Jean Degrave Movies
- 1982
- R
Dirty Dishes is a Bunuel study in alienation, but look again: that's Joyce Bunuel, not Luis, so Dirty Dishes is more user-friendly. French housewife Carol Laure isn't satisfied with her lot, but what else is there? One day the monotony is too much; she snaps, and goes on a one-woman rebellion against the world. At first it's a hilarious orgy of self-discovery--and then Laure goes off the deep end. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Carole Laure, Pierre Santini, (more)
One of Luis Buñuel's most episodic films, The Phantom of Liberty focuses on no one particular narrative. In the beginning, a man sells postcards of French tourist attractions, calling them "pornographic." A sniper in Montparnasse is hailed as a hero for killing passersby. A "missing" child helps the police fill out the report on her. A group of monks play poker, using religious medallions as chips, and in the most infamous sequence, a formally dressed social group gathers at toilets around a table, occasionally excusing themselves to go into little stalls in a private room to eat. ~ John Voorhees, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Brialy, Monica Vitti, (more)
Originally titled Peau D'Ane, Jacques Demy's Dos Cruces en Danger Pass is better known by its English-language title Donkey Skin. Based on a fairy tale by Charles Perrault (of Cinderella fame), the bizarre story concerns the king (Jean Marais) of a strange, enchanted land. Catherine Deneuve plays the dual role of the king's wife and daughter. When the wife dies, she makes the king promise that he'll never marry anyone less beautiful than she; thus, he is compelled to wed his own daughter! The fairy godmother (Delphine Seyrig) tries to save the girl from this incestuous fate by telling her to make impossible demands for her wedding gifts. One such demand is for the skin of a magic donkey which deposits valuable jewels in its compost heaps. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Catherine Deneuve, Jean Marais, (more)
- 1966
In this Italian exploitation drama, a heart-broken young woman, recently jilted by her lover, becomes a hooker involved with a cruel pimp. After beating her, she heads for a new brothel. There she meets a dashing public- relations man who has come to her room to look into the killing of his aged boss. He helps her escape her murderous pimp and his brother, a professional killer. Unfortunately, the crooks manage to catch her. Fortunately, she is rescued by the PR man after one hood kills the other. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1963
The characters and plot convolutions of the classic silent French serial Judex are thrust into a 1960s framework in this Georges Franju concoction. Channing Pollock plays a mysterious masked avenger who kidnaps evil-banker Michel Vitold, then sets about to turn the banker's friends and loved ones against him. At first appearing to be as wicked as his captive, Pollock is actually motivated by familial love: his father had been driven to suicide by Vitold. Pollock is successful in destroying his enemy, adding spice to the program by wedding Vitold's daughter Edith Scob. In keeping with the spirit of the original serial, Pollock pops in and out of the plotline decked out in impenetrable disguises. As with his earlier horror film Eyes without a Face (1960), director Franju invests his two-dimensional material in Judex with three-dimensional characters. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Channing Pollock, Francine Bergé, (more)
- 1961
The story of a Frenchman who fought to liberate the American colonies from British rule is colorfully brought to the screen. Lafayette (Michel Leroyer) is an engaging young landowner who spends his time in taverns drinking and talking politics. When he ends up on the wrong side of the minister's police, he sells his land, buys a ship, and takes off to help the Americans fight the British. He meets up with General Washington (Howard St. John) and earns his rightful place in history as one of the great military leaders. British General Cornwallis is portrayed by Jack Hawkins, while Orson Welles gives a memorable performance as Benjamin Franklin. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michel LeRoyer, Howard St. John, (more)
- 1959
In this drama, the hero finds himself beaten by gang members whose operation involves capturing young women and selling them as prostitute/slaves. When the hero's own fiancee ends up involved, he does everything he can to save her. Fortunately the police intervene, with guns blazing, and the day is saved. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Hossein, Philippe Clay, (more)
The Paris demimonde of 1900 is the setting for Casque d'Or. Georges Manda (Serge Reggiani), an honest woodworker, falls in love with Marie (Simone Signoret), the "moll" of minor crook Roland (William Sabatier). Gangster boss Felix Leca (Claude Dauphin) orders Georges and Roland to fight a duel to the death over the girl, as prescribed by the "code of the apache." Felix then pins the blame for Roland's death on Georges' boyhood chum, Raymond (Raymond Bussières), knowing that the woodworker will nobly accept the blame; this will leave Marie alone, which is what the lustful Felix has wanted all along. When Georges learns he's been set up as a dupe, he escapes from the police and kills Felix. Casque D'Or was based on the true-life Leca-Manda scandal, wherein an otherwise decent man was guillotined for shooting down a gangster boss in broad daylight. Since the scandal was common knowledge in France, the downbeat ending of this film was hardly unexpected but still extremely moving. Completed in 1951, Casque D'Or was a failure on its first release but then built up an excellent word-of-mouth reputation abroad. The film was released in the U.S. in 1956 as Golden Marie. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Simone Signoret, Serge Reggiani, (more)
