Michele Mercier Movies

Roland des Roncesvalles is a legendary knight from the age of chivalry in France. In the 11th-century epic La Chanson de Roland, he is depicted as a key figure in halting the advance of the Arabs into France. In this story, the 10th-century legend is staged by a group of 12th-century pilgrims using the 11th-century poem. Their acting is interrupted by a violent peasant uprising, which kills many of their number. However, one of the survivors, who was playing Roland (Klaus Kinski), is converted to the peasant cause and later speaks out in favor of more just treatment for the downtrodden. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This film details a pretty girl's rise (with its attendant hazards) from obscurity to fame as she becomes a top model. Macedoine is played by Michele Mercier, popular for her appearances in the Angelique films. Her boss is Pierre Brasseur, and the strong supporting cast includes Bernard Fresson as the boyfriend. This is a French language film, with no dubbing or subtitles. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In this remake of his own La Danza Macabra, director Antonio Margheriti casts Anthony Franciosa as writer Alan Foster, who accepts a bet from Edgar Allan Poe (Klaus Kinski) and his friend Thomas Blackwood (Enrico Osterman). No one has ever survived a night in Blackwood's castle, but the skeptical Foster gladly accepts the dare. The castle is striking and scary, which soon begins to affect Foster's mind. He meets Blackwood's sister Elisabeth (Michele Mercier) and the jealous Julia (Karin Field). Julia's portrait had intrigued him earlier, but it is Elisabeth whom Foster beds, only to see her stabbed by a stranger. The attacker's body vanishes after Foster kills him, and he quickly realizes that the castle is inhabited by vampiric ghosts. Foster must survive the horrors of the night and hold on to not only his life, but his sanity as well. This is an atmospheric film, full of crypts, skulls and mist, and Margheriti's direction is assured. The acting is solid all around, with a fine supporting cast including Peter Carsten, Raf Baldassare, and Silvano Tranquilli, though fans of the original might miss Barbara Steele just a little. Overall, this is a worthy remake with some spooky moments and a well-written script by Bruno Corbucci and Giovanni Grimaldi. The music was composed by the prolific Riz Ortolani. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

This drama, based on Alexander Dumas' novel, chronicles the doomed love between Lord Horatio Nelson and the scandalous Lady Emma Hamilton. The tale begins when luscious country girl Emma, who possesses feminine charms no man can resist, uses her beauty to charm her way into the inner circle of the social elite, eventually marrying the prominent Lord Hamilton. She then has an affair with the naval hero, Nelson, whom she marries after her first husband dies. She even has a child with her new man. When he dies, however, she is deeply hurt to discover that her aristocratic "friends" will not allow her to attend the honored man's funeral. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This western finds Manuel (Robert Hossein) visiting his friends only to discover the husband has been murdered in a feud between two rival families. He promises the widow he will kidnap the daughter of the other family to avenge the killing. Manuel manages to apprehend the girl, and the widow has the girl raped. She offers the young woman back to her family in exchange for a decent burial for her murdered husband. The family of the kidnapped girl rides into town for the inevitable showdown in this violent story of murder and revenge. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Fifteen "monsters of modern Rome" are presented in this Italian episodic drama. Each of these "monsters" is highly misanthropic and nasty. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Angelique (Michele Mercier) is saved by the king of the cutthroats (Giuliano Gemma) when she is endangered in the streets of Paris. After her hero is killed, she has many amorous affairs and becomes a successful businesswoman in this costume-drama sequel based on the book by Serge and Anne Golon. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Brassac (Jean Gabin) is a drunken veterinarian who can't resist bringing home stray animals and humans. Lilli Palmer plays his long-suffering wife Marie. When he brings home the prostitute Simone (Michele Mercier), Brassac is not sure he is acting out of concern or lust. He beats up the pimp who comes looking for Simone, and Brassac is happy when she later falls in love with his neighbor, and they make Brassac a "grandfather." ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Angelique (Michele Mercier), the beautiful daughter of a once-wealthy nobleman, is married off to their rich neighbor Joffray de Peyrac (Robert Hossein) in this provocative 17th-century costumed drama. Theirs is at first a marriage of convenience until she begins to fall for Joffray. When he is arrested and disappears, Angelique sets out to find the man she loves in this first of a series of five films starring Mercier taken from the novel by Serge and Anne Golon. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi