Jenny Astruc Movies
- 1983
Yves Montand stars in this French seriocomedy as a middle-aged waiter. He has long harbored dreams of becoming a singer, and is also anxious to prove he's as virile as he was when he started pushing plates. Montand gets a chance to rev up his sexual energy and his musical skills when an old flame (Nicole Garcia) reenters his life after 17 years. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Yves Montand, Nicole Garcia, (more)
One of Luis Buñuel's most episodic films, The Phantom of Liberty focuses on no one particular narrative. In the beginning, a man sells postcards of French tourist attractions, calling them "pornographic." A sniper in Montparnasse is hailed as a hero for killing passersby. A "missing" child helps the police fill out the report on her. A group of monks play poker, using religious medallions as chips, and in the most infamous sequence, a formally dressed social group gathers at toilets around a table, occasionally excusing themselves to go into little stalls in a private room to eat. ~ John Voorhees, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Brialy, Monica Vitti, (more)
- 1973
- R
In Sidney J. Furie's interminable caper film, Billy Dee Williams is a federal agent who takes matters into his own hands after the government refuses to do anything about French drug trafficking. After his daughter dies of an overdose of heroine and the authorities seem unconcerned, Nick Allen (Williams) takes it upon himself to organize a small independent task force of mercenaries to travel to France in order to kill the nine leaders of a Marseilles drug syndicate. This motley group of angry American citizens who are out for blood include the rabid Mike Willmer (Richard Pryor); the sedate Sherry Nielson (Gwen Welles); the robust Dutch Schiller (Warren Kammerling); and the kindly old Jewish couple, Ida (Janet Brandt) and Herman (Sid Melton), who want to inflict Old Testament revenge upon the dope peddlers. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, (more)
- 1966
In this drama, a married woman begins an affair with an embezzler. Trouble ensues when she discovers that her spouse and her lover murdered an old banker for his inheritance. After she is raped by one of her shady hubby's thugs, the woman asks the advice of a priest who tells her to go to the cops. She does and subsequently goes to live on an isolated Greek island. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Prolific French director Max Pecas guides this wooden sexual drama through its slow paces. The story is set during summer vacation when a group of morally vague students are out for fun and games -- and also taking advantage of the money of a wealthy woman. One of these young men is beguiled by Elke (Elke Sommer) a vixen who has no particular interest in a relationship that is not anchored in superficiality. The young man goes along with her until he eventually sees the light, leaving her to rethink her attitude as he heads out to rekindle a former, solid romance. Parents should be warned that there is some nudity and violence in this film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Elke Sommer, Pierre Brice, (more)
