Marie Gillain Movies

A handful of women use their smarts and allure in the service of the French Resistance in this historical drama set during World War II. Louise (Sophie Marceau) is a beautiful woman recruited into the French underground by her brother Pierre (Julien Boisselier) while Nazi forces occupy their homeland. Maurice Buckmaster (Colin David Reese) is a British agent who smuggles Louise into London to give her a special assignment -- a British scientist working with weapons research has been captured by Axis forces and is being held in a French hospital. Louise is ordered to put together a team of female resistance fighters to find the scientist and smuggle him to safety before he can be forced to tell Nazi intelligence what he knows. Louise's band of heroines includes Gaelle (Deborah Francois), who knows about demolition; Jeanne (Julie Depardieu), a streetwalker more interested in her own survival than the future of France; Suzy (Marie Gillain), a nightclub entertainer who was romantically involved with a German officer; and Maria Luzzato (Maya Sansa), a Jewish noblewoman who is on hand to help the other women when they make their way back into France. Les Femmes de l'ombre (aka Female Agents was inspired by the true story of Lise Villameur, who served with French resistance forces during the Second World War. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The bleakest and most claustrophobic nightmare of many a European actualizes in director Régis Wargnier's apocalyptic thriller Pars vite et reviens tard (AKA Have Mercy on Us All). Not long after his abandonment by his girlfriend, French police captain Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg is confronted by a string of bizarre signs strewn across Paris - strange talismans and omens that appear inexplicably on Parisian doors, whispered words that forebode an unspeakable onslaught of doom. All suggest someone's crude warning, and a riddle that Adamsberg must solve to stave off a coming tragedy - but the meaning eludes the captain until calamity hits: the Plague returns, wiping out scores of victims in its wake. And more problematically, it appears that some malevolent soul is single-handedly controlling the outbreak, willing it wherever he or she chooses. Lucas Belvaux, Marie Gillain, Michel Serrault and Mathias Mlekuz co-star; Wargnier co-authored the script with Harriet Marin, Lawrence Shore, Julien Rappeneau and Ariane Fert, adapted from the novel by Fred Vargas. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

During the Nazi occupation of France during World War II, the nation's movie studios continued to operate; some filmmakers and technicians simply went along with what their new leaders demanded in hopes keeping themselves and their families safe, while others sought to subvert the messages of their captors through their work. Safe Conduct, directed by Bertrand Tavernier, is a fact-based period drama which examines two men working for a Parisian film company during 1942 and 1943, as well as their friends, family, and loved ones. Jean Devaivre (played by Jacques Gamblin) is an assistant director for Continental Pictures, a studio which has recently been taken over by the Germans and is headed by Dr. Greven (Christian Berkel), a self-styled aficionado of French filmmaking. With a wife (Marie Desgranges) and a newborn son to support, Devaivre feels he has little choice but to continue with his work, though as he rises from assisting to becoming a full fledged director thanks to the efforts of Maurice Tourneur (Philippe Morier-Genoud), he struggles to work his own views into his pictures as much as he can. Screenwriter Jean Aurenche (Denis Podalydes), a man who lives for wine, women and song (not necessarily in that order), refuses to work for Greven, and as he bounces between his many lovers - actress Suzanne Raymond (Charlotte Kady), no-nonsense streetwalker Olga (Marie Gillain), and soft-hearted Reine (Maria Pitarresi), a struggles to find a way to make a living with his words. Both Devaivre and Aurenche were real-life figures in the French film industry during the occupation, as were many of Safe Conduct's supporting characters; the real life Aurenche went on to write the screenplay for Bertrand Travernier's first feature film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A man keeping a few too many secrets finds them coming back to haunt him in this farcical comedy. Barnie (Fabrice Luchini) is an ordinary looking guy working in the shipping business who happens to have an unusually busy love life. While seemingly happily married to Lucie (Nathalie Baye) in Calais, Barnie has not one but two lovers in London -- Margot (Marie Gillian), a younger woman who works in commercial art, and Mark (Hugo Speer), a man employed by an auction house. Lucie doesn't know about Barnie's lovers, and neither Margot nor Mark is aware of Barnie's wife -- or his bisexuality. As chance would have it, all three decide upon the same present for Barnie's 45th birthday -- tickets for a getaway to Venice on the Orient Express. Barnie decides holding on to his marriage is his first priority, so he opts to visit Venice with Lucie, sending back Mark and Margot's tickets with polite notes of regret. However, Mark's letter is sealed in Margot's envelope and vice versa, and soon the two know about each other, with a little detective work tipping them off to the full extent of Barnie's secret life. Eager for revenge, Mark and Margot pay a visit to Venice, where posing as man and wife they drop in unannounced on Barnie and Lucie, throwing the unfaithful husband into a panic. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Following the success of Hamam, Turkey-born, Italy-based Ferzan Ozpetek delivers another exotic film that delves into the traditions of his origin. Once again, the exotic city of Istanbul is the place of intrigue. But, unlike Hamam, which was a contemporary story, Harem Suare takes place at the turn of the century in the last days of the Ottoman Empire. The locale of this ornate story of love, power, and fear is the magnificent Yildiz Palace, where Sultan Abdulhamit whiles away the time listening to the finale of La Traviata as rebellions rage all over the country. The Sultan cannot stand unhappy endings, so he has asked Safiye, his favorite concubine, who is Italian, to rewrite the libretto so that Violetta does not die. Nadir, one of the black eunuchs, has plans for Safiye, whom he thinks should become the official wife. Nadir's plans take a different turn when he and Safiye fall in love. In the harem, which is isolated from the rest of the world, life goes on with its plots and subplots, loyalties and betrayals, happiness and tragedies as if time did not exist. The story is told from the point of view of Safiye, concentrating more on human relations than on palace politics. The director plays with mirror images to reflect the two faces of personalities and the complexities of intercultural relations. Mythology is blended with sexuality, emphasizing the delicate nuances of language. The exotic element is not abused and historical details are used sparingly and only when necessary. Acting by young French actress Marie Gillain, who plays Safiye, and Lucia Bose, who plays her in old age, as well as Alex Descas as the eunuch Nadir and famous Turkish actor Haluk Bilginer as Sultan Abdulhamid are all commendable. 52nd Cannes Film Festival, 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi

In the midst of WW I, a doctor and a lawyer team up to turn a ramshackle old mountain chateau into a sanatorium/health spa that caters to the afflicted from most every stratum of European society, most of whom show up with false hope in their hearts and plenty of equally false identities. Even the proprietors have a few deceptions, chief among them is the part of the resort where they provide shelter for dying and horribly maimed soldiers. Still the atmosphere of this high-class convalescent home is that of great gentility that thinly disguises the seaminess of the guests' secret activities. Though much of the film is a quirky comedy, tragedy comes creeping in when people begin dying of unnatural causes, and not even the pure mountain air can save the owners and the residents. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This French-Italian romantic drama is faithfully based on an early 19th century Goethe novel about the destruction of a married couple. They are Charlotte and Edouard, an aristocratic couple who married late in life and happily lives in a lovely Tuscan villa. Their peaceful, marital bliss is interrupted when Othon (Edourd's closest friend) and his goddaughter Ottilie, who was raised in a convent, arrive for an extended visit. The pregnant Charlotte immediately finds herself drawn to Othon while Edouard is attracted to the girl. As they act upon their impulses a tragedy ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This European road movie chronicles the misfortunes, hopes, and dreams of a troubled teenage girl alone in a cruel world. Life for Marie has always been hard, but lately things have gotten worse. Her former boyfriend committed suicide. She is pregnant by her current one, her mother is forcing her to abort the baby, and then tells her that had it been possible, she would have done the same to Marie. (The mother's husband left her when Marie was born.) Marie is actually on the operating table when she suddenly loses her nerve and splits to find the baby's father in a pool hall. He rejects her and she turns to a friendly drug pusher who takes her with him on a trip to Brussels. The police stop them and request that the dealer, Paulo, meet them at his apartment. He dumps Marie and takes off. Marie keeps the appointment (Paulo was killed during a chase, but she doesn't know it.) and finds Tonio, Paulo's 7-year old son staying by himself. His mother returned to Portugal after his birth. She finds out Paulo when the police raid the apartment. Afterward, Marie heads to Lisbon to return the boy to his estranged mother. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi