Simon Eine Movies
A tragic and shameful moment in French history continues to have consequences in the present day in this screen adaptation of the novel by Tatiana de Rosnay. Julia Jarmond (Kristin Scott Thomas) is an American writer living in Paris with her husband, Bertrand (Frédéric Pierrot), an architect who is restoring a block of apartments in Paris owned by his family. Julia learns that Bertrand's family obtained the building through less than honorable means; the original owners were Jews who were forced to sell in the wake of the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup in 1942, when the Nazi-affiliated Vichy government arrested over 13,000 Parisian Jews. One of the victims was Sarah Starzynski (Mélusine Mayance), a ten-year-old girl who tried to protect her younger brother by locking him in a cupboard in their apartment. Fearing for her brother's safety, Sarah escapes the crowded cycling stadium where the Jews are being held and tries to make her way back home. Julia learns of Sarah's story while doing research on the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup, and her investigation teaches her a great deal about an event many in France are reluctant to discuss, as well as the links to Bertrand's family. Elle S'Appelait Sarah (aka Sarah's Key) was, along with La Rafle, one of two films concerning the Vel'd'Hiv Roundup released in France in 2010. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kristin Scott Thomas, Mélusine Mayance, (more)
Legendary French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard once again poses a number of provocative questions about art, politics, and the nexus point between them in this drama in three acts, "Hell," "Purgatory," and "Paradise." After a collage of film clips illustrate a meditation on the nature of war and conflict in society, Godard introduces his central set piece, in which a group of authors, artists, and noted thinkers gather for a symposium taking place in the battle-scarred city of Sarajevo. Olga Brodsky (Nade Dieu) is a young journalist who is French and Jewish by birth and Israeli by choice; she has come to discuss the conflict between her adopted nation and Palestine with some of the many notables in attendance, in particular a celebrated Palestinian author. As Olga wrestles with issues of conflict, identity, and culture along with others at the conference, one of the participants, Jean-Luc Godard, points out the frustrating similarities between the grammar of cinema and human nature, and posits the notion that it's the essential differences of the peoples of the world, rather than their similarities, which are at the root of our culture. Notre Musique was a prizewinner at the 2004 San Sebastián International Film Festival, where it was named Film of the Year. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sarah Adler, Nade Dieu, (more)
- 1992
- PG
At the beginning of For Better and for Worse, the wedding plans for Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and Catherine (Kelly Lynch) are moving along smoothly. Alas, Robert has entrusted the responsibility of sending out invitations to his best friend, a notorious practical joker. Thus it is that an invitation is mailed to the Pope. Surprise of surprises, His Holiness accepts! Poor Catherine: she could handle a romantic rival, but how does one resign oneself to playing second fiddle to the Pope? Originally titled RSVP, this easy-to-take comedy is pretty mild stuff, even allowing for its PG-13 rating. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Patrick Dempsey, Kelly Lynch, (more)
- 1988
- R
At the suggestion of a friend, Constance (Miou-Miou) places an ad in the paper offering her services as a reader in this romantic comedy drama. Her job leads her to a variety of employers and occasional romantic involvement. Maria Casares plays the widow of an East European general who has Constance read Tolstoy and Marx. Pierre Dux is the local magistrate who prefers to hear the memoirs of the Marquis de Sade. She also has an affair with a harried business executive played by Patrick Chesnais. This film was named the "Best Feature" at the 1988 Montreal World Film Festival. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Miou-Miou, Christian Ruche, (more)
- 1977
Claude Lelouch's Another Man, Another Chance is set in 1870. Fleeing from the Franco-Prussian war, Jeanne (Genevieve Bujold) and boyfriend Francis (Francis Huster) escape to the American west. Their course does not run smooth, and soon Jeanne is left alone to care for her baby. Meanwhile, American veterinaran Jimmy (James Caan), an absolute stranger to Bujold, endures his share of woes, not least of which is the rape and murder of his wife by desperadoes. Inevitably, Caan and Bujold meet and fall in love. Having already suffered the death of Huster, Jeanne tries to dissuade Jimmy from his single-minded pursuit of his wife's murderers. This character conflict determines the outcome of the film's final scenes. Another Man, Another Chance was distributed in the US by United Artists. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Caan, Geneviève Bujold, (more)
