Jean-Pierre Cassel Movies

In this adaptation of Hitchcock's 1946 classic, a CIA agent's cover is endangered by her sister-in-law who begins to suspect her true identity. This could be fatal as the agent married an arms-dealer to get information from him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Maria Garcia (Carmen Maura) is a television journalist and she's about to be a single mother. Her career foremost in her mind, she doesn't slow down even for a minute, despite her pregnancy. She is, however, taking Lamaze classes and is quite competently coping with the romantic attentions of a man she's not very interested in. It's not at all irrelevant that her news beat includes stories on terrorism, the greenhouse effect, pollution and genetic engineering, because when her baby's due date comes and goes, she starts hearing from her infant from in the womb. It is telling her that it and many other babies are refusing to be born into such a horrible world. She learns that this is true, and that the children born through induced labor are dying. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

The relationship between the obsessive, brilliant painter Vincent Van Gogh and his more practical brother Theo is at the center of director Robert Altman's well-received biography, originally produced as a miniseries for European television. Now universally acknowledged as masterpieces, Vincent Van Gogh's works were ignored in his lifetime, despite the best efforts of Theo, a struggling gallery owner. When he fails to make a profit from his brother's work, Theo finds himself torn between art and commerce, a conflict deepened by Vincent's increasing emotional neediness. Soon, the situation worsens, and both brothers are forced to struggle with depression and madness. Altman's distinctive directorial approach avoids clichés, allowing his leads to create contradictory and sometimes unlikable characters. Tim Roth captures Vincent's devotion to his art, his difficult personality, and his descent into mental illness without resorting to histrionics, while Paul Rhys provides equally proficient work as the more repressed Theo. The cinematography by Jean Lepine illuminates the links between Altman's trademark wandering camera and Van Gogh's impressionistic painting style. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

Fatal Image stars Michele Lee as a recent divorcee and Justine Bateman as her daughter. Forgetting their domestic travails, mother and daughter take a trip to Paris. Here things get pretty tense when the two accidentally witness a murder. Worse still, the daughter took a video of the crime. Fatal Image originally aired December 2, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Directed by Philip Sebton, Mister Frost chronicles the life of serial killer Mr. Frost (Jeff Goldblum), who, after stashing 125 tortured corpses in and around his property, is caught by a British detective (Alan Bates) and brought to a mental institution. Strange things begin to happen immediately after his arrival--the egotistical Dr. Reynhardt (Roland Giraud) suddenly loses confidence, an angelic young boy goes insane, and people see images of Satanic eyes in their rear-view mirrors. Meanwhile, the only person Frost (Goldblum) will speak to is psychiatrist Dr. Sarah Day (Kathy Baker), who questions why the police could not find any official records of his existence. He tells her that he is, in fact, none other than Satan himself. According to an angry Frost, the world has tossed aside the notion of pure evil, opting instead to use psychological explanations to aid them in understanding why terrible things happen to good people. Frost's mission on earth is to remind man that the devil does exist, and is still bargaining for immortal souls. He believes if he can convince a psychiatrist (Baker), to murder him because she believes he is the devil, it will not only help his cause, but act as a resounding personal victory. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Celine (Sophie Marceau) must choose between Tarquin (Lambert Wilson) and Aurele (Stephane Fries) in this historical drama set during the French Civil War of 1793. The Republican Army decimated Western France when an insurgence of peasants, clergy, and aristocrats loyal to the Royalists staged a counterrevolution. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Decked out in powdered wig and pasty "dandy" makeup, Richard Chamberlain stars as legendary Venetian lover Giovanni Casanova (1725-1798) in this made-for-television biopic. The teleplay by George Macdonald Fraser (of "Flashman" fame) follows Casanova as his reputation for being catnip to women builds throughout the 18th century. His sexual exploits cost him several important social and professional posts, and eventually land him in a Venice prison on a morals charge. Casanova's escape attempt provides a strong second act for this 3-hour effort, which also offers an amusing "con job" practiced by Casanova on a willing countess (Faye Dunaway). Frank Finlay co-stars as a nobleman who conducts a decades-long feud with our rakish hero. Filmed in Spain and Italy, Casanova debuted on March 1, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this charming, semi-autobiographical look at his politicized past, director Gerard Mordillat focuses on the ironic, the wistful, and the sometimes ludicrous events that spin off from the Communist/anarchist upbringing of his main character, Maurice Decques (François Cluzet). Maurice's tendency to swing over to the bourgeosie in his adult career as a caterer to social gatherings of varying stature is also reflected in the woman he marries - a Czech whose family chose Paris over Moscow "because the USSR has concentration camps" as she told her shocked Communist father-in-law. When Maurice is caught in the 1968 student demonstrations in Paris, the officer who hauls him off is soon recognized as an old childhood buddy, and instead of heading to jail, the policeman/friend takes Maurice home. As the police van drives out of view, the two buddies are seen as young kids, sitting on the hood of a car and dreaming about the future. These flashbacks to his childhood occur throughout the film, with Maurice sometimes walking into and out of the scenes, as though there were no gap in time at all. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide