Olga Georges-Picot Movies

Woody Allen's Love and Death is purportedly a satire of all things Russian, from Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoyevsky novels to Sergei Eisenstein films, but it plays more like a spin on Bob Hope's Monsieur Beaucaire. Allen plays Boris, a 19th century Russian who falls in love with his distant (and married) cousin Sonja (Diane Keaton). Pressed into service with the Russian army during the war against Napoleon, Boris accidentally becomes a hero, then goes on to win a duel against a cuckolded husband (Harold Gould). He returns to Sonja, hoping to settle down on the Steppes somewhere, but Sonja has become fired up with patriotic fervor, insisting that Boris join a plot to kill Napoleon. Intellectual in-jokes abound in Love and Death, and other gags are basic Allen one-liners; for instance, after being congratulated for his lovemaking skills, Boris replies nonchalantly, "I practice a lot when I'm alone." The pseudo-Russian ambience of Love and Death is comically enhanced by the Sergey Prokofiev compositions on the musical track. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Originally titled Persecution, the British Terror of Sheba represents Lana Turner's entree into the "fading stars in horror flicks" sweepstakes. Turner plays a maniacally possessive millionairess who delights in dominating her tremulous young son (Mark Weavers). She knows that her son has a morbid fear of cats, and she uses this knowledge to keep him under her thumb. Even when he grows up (then portrayed by Alan Bates), Turner continues her reign of terror. As tragedy is heaped upon tragedy, we eagerly await Turner's comeuppance. When it comes, it's well worth the wait, even though The Terror of Sheba itself is hardly in the category of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (or even Die! Die! My Darling!). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Henri's wife has divorced him. While Henri (Gilbert Becaud) is not excessively upset about the divorce, he is sad, hates to be alone, and dislikes the sorts of wrenching changes that are being forced on him. Indeed, his ex-wife cannot get him to leave their shared quarters by the court deadline without having a terrific row with him. When he finally leaves, he leans a great deal on his 10-year-old daughter for company, comfort and support. She gets used to that and has to make adjustments when Henri gets a new woman in his life. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In this French romantic melodrama, Françoise is happy to respond to her husband's voracious sexual appetite, but otherwise she is not happy at the country mansion she lives in with her husband and mother-in-law. The mother-in-law is an impossible old biddy, and makes life decidedly unpleasant. When woman-of-the-world Marie-Helene comes for a brief visit, Françoise develops a passion for her. Indeed, Françoise leaves her house, family and husband in order to seek her out and they eventually become romantic partners. When Marie-Helen goes off with an old (male) lover of hers, Françoise is left with nothing. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In this involving political thriller, a secret French paramilitary organization plans to assassinate French President Charles De Gaulle (Adrien Cayla-Legrand) because of their disagreement with his policies during the Algerian War. They hire a professional killer, known only as "The Jackal" (Edward Fox). The police learn of the plot from an informer, and police investigator Lebel (Michel Lonsdale) cleverly pieces together the clues to the Jackal's identity. The complicated plot uses parallel editing to cross-cut between the details of the Jackal's preparations for the assassination and Lebel's efforts to find him before it is too late. Fred Zinnemann presents the story, faithfully adapted from the book by Frederick Forsyth, with precise, dramatic flair. Edward Fox is coldly alluring as the Jackal. Well acted and directed, Day of the Jackal is a tense and engrossing political thriller with a surprising ending. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi

This melodrama explores the relationship between tenants in a boarding house. Included are a street musician, an ex-school teacher, and an angry young man who brings chaos to their quiet lives. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Catherine (Olga-George Picot) uses her feminine wiles to survive when enemy hordes attack Paris and kill her lover. The new chief desires her for his own, but she spurns his advances long enough to consort with rebels to plan her escape. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

As revolution sweeps across Europe, a newspaper correspondent covers the changing political events by attending summits in different countries. He travels across the superhighways and behind the iron curtain to watch the series of revolts unfold. His girlfriend Anne leaves him for a German student who espouses radical thoughts and beliefs. The reporter wins her back, but the relationship appears to be doomed when he refuses to compromise on his beliefs and journalistic integrity. He continues his dedicated and enthusiastic coverage of events, but his disillusioned girlfriend elects to relocate to America in this symbolic story of faith in one's beliefs and search for universal truth about the human race. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

In this provocative sci-fi drama from Alain Resnais, a man wakes up in a hospital after an attempted suicide. He has invented a time machine that has proven effective, but only transports the subject back in time for one minute. Upon his release, he gets his hands on the machine to go back to a time he fondly remembers spending with a woman he apparently has feelings about. The two stroll on the beach before she leaves for Scotland. He follows her, but tragedy ensues and it is not clear if he has killed her or if she died an accidental death. The time-machine angle of the film features a dreamlike series of flashbacks making it unclear if the action is presently unfolding or is merely a vague memory from the past. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi