Jean-Michel Dagory Movies
- 1994
This French comedy-drama chronicles the reunion of five high school friends who come to witness the birth of a child whose father, a former friend, recently died. The boys graduated in 1975 and now, five years later they have come to a Parisian hospital to await the birth. As they wait, the try to understand the circumstances that caused their friend Tomasi, a formerly happy-go-lucky guy, to become a drug addict and die of an overdose. They also begin to reminisce about their senior year. They talk about everything from their experiences with girls and drugs, to their relationships with teachers and parents. Those times are depicted in detailed flashbacks. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julien Lambroschini, Nicolas Koretzy, (more)
- 1993
This drama presents the further adventures of Simon, the young man who dreams of becoming an internationally renowned clown. The story begins as he meets fellow jokester Eve while performing with the Winter Circus. She is a daring sort who freely experiments with the art. He joins her and they are both fired. Eve then takes Simon to her Montreal home. Eventually he hears that one of his old bosses has left him one half of a dilapidated, nearly bankrupt circus in Simon's native Australia. He quickly returns home to continue with his dream. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Clowning Around was the blanket title for two separate British/Australian TV series, both aimed at a youthful audience. The hero, Simon Gunner (Clayton Williamson), was a stagestruck youngster who aspired to become a circus clown. With the help of veteran funster Jack Merrick (Ernie Dingo), Simon ultimately realized his goal. Produced in France and Australia by ABC/Barron Films, the 16-episode Clowning Around first aired in 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Shortly after his 1970 success with the film Stille Dage i Clichy (Quiet Days in Clichy), director Jens-Jorgen Thorsen started trying to get Jesus Vender Tilbage (The Return) made. For the next twenty years, he kept at it when the money was available but had to cope not only with shortages of money, but an legal ban on the film in his native country of Denmark which was not revoked until 1990. In the face of these obstacles, he has put together a smoothly professional-looking film which seems to be intended to offend the religious sensibilities of a great many people. This satirical drama follows Jesus' career after he returns to earth to save it from environmental pollution. After a little exploration, he decides that Paris suits him just fine as a base of operations. When he gets entangled with a group of terrorists attempting to hijack a plane, he gets into serious trouble with the authorities, but one compensation for his troubles is that Jesus, the still-virgin Demiurge, finally gets to sample feminine carnal delights, which are offered to him by a lovely hijacker (Atlanta). When the authorities capture the hijackers, they assume that Jesus is their leader, and he is condemned to death. However, somehow the Pope (a despicable child molester) and Billy Graham (a bewildered fool) hear of his presence on the planet, and they scheme for his release, in return for a few miraculous favors. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marco di Stefano, Jed Curtis, (more)
- 1992
- PG
Tensions run high when a recently-divorced couple are given an offer they can't refuse. Once well-established movie songwriters, Dempsey and Ringwald are thrown together again when a movie producer offers them a rewarding contract to compose a new song. However, old wounds and new love interests guarantee that this job will be anything but easy money. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Molly Ringwald, Patrick Dempsey, (more)
- 1991
- R
A rich American playboy falls for a woman in Paris but before tying the knot, he decides to test her true motives by arranging a scheme whereby he temporarily writes off his millions to a business partner. When the gal proves her love is for real, the playboy finds that the partner is out to swindle him out of the bucks, so the two lovers must outsmart him to regain the dough. ~ All Movie Guide
Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin, better known in the literary world as George Sand, not only took a man's name, but trotted around wearing pants and smoking cigars in public. No great shakes today, but in the 1800s she was perhaps the most famous (or infamous) woman in the world. One of the first original celebrities, aside from her garb and literary output, she was known to inspire many duels and broken hearts among other famous hedonist artists. One character describes her in Impromptu, as "that graveyard." The film engages in a sexual roundelay among Sand's (Judy Davis) many friends -- Eugene Delacroix (Ralph Brown), Alfred DeMusset (Mandy Patinkin), Franz Liszt (Julian Sands), and Frederick Chopin (Hugh Grant). The entire crew heads off to the summer estate of the Duke and Duchess d'Antan (Anton Rodgers and Emma Thompson), invited there by the culture-vulture hosts. Sand takes a bead on the sickly Chopin and spends her time throwing herself at him. Also on hand is Liszt's mistress Marie d'Agoult (Bernadette Peters) and Felicien Mallefille (Georges Corraface), Sand's recently jilted lover. Mallefille is jealous of any of the other guests who glance in Sand's direction and continually challenges them to duels. Marie, on the other hand, is enlisted by Sand to deliver a note to Chopin. But Marie, jealous of Sand, delivers the note substituting her name for Sand's. And as the weekend continues, the sexual merry-go-round continues at full tilt. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Davis, Hugh Grant, (more)
- 1990
- PG
Adapted from a true story, West German investigative journalist Gunther Wallraff (Jurgen Prochnow) decides to fight sleaze with sleaze as he goes undercover at a tabloid newspaper to dig up the dirt on the paper's own unethical practices. Rising to the top of the hierarchy by working at the kind of journalism he despises, Wallraff soon discovers that the paper is waging a campaign against his true-life self; he must fight to emerge with his identity intact. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jürgen Prochnow, Peter Coyote, (more)
- 1990
- PG
An American comic (Patsy Kensit) is trying to make it in the comedy dens of Paris, but her soon-to-expire visa forces her to visit a marriage broker. He fixes her up with a songwriter (Stephane Freiss), but French immigration remains suspicious even after the marriage. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
