Movies
Rita Cadillac was a French strip-tease artist who achieved some modest popularity onscreen in occasional film appearances between the mid-'50s and the 1980s. She was born Nicole Yasterbelsky in Paris, France, in 1936 (some sources say 1939, but that would make her 15 for her screen debut in adult roles), and managed to survive the upheavals of World War II and the German occupation. As Rita Cadillac, she began making a name for herself on-stage at age 18, her well-proportioned form -- which became legendary in European popular culture circles -- attracting notice as early as the mid-'50s. Her first film appearances date from this same period, in features such as Soirs de Paris (1954), Gueule d'ange (1955) (released overseas as Pleasures And Vices), Pas de pitie pour les caves (1955), and Jusqu'au dernier (1956) (issued in America as Until the Last One). The most distinguished of the films in which Cadillac worked, however, was René Clément's Gervais (1956), for which, ironically enough, she received no credit, merely serving as the body double for Suzy Delair (who was 20 years her senior) in one scene. During the 1960s, Cadillac acted in Me Faire Ca a Moi (1960) (aka Do That to Me), Dossier 1413 (1961) (aka Secret File 1413), and Prostitution (1963), among other films. Her last major movie appearance was in the role of Monique in Wolfgang Petersen's Das Boot (1981). She died of cancer in 1995. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
Das Boot is one of the most gripping and authentic war movies ever made. Based on an autobiographical novel by German World War II photographer Lothar-Guenther Buchheim, the film follows the lives of a fearless U-Boat captain (Jurgen Prochnow) and his inexperienced crew as they patrol the Atlantic and Mediterranean in search of Allied vessels, taking turns as hunter and prey. There's very little plot, so the movie's power comes from both its riveting, epic battle scenes and its details of the boring hours spent waiting for orders or signs of the enemy. With the exception of one staunch Hitler Youth lieutenant, none of the crew is particularly loyal to the Nazis, and some are openly hostile toward their Fuhrer; this allows viewer sympathy with the men as they perform their laborious, monotonous duties in cramped, filthy quarters, or await death as depth charges explode all around the sub. Prochnow is excellent as the nerves-of-steel commander, and many of the supporting actors -- all German -- are solid as well, although the characterizations border on war movie clichés (the young crewman who has left behind his pregnant girlfriend, the Chief Engineer whose wife is seriously ill). The real star, however, is cinematographer Jost Vacano, who makes the sub's grimy, claustrophobic interior come to vivid life, as his camera follows the crew through hatches, up ladders, into bunks, and under pipes, creating a palpable sense of claustrophobia while injecting it with movement. Originally edited by writer/director Wolfgang Petersen as both a two-and-a-half hour theatrical release and a six-hour German miniseries, Das Boot was re-released in a restored version in 1997 with nearly one hour of added footage which made it even more suspenseful than before. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, (more)
- 1963
Jean Gabin plays Charles, an aging gangster, newly released from prison. In fine Bogart tradition, the unrepentant Charles immediately sets to work planning a major casino heist in Cannes. His go-between for this endeavor is a chorus girl, whom Charles's associate Francis (Alain Delon) beds in order to win her confidence. This rapidly-paced suspenser was based on a novel by John Trinian. When first distributed in the US, the film travelled under the title Any Number Can Win. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean Gabin, Alain Delon, (more)
- 1963
In this non-sensationalistic drama, a young woman becomes a prostitute to prevent her lover from committing a robbery. Unfortunately, she soon finds herself involved in an international prostitution ring. She is soon plying her trade the world over until she lands in Hong Kong where she finally learns the bitter truth about her "lover" and becomes a heroin addict. The truth is told to her by an Interpol agent who informs her that her boyfriend's love was but a ruse to trick her into becoming a high-class hooker. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Etchika Choureau, Evelyne Dassas, (more)
- 1961
In this crime melodrama, the son of a police commissioner falls in love with a girl who entices men to join rigged card games. She falls for the young man too, and tells him the truth about her employer. As a result, she is killed. Unfortunately, the young fellow is blamed for the crime until an investigation is launched. He eventually clears his name and the crooks are brought to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1960
Eddie Constantine stars as a reporter mixed up in the spy world in this routine espionage actioner by first-time director Pierre Grasset. After taking some illicit photos for a new story he is working on, Eddie (Constantine) is coerced into doing a job for the French Secret Service. There is a mole in the French missile sites who is passing on classified information, and Eddie is enlisted as bait to draw the culprit -- or culprits -- out. Along the way, he finds himself running for his life, fighting, and romancing until the final denouement. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eddie Constantine, Bernadette Lafont, (more)
