Elina Labourdette Movies

This shallow film is a transparent attempt to make people think that the director and producer actually are in touch with the rebellious youth of 1968. The main character is a young man who is not opposed to sleeping with older women or men to get ahead. He meets a young hippie girl, a free spirit who rejects his life in a nice apartment, a decent auto and a future. They engage in a brief affair, but the young man has no intention of giving up the opportunistic preying on his willing victims. Another young man leaves his wealthy family behind to become a long-haired, guitar-playing hippie. Some colorful French nightlife and a few nude scenes spice up this pretentious, overbearing feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

The French omnibus feature Tales of Paris is made of four separate romantic playlets, each with its own cast, director, and scenarist. "The Tale of Ella," directed by Jacques Poitrenaud, stars Dany Saval as an ambitious nightclub performer who very nearly messes up her chances for success by bullying a mild-looking but important producer. "The Tale of Antonia," directed by Michel Boisrond, finds housewife Dany Robin exacting a sweet revenge on her cheating husband. "The Tale of Francoise," directed by Claude Barma, concerns the efforts of Francoise Arnoul to test the fidelity of her best friend's lover. And "The Tale of Sophie," directed by Marc Allegret, features Catherine Deneuve as a goody-two-shoes who fabricates a torrid romance in order to be accepted by her sexually knowledgeable schoolmates. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Jacques Demy's auspicious debut -- "a musical without music" set in the port city of Nantes -- stars Anouk Aimée as the title character, a cabaret singer awaiting the return of Michel (Jacques Hardin), her long-absent lover and the father of her child. Michel went to America seven years ago and promised to return when he became rich. In Michel's absence, Lola is being courted by her childhood friend Roland (Marc Michel) and American sailor Frankie (Allan Scott). At some point, it seems that Lola will settle down with one of them, but her heart still belongs to Michel. The film is dedicated to Max Ophüls and the film title obviously alludes to Ophüls' Lola Montes as well as to the heroine of Josef Von Sternberg's The Blue Angel. Marc Michel makes a reference to his unrequited love towards Lola when he reappears in Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964). ~ Yuri German, Rovi

In comfortable dotage, baronet Humphery Tavistock (Laurence Harvey) recalls a lifetime of romantic entanglements to his wide-eyed son-in-law. Tavistock has come to the conclusion that women are a riddle wrapped in a mystery surrounded by an enigma, and his reminiscences bear this out. Among the baronet's many amours are a suffragette, a harem girl, the wife of a diplomat who "demands satisfaction", an American heiress, a bohemian artist and an army nurse. After all this, Tavistock finds lasting happiness with the first women he ever loved. The female cast of The Truth About Women features the illustrious likes of Julie Harris, Diane Cilento, Mai Zetterling and Eva Gabor, so it's little wonder that the hero has so many vivid memories to fall back on. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the 1950s, French films were considered the ne plus ultra in naughtiness by certain impressionable filmgoers. It was to these movie fans that the American distributor of Jean Renoir's Elena et les Hommes (Elena and the Men) catered when it provocatively retitled the picture Paris Does Strange Things As further grist to the mill for American publicity hacks, the film starred Ingrid Bergman, who had recently returned to Hollywood after her career was nearly ruined by a marital scandal. Actually there was nothing overtly erotic about Paris Does Strange Things. The film was a sweet romantic comedy wherein Bergman plays a poverty-stricken Polish princess, who is wooed by eligible admirers Mel Ferrer and Jean Marais. Will she marry for love, or merely to restore her wealth? The suspense is bearable. Inexpertly cut to 86 minutes for its American showings, Paris Does Strange Things was restored to its full 98 minutes in 1986 and its title reverted to Elena et les Hommes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

La Vierge du Rhin translates to Rhine Virgin, a title that would have had trouble getting by the hidebound American censors of 1953. The title refers not to a woman, but to a river barge, which tools up and down the Rhone throughout the film. Ex-POW Jacques (Jean Gabin), bitter and disillusioned, hopes to wreak vengeance on a former friend who'd betrayed him to the Nazis. He is given a new lease on life through his romance with Marie (Nadia Gray), a girl who spends her life on the barge. Meanwhile, Jacques' ex-wife (Elina Labourdette) and his betrayer (Olivier Hussenot) plot the hero's demise. A phony murder charge and a climactic river chase caps this standard Jean Gabin vehicle. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Mon Mari est Merveilleux (My Husband is Marvelous) stars Fernand Gravey as Claude, a misogynistic author. Because Claude refuses all interviews, newspaper columnist Sylvia (Soprie Desmarets) resorts to subterfuge to get a story, posing as the servant girl of a wealthy friend. By the time Claude figures out that he's been taken, he's also been smitten by Sylvia, of course. As always, director Andre Hunebelle relies strictly on formula material. And as always, Hunebelle makes the tried-and-true situations seem far fresher and funnier than they are. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Two of French director Richard Pottier's films were released simultaneously in the U.S. during the last week of July, 1952. The first was the inexpensive musical comedy Rendezvous a Grenade; the second was the equally economical murder mystery Ouverte Contre X. Elina Labourdette stars as Katherine, a girl accused of murder. The victim was a louse who was trying to destroy Katherine's latest romance by digging up evidence of an earlier indiscretion. For a while, it sure looks like Katherine did indeed commit the murder, but soon the true culprit becomes obvious (to the audience, if not the authorities). Yves Deniaud has all the best scenes as an affable police inspector. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

French filmmaker Jacques Becker's Edouard et Caroline has been described as a film without a story. This isn't quite true, though the most memorable aspect of the film is the byplay between the two title characters. Edouard (Daniel Gelin) is a young, headstrong musician. Caroline (Anne Vernon) is his flibbertigibbet spouse. The two quarrel over an evening dress, they separate and then reunite. These farcical proceedings are counterpointed by Becker's naturalistic choice of settings, including Eduoard and Caroline's less-than-fashionable apartment and the prison-like confines of Caroline's uncle's mansion. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This tragic and suspenseful tale of domestic abuse concerns a couple who have drifted far from the intent of their marriage vows. Bob (Anthony Perkins) is a former soldier who met Lisa (Sophia Loren) when she was a poor girl living in Italy. After they marry, they take up residence in Paris where Lisa holds down a job and Bob is always going to the next job interview -- that ultimately yields nothing. The sniveling weasel slaps his wife around, endearing himself to no one. As he is leaving for an interview, Lisa tells him at the airport that she's had enough and it's over. The plane crashes, but bad-boy Bob is the lone survivor and returns to his long-suffering wife. He promises he will leave her for good once the life-insurance claim is processed. Her slap-happy spouse then decides when the money comes in, he will have her arrested and charged with insurance fraud. Meanwhile, Lisa has fallen for David (Gig Young). When Bob forces her to drive him out of the country, Lisa plans to drive Bob out of her life for good. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi