Daniel Langlet Movies

The grim post-World War I era in Europe is grist for director Bertrand Tavernier's mill in Life and Nothing But. Philipe Noiret portrays a French major who is supervising the gruesome task of counting and identifying the corpses still strewn over the battlefield. Noiret is obsessed with the notion that, by doing his job above and beyond the call of duty, he can somehow make up for the carnage in which he participated a few years earlier. The major's mission is intercut with short vignettes involving the families and loved ones of the dead, and with the efforts by another officer to find a suitable candidate for an Unknown Soldier testimonial. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Corruption in the rarified air of the corporate and governmental elite drives the action in this fast-paced thriller. Claire Rousset (Sabine Azema) heads to a small town to come to the aid of her ailing ex-husband, who has been poisoned by the town's drinking water. As Claire arrives, she sees a band of arsonists burn the city down, lock, stock, and water barrel. The iron-clad official statement is that the incinerated town had an unfortunate gas explosion. This blatant lie propels Claire to find out who torched the town, and why no one in government is listening to her. Meanwhile, Jeff Montellier (Richard Anconina), an employee of a company that transports lethal chemicals, finds out that a dangerous accident in the destroyed town poisoned its water supply. Eventually, Jeff and Claire cross paths in their investigations and discover that they are up against some very powerful enemies. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In this tragic tale of misunderstanding, obsession, and increasing madness, "she," a beautiful young woman (Isabelle Adjani) settles into a small town in the south of France with her introverted mother (Maria Machado) and physically handicapped father and soon becomes the subject of wild speculation because of her aloofness and at the same time, her obvious sexuality. The young woman is actually caught up in the desire to avenge the long-ago rape of her mother, a rape committed by three Italian immigrants, one of whom is associated with a player piano. An attractive car mechanic (Alain Souchon) is enamored of her, and the woman suddenly sees him in a different light when she learns that his father, now dead, was an Italian immigrant who owned a player piano. Intent on taking action against the mechanic's family to right the wrong suffered by her mother, the daughter begins to lose her grip on sanity when she finds out that the men she suspects of the rape are actually innocent. In fact, her father long ago exacted his own vengeance on the three rapists. This knowledge pushes her over the edge, and she has to be institutionalized. Meanwhile, the young mechanic misunderstands what has happened and sets in motion events that cannot but lead to tragedy. L'Été Meurtier garnered four different Cesars in the 1983 competition: "Best Actress" (Isabelle Adjani), "Best Supporting Actress" (Suzanne Flon), "Best Original Screenplay," and "Best Editing." ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi