Marie-José Nat Movies

A conflict of cultures adds an unusual twist to La Nuit du Destin/Night Of Destiny, a suspense thriller from France. Mr. Slimami (Gamil Ratib) is an Algerian retiree living in Paris who witnesses a murder while taking a walk one evening. He's spotted by the assailant, but Slimami manages to slip away before being caught. The victim turned out to be a prominent businessman, and police are soon searching for the witness as well as the killers. Slimami does not want to step forward, both as a matter of personal safety and because he prefers to let the French police handle their own affairs. His son Alilou (Boris Terral), a budding journalist, openly decries the failure of the witness to come forward as a black mark on the Muslim community in Paris, unaware that the man in question is his father. La Nuit du Destin/Night Of Destiny received its American premiere at the 1999 Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, California. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Bajou (Michel Boujenah) is an enterprising, talented man. He has risen from poor, humble beginnings, and thanks to a gift for mathematics, a willingness to work hard and occasionally cut corners, he is now a wealthy, successful man. He is a careful man in most respects, and does not generally throw his considerable weight around as a Jew in the Muslim country of Tunisia. However, he wants to start a family, and has determined that the beautiful Habiba (Delphine Forest) would make the perfect wife. It doesn't matter to him much that she is not interested in him, or in starting a family. Unfortunately for him, although he can win legal access to her person through buying her marriage contract from her father and driving off her lover, he cannot win her heart. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

An innocent couple who were observing the "color" of a local festival begin to feel afraid because of the eerie happenings at the celebration, and they decide to get out of there before they too, are turned into a robotic shadow of their former selves. Their escape includes an interlude in a wooden coffin as they go through a cave along a subterranean river. (The film also features a lot of gorgeous scenery from the southern province of Ardeche with its photogenic Cevennes mountain range.) Winner of the Critics Prize at the 1982 Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a woman recovering from amnesia receives no help from her husband who definitely has something to hide. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this WW II drama based on an autobiographical story by director Michel Drach, a Jewish boy and his family living in Nazi occupied France, attempt to escape the cruel invaders. Later the boy grows up to become a filmmaker obsessed with chronicling his childhood. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this spy thriller, Gorenko (Max Von Sydow) is on the run from his Russian spymasters, and wants to defect. The Americans hide him in their Beirut embassy until they can sneak him into the States. Colonel Kesten (Chuck Connors) appears to be an American, but is actually a Russian double agent with orders to kill Gorenko. Their dangerous cat-and-mouse game continues until Kesten is revealed for what he is and is finally subdued. Chuck Connors' performance is one of the highlights of this film. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This comedy is built around a car and the various characters who own the vehicle throughout the feature. A Countess takes her terrified secretary on a wild ride in the country before she sells the car to a dealer. The auto serves as the connection for a series of predictable situations and sight gags. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

A married couple presents their separate views on the state of their marriage in this domestic drama. The two segments are titled ""My Days with Jean-Marc" and "My Nights with Francoise." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The seven major sins receive treatment from some of France's greatest directors in this lively portmanteau. "Anger" by Dhomme, chronicles a single horrific day when every bowl of soup in France is found to contain a fly. This causes a devastating nationwide revolt. "Envy" by Molinaro tells the story of a chambermaid whose dream of sleeping with a millionaire comes true. Unfortunately, she goes back to work and finds herself still consumed with jealousy. De Broca's "Gluttony" provides one of the film's most enjoyable episodes as it follows the exploits of a voracious family heading off for a funeral. "Lust" by Demy is set at a Parisian sidewalk cafe and eavesdrops upon the lusty conversation between two young men, one of whom has x-ray eyes that enable him to see through women's clothing. "Laziness" by Godard features real life matinee idol Constantine as a movie star who finds himself too sluggish to respond to the starlet trying so hard to seduce him. "Pride" by Roger Vadim tells the satirical tale of a philandering wife who changes her mind and stays with her husband after learning that her happy home is being threatened by another woman. Finally in Chabrol's "Greed," young men who have pooled their meager resources to buy a prostitute, fight for the chance to be with her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The vagaries of love are often tragic, as Amelie ou le Temps d'Aimer seems to say. Directed by Michel Drach in his second try at a feature-length film, the well-wrought romance revolves around the love that develops between Amelie (Marie-Jose Nat) and her cousin Alain (Jean Sorel). Amelie is an orphan who lives with Alain and his family on an island off the coast of France. Alain has dreams of working as a seaman, while Amelie works for Alain's father. The budding romance between the two takes a nose-dive when Alain falls for a glamorous actress who shows up on the island one day. Not mature enough yet to make a wise choice, Alain's betrayal of Amelie turns out to be a grievous mistake. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

This French-Italian romantic crime thriller is titled The Truth in English. Henri-Georges Clouzot directed sexpot Brigitte Bardot as Dominique Marceau, who is accused of killing her boyfriend. The question for the jury is whether the murder was premeditated or a crime of passion. Marceau had come from a small town to take up a sexually adventuresome life on the Left Bank in Paris. She has an affair with Gilbert Tellier (Sami Frey), the boyfriend of her sister Annie (Marie-Jose Nat). Dominique moves on to other romances, but Tellier won't let go of her. They fight and eventually separate. Tellier becomes a renowned orchestra conductor while Dominique descends into prostitution. She eventually learns that her sister and Tellier are engaged, and this knowledge leads up to the events that lead her to court. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide