Maria Mauban Movies
- 1946
Sixteenth-century Flanders provides the colorful backdrop for this filmization of Sardou's play Patric. Pierre Blanchar plays the title character, a fearless swashbuckler who leads a revolt against the Spanish conquerors of Holland. Blanchar's chief aide, played by Jean Desailly, is utterly indispensable to "the cause." It therefore follows that Blanchar pretends to be blind to his wife's torrid romance with the handsome Desailly. Patric is at its best in the action sequences; the love story is handled in a curiously old-fashioned, stodgy manner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Mauban, Mireille Perrey, (more)
- 1950
Jean-Louis (Henri Vidal) makes his living by trapping deadly snakes and selling them to zoos. In love with shopgirl Simone (Francoise Arnoul), Jean-Louis gallantly comes to her defense during a minor skirmish with a policeman. Things get out of hand, and before long Jean-Louis is a fugitive from justice, leading the authorities on an appropriately serpentine chase through the streets of Paris. The film's "serpent" motif is further developed when Simone lands a job as a cabaret "snake dancer." If the viewer draws any analogies between Danger is a Woman and the story of Adam and Eve, then screenwriter Jacques Laurent (who adapted his own novel La Mort a Boire) has accomplished what he set out to do. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Françoise Arnoul, Henri Vidal, (more)
- 1954
Rumeur Publique (Public Rumor) is a complicated story rendered nearly incomprehensible by poor English-language dubbing. Seeking a major news story, journalist Jaier (Daniel Gelin) pounces upon a mysterious small-town death. A young wife has fallen down a huge flight of stairs, and her husband is being held for her murder. Through a series of heartrending newspaper columns, Jaier manages to save the husband from the guillotine. Striking while the iron is hot, the journalist talks the young man into collaborating on a movie script about the tragic incident. In the process, the awful truth of the matter is fully revealed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Gélin, Maria Mauban, (more)
- 1977
The 14-year-old younger sister of a 20-year old girl who died in a horrible accident remembers her sister in a series of flashbacks and compares them to what she is able to discover about the older girl, who was considered by the family to be a bit of a black sheep. This sentimental drama about upper-class life was based on the novel by Claire Gallois. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aude Landry, Serge Reggiani, (more)
- 1953
Roberto Rossellini directs this drama starring his then-wife Ingrid Bergman as Katherine Joyce, a wealthy British woman who accompanies her husband, Alex (George Sanders), on a trip across the Italian countryside to close on an inherited villa in Naples. Far from their London home, the couple becomes frustrated with each other and seem to be headed for divorce. Katherine tells Alex about a lost lover who risked his life to see her, but it only leaves Alex even more indifferent to her. Planning to spend the rest of their vacation away from each other, Alex joins up with some other British guys on Capri to drink and flirt, while Katherine tours the natural attractions and museums of Naples and Pompeii. Viaggio in Italia was unsuccessful when it originally released to theatres; years later it was discovered by French critics and called a masterpiece in Cahiers du Cinema. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ingrid Bergman, George Sanders, (more)
- 1955
In this French crime drama, a young man gets revenge upon the criminals who caused his grandfather to kill himself. Unfortunately, the fellow doesn't realize how bad the criminals are. Fortunately, a kindly hooker, who does know the crooks, saves him from the same fate. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
