Michel Such Movies

Recognizing no boundaries to her love, Angele manages to foment riots, rages and tragedy in colonial Algeria. Angele, an Algerian colonist with impeccably French origins, has fallen in love with Said, the assistant in her brother-in-law's bakery shop. Said is conscious of his Arab origins and traditions, and Angele has her work cut out for her if she wants to persuade him to marry her. Once she does, all hell breaks loose, as neither her European-origin peers nor Said's conservative Arab family approve of the union. When word of the proposed marriage gets out, strikes, violence and murder quickly follow, ruining not only Angele's life, but the lives of those around her. Her brother-in-law Paco, meanwhile, has been doggedly trying to get along and raise his family in an increasingly chaotic and difficult situation. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Martin (Martin Lamotte) is probably a little cracked in the head. Why else would he pick up a suspicious-looking hitchhiker (Pierre Richard) when he's been hearing about a dangerous escaped convict on the radio? It's not until the man is already in his car that he realizes that he could have a dangerous person on board. What's more, he can't seem to shake his now unwelcome hitchhiker. Eventually, he leaves his car behind altogether and becomes a hitchhiker himself. For a while this seems to work, and he even gets to have a brief affair with a woman who picks him up, but like a bad penny, his car and the hitchhiker catch up with him again... ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This romantic drama about two strangers who meet and fall in love in Paris contains seriocomic touches that add considerably to the feature. Marie (Catherine Wilkening) is a young Jewish girl from Algeria who comes to Paris in hopes of being a model. She is sidetracked when she meets Ali (Karim Allaouri), a French-born Arab and ex-convict. Ali makes plans to meet up with an accomplice to get his share of the money from a robbery with hopes of traveling to Houston, Texas to become a "cosmonaut." ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

This adaptation of Ben Hecht's novel is a satire that unfolds as a mystery story. A Hollywood studio is producing another spectacular when the top billed male stars suddenly show up as corpses, killed before the critics could ever put pen to paper. Under suspicion is a talent agent. Is he guilty or not? These macabre events have everyone off their feed, from the producers down to the lowest gofer. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In this suspense thriller inspired by the novel Eye of the Beholder by Marc Behm, Catherine (Isabelle Adjani), a serial killer, seduces men and then murders them just before moving on to the next victim. She spreads her mayhem through various countries in Europe, only slightly ahead of the mentally anguished detective (Michel Serrault) who tracks her -- he fantasizes she is his long-lost daughter and disposes of her trail of corpses to foil the police. Catherine pauses for a real love affair with a blind architect (Sami Frey) but the detective is overcome by jealousy and causes the man's death. This drives Catherine into despair -- and a return to her psychotic killing. As the police dragnet closes in, both Catherine and the detective are brought closer to a final confrontation with their internal demons. The version released in the U.S. runs only 96 min. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

This is a minimalist interrogation drama about a wealthy, influential attorney (Michel Serrault) in a small French town falls under suspicion in a double rape/murder case. The police bring the lawyer in for questioning; at first politely, and then less so, the interrogation team (Lino Venture, Guy Marchand) chips away at the suspect's alibi. An expertly wrought surprise ending makes up for the clumsiness of the English-language dubbing. This French film was based on the British novel Brainwash, by John Wainwright. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

No relation to the 1949 Somerset Maugham "omnibus" film of the same name, 1981's Quartet is based on the roman a clef by Jean Rhys. Though the names are changed, it is clearly the story of Rhys' romance with Ford Maddox Ford in 1920s Paris. The titular quartet consists of novelist Isabelle Adjani, her Polish husband Anthony Higgins, wealthy philanderer Alan Bates and Bates' artist wife Maggie Smith. Though she's been indulgent of Higgins's past indiscretions, Smith isn't keen on her husband carrying on an affair with Adjani under their own roof. Meanwhile, Higgins sits in prison, jailed for his various petty thefts. Once Higgins is released, he learns about the Bates-Adjani-Smith contretemps. When the dust settles, it is Adjani who suffers the most. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In his final film before taking his own life, Patrick Dewaere stars as Serge, a writer whose life is disrupted by an affair with the enigmatic Carol (Clio Goldsmith). ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

A 20-minute, César-winning short film from Chilean expatriate director Raul Ruiz, Colloque de Chiens (in English, Dog's Dialogue) takes its title from a series of barking dogs who reappear throughout the film, one of several motifs used to add unexpected depth to a purposefully melodramatic narrative. The film begins by centering on Monique, a young woman who descends into the world of prostitution; when she falls in love and attempts to leave behind her past, she sets off a series of events leading to betrayal, tragedy, and murder. This story is told through a combination of voice-over narration and still photographs, occasionally punctuated by moving images, a style meant to recall and parody Latin American "photo-novels." This technique becomes a way to explore the ambiguous nature of images and language, as certain sentences and still pictures repeat several times, taking on widely varied meanings based on their surrounding context while simultaneously creating a sense of fate and eternal recurrence. Director Ruiz also uses this technique for humor, contrasting the deadpan narration and iconic imagery with the sensationalistic, exaggerated plot, reportedly inspired by phrases cut out of a story in a popular crime magazine. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Freelance photographer Servais (Fabio Testi) meets luckless Nadine Chevalier (Romy Schneider) an aging, world-weary, would-be movie star who thus far has only been able to find work in cheap exploitation movies. Trying to win her affection, Servais borrows the money from his underworld employers to launch a theatrical production of Richard III starring Nadine as Lady Anne. Though cold and skeptical at first, Nadine gradually falls in love with Servais, and eventually finds herself torn between him and her husband Jacques (Jacques Dutronc), to whom she feels morally obligated. Set in a world of losers and futile talents, this dark and moody drama depicts love as the only source of salvation. Memorable performances and skillful direction make this film a powerful experience. ~ Yuri German, Rovi