Sacha Distel Movies
- 2001
Edina (Jennifer Saunders) is set to appear in a mother/daughter fashion spread to be shot in France for a glam magazine; after she fails to secure Chloe Sevigny, Kate Beckinsdale, or Liv Tyler to play her daughter, she faces the realization that real-life daughter Saffy (Julia Sawalha) will have to do. Patsy (Joanna Lumley) also plans to pose, with "face of the moment" Erin O'Connor as her fashion "daughter." Bubble (Jane Horrocks) tags along, but editor Candida de Benison-Bender (Tilly Blackwood) has to bail, leaving the gang in the hands of Dazed and Confused photographer Rimmer (Dave Gorman). After a quarrelsome ride on the Eurostar, the group arrives in Paris, where it turns out that Rimmer plans a generation-spanning neo-punk group fashion spread; Annegret Tree, on whose coattails Patsy briefly trod in the '60s, is one of the models. As Pats disrupts the proceedings and annoys Rimmer, Eddy and Saffy quarrel in a nearby café. After Eddy unflatteringly compares Saffy to Mother (June Whitfield), the previously guidebook-bound Saf agrees to do Paris her mum's way. The pair shop, dine at tony eateries, and head to the Eiffel Tower to flash their breasts at the world; Saffy, however, fails to realize she hasn't completely escaped her obligation to appear in print. Originally broadcast on BBC 1 on September 14, 2001, Absolutely Fabulous: Paris marked series four, episode two of this popular Britcom. Models Tree, O'Connor, and Daphne Selfe appear as themselves, as do jazz musician Sacha Distel and designer Christian Lacroix; Lacroix previously appeared in Absolutely Fabulous: The Last Shout. Hermine Demoriane sings a French version of the theme song "This Wheel's on Fire" over the closing credits. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, (more)
- 1971
This hard-boiled French crime thriller begins with the bold murder of a well-heeled Frenchman. The detective assigned to the case is most puzzled for there seems to be no motive. Then a old man and an astrologer are killed in exactly the same way, leaving the detective to figure out how the three disparate victims are linked. All he has to go on is a mysterious diary given to him by the step daughter of the first victim. The diary belonged to him and contains a list of the man's lovers. One of those women was once the lover of the detective and he calls upon her. She, not knowing that he is on a case, hopes that he will renew their love. During their tryst, he learns that she knows all three of the victims, but before he can call her on it, she too is gunned down. Eventually it is the lover of the step-daughter who leads the detective to the mystery's surprising, shocking conclusion. Despite the film's noir-ish content, director Philippe Labro chose to film it in gay, sunny Nice, a technique that actually enhances the grimness of the suspenseful story. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Louis Trintignant, Dominique Sanda, (more)
Simon (Jean-Claude Trintignant) gets out of prison and summons his old friend Charles (Charles Gerard) and Martine (Christine Lelouch), his one time lover now married to a wealthy man. The three kidnap a little boy and then blackmail the bank where the boy's father works to pay the ransom of one million dollars. The publicity-conscious bank pays the ransom but the rest doesn't go exactly as planned. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Louis Trintignant, Christine Lelouch, (more)
- 1964
In this romantic drama, a middle-aged gambler tells a casino croupier her life story. The story is told in flashback and chronicles the woman's romantic exploits with men. Though she was involved with many men, only one really touched her heart. He was a bartender who was tragically shot and killed during an attempted robbery. She later marries and has a daughter. Unfortunately she alienates herself from her daughter when she has an affair with her daughter's fiance. Her remorse is short lived. The film jumps back to the present with the woman leaving the casino on the arm of a handsome millionaire. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marie Bell, Annie Girardot, (more)
- 1962
The seven major sins receive treatment from some of France's greatest directors in this lively portmanteau. "Anger" by Dhomme, chronicles a single horrific day when every bowl of soup in France is found to contain a fly. This causes a devastating nationwide revolt. "Envy" by Molinaro tells the story of a chambermaid whose dream of sleeping with a millionaire comes true. Unfortunately, she goes back to work and finds herself still consumed with jealousy. De Broca's "Gluttony" provides one of the film's most enjoyable episodes as it follows the exploits of a voracious family heading off for a funeral. "Lust" by Demy is set at a Parisian sidewalk cafe and eavesdrops upon the lusty conversation between two young men, one of whom has x-ray eyes that enable him to see through women's clothing. "Laziness" by Godard features real life matinee idol Constantine as a movie star who finds himself too sluggish to respond to the starlet trying so hard to seduce him. "Pride" by Roger Vadim tells the satirical tale of a philandering wife who changes her mind and stays with her husband after learning that her happy home is being threatened by another woman. Finally in Chabrol's "Greed," young men who have pooled their meager resources to buy a prostitute, fight for the chance to be with her. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marie-José Nat, Jacques Charrier, (more)
- 1959
First released in 1960, Fanatics was designed as a screen vehicle for then-hot French singer Sacha Distel. In an apparent attempt to recreate the rough-edged "Elvis" mystique, Distel is cast as an ex-crook trying to go straight. He is pulled back into a life of crime by his unrepentant former comrades. They must be the "fanatics" of the title, even though they exhibit no religious or political leanings. Le Mordus was the original French title for this trifling meller. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sacha Distel, Danik Patisson, (more)
