Paul Amiot Movies
- 1973
This French political thriller depicts the world of troubles that descend upon a relatively innocent doctor who decides to serve as a political candidate running against a thoroughly corrupt and devious mayor. In a recent campaign, the mayor and his henchmen were responsible for the murder of a man putting up posters for a rival candidate. Since the mayor is capable of arranging murder, it comes as little surprise that he arranges for the distribution of a forged photograph which makes it appears the doctor's wife was in an orgy. Attempts to clear his family's name and continue with the campaign make the doctor's situation worse. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Annie Girardot, Bernard Fresson, (more)
At the beginning of World War II, while the Germans entered France from the north, many people had reason to believe that the Germans would not treat them kindly, and they fled by train to the south. This French film tells the story of a few of them. Because they were fleeing the best-organized bureaucrats in the world, many of them chose to flee in freight cars, unseen and unnoted. When Meyereu (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is separated from his wife during the escape, he allows a Jewish girl (Romy Schneider) to pose as his wife. As the deception continues, they come to care for each other, but she discreetly disappears when his real wife turns up. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Louis Trintignant, Romy Schneider, (more)
Corey (Alain Delon) is the young gun in the French underworld who has just been released from prison. Escaped convict Vogel (Gian-Maria Volonté) hides in the trunk of Corey's car. The two enlist the help of an alcoholic former cop (Yves Montand) for an elaborate jewelry-store robbery. Police inspector Mattei (Bourvil) whom Vogel escaped in the beginning of the film is on the case trying to recapture the criminals. He is not opposed to using blackmail techniques to get answers out of the unwilling witnesses and criminals brought in for questioning. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alain Delon, Bourvil, (more)
- 1942
Midnight in Paris was originally titled Monsieur La Souris, the character played by the incomparable Raimu. M. La Souris is a downtrodden nobody who stumbles upon a corpse and dutifully reports his find to the constabulary. Alas, La Souris is himself suspected of murdering the victim, throwing the police off the track and allowing the genuine killer to elude capture. When the identity of the killer is finally revealed, it comes as a genuine surprise, especially since there's no logic or credibility to the revelation. Filmed in 1941, Midnight in Paris was released in the U.S. in 1947, one year after Raimu's death. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Raimu, Aimé Clariond, (more)
- 1938
Crossroads is the English title for Carrefour, directed in France by German-born Kurt (later Curtis) Bernhardt. Suzy Prin and Jules Berry star in this master blend of amnesia, romance and deceit. A respected French diplomat is blackmailed by criminals, who insist that the diplomat, who'd once suffered a loss of memory, had been a crook in his previous "life". When Kurt Bernhardt emigrated to the US, he was signed by Warner Bros., thus had no opportunity to work on MGM's remake of Carrefour (again titled Crossroads) starring William Powell, Hedy Lamarr and Basil Rathbone. The story would be adapted a third time for the 1950 British melodrama Dead Man's Shoes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jules Berry, Charles Vanel, (more)
- 1937
This 1938 sci-fi and horror-tinged war drama from writer/director Abel Gance is an updated remake of Gance's own 1919 silent feature of the same name. J'accuse stars Victor Francen as Jean Diaz, a scientist who, after witnessing the unspeakable horrors of the battlefield during the First World War, dedicated his life to ensuring that history doesn't repeat itself. Diaz eventually invents a device that promises to bring an end to war forever. However, with WWII on the horizon, the government instead opts to use the machine against its enemies rather than for peace. This drives Diaz to the brink of insanity and leads him to resort to more unexpected measures to get his point across. Line Noro and Marie Lou also star. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
- Starring:
- Line Noro, Renee Devillers, (more)
