Pierre Lary Movies

Alain Tescique (Jean Rochefort) is in Paris on a brief vacation from his job on a North Sea oil rig, and while he is playing around with a ham radio set he bought for his son, he picks up some suspicious conversations in a neighboring apartment. After some more eavesdropping, he hears about an important rendezvous and then manages to steal a coded message that seems to be about an imminent assassination. His worries increase when the couple in the nearby apartment are found murdered, and their assassin is described as someone who looks just like himself. Although he is upset and indecisive, his fears are assuaged by Daniel, the neighbor across from him (Jean-Pierre Marielle) and Beatrice (Dominique Sanda), a new romantic interest he met by accident. What he does not know is that Beatrice and Daniel were planted by an underground organization to get their hands on the coded document and force him into suicide. Without knowing it, his situation is much worse than what he had imagined and it seems like only a miracle can save him now. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Based on a successful cabaret theater play, Come to my Place, I'm Living with my Girlfriend features Guy (Michel Blanc) as a carefree and morally challenged gas station attendant suddenly in need of a place to live. It seems his boss caught him trying to cheat his customers, and Guy was thrown out on his ear. He saves the day for himself by wheedling his way into the good graces of two friends, Daniel (Bernard Girardeau) and Francoise (Therese Liotard), a young couple who are easy-going and willing to share their apartment with him "for a few days." The "few days" turn into week after week, as Guy connives to stretch out his good fortune as far as he can. Acting as though his welcome will never wear out, he further strains the relationship with Francoise and Daniel by entertaining a series of girlfriends - for whom he has an undying passion. His antics begin to short-circuit the happy relationship that Daniel and Francoise have always enjoyed, and sooner or later, the problem of "Guy" will have to be resolved before fuses are blown for good. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

After serving faithfully for over 10 years, the mid-level executive in this film has received notice that he is being fired for vague reasons having something to do with "reorganization" rather than his own job performance. As a protest, he tries attending a company party with his pants off, which seems to have no effect whatsoever. Shortly afterward, he hits on the scheme of barricading himself in his old office and going on a hunger strike. No one has seen anything like this before, and his efforts seem to be having an effect. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In typical Luis Buñuel fashion, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie surrealistically skewers the conventions of society. Buñuel applies his surrealist touch to a mundane event: a dinner party that may never come to pass. A group of well-to-do friends attempt to gather for a social evening, but are thwarted at every turn. The initial problem seems to be a simple scheduling mistake, but the obstacles become more and more bizarre. At one point, the guests are interrupted at the table by an army on maneuvers. Later they learn that they are merely characters in a stage play and so cannot have dinner together. These misadventures are combined with symbolic dreams of the various characters, some of which also involve interrupted dinners. Wicked social satire and one of Buñuel's funniest films. Winner of the Academy Award for "Best Foreign Film" in 1972. ~ John Voorhees, Rovi

While arch surrealist Luis Bunuel never made a secret of his skepticism about the existence of God, he was also raised as a strict Spanish Catholic and remained fascinated with the church's teaching throughout his life, and his obsessions with both faith and the contradictions of dogma provided the basis for this episodic satiric comedy. Jean (Laurent Terzieff) and Pierre (Paul Frankeur) are two threadbare vagabonds who are making their way from Paris to Spain on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, where the remains of Saint James are believed to be kept. While Jean and Pierre's journey begins in the 20th Century, as they travel they seemingly develop the ability to move through time and space as they pass through a variety of historical scenes taken from a broad range of theological texts -- and all involving heresy in one form or another. As they walk the long road to Santiago de Compostela (when they can't catch a ride), Jean and Pierre encounter Jesus (Bernard Verley), who decides not to shave his beard to keep his mother happy; a young boy with stigmata and unusual powers; the Marquis de Sade (Michel Piccoli), who patently struggles to teach atheism to a young girl he's captured; an eccentric priest who has an irreversible belief in transubstantiation until he changes his mind; two men who put their debate over Catholic dogma to the test in a duel with swords; and Satan (Pierre Clementi), who shows up just in time for a car wreck. La Voie Lactee (aka The Milky Way) was scripted by Bunuel and his frequent screenwriting collaborator Jean-Claude Carriere; each of the film's historic episodes was adapted faithfully from an actual biblical text or historical account. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In what must be the longest lapse of time between a film and its sequel, 70-year-old Abel Gance continues his nearly legendary, 1927 historical drama Napoleon with this tale of Napoleon's life after his victories in Italy. The first half of Austerlitz delves into the private life of Napoleon Bonaparte (Pierre Mondy), the prodigal son of Corsica. The supreme commander of the French armed forces goes about his family life and dallies with Josephine (Martine Carol) and mistress Mlle. de Vaudey (Leslie Caron). He occasionally displays bursts of temper that presage some of the macho violence of the battle scenes in the second half of the film, after Napoleon has proclaimed himself Emperor. This sequel shows that Gance has not lost his directorial touch. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi