Maria Mauban Movies

In this funny French entry in the "Gendarme" series of films, bungling inspector Cruchot (played by Jerry Lewis-like French comedian De Funes) finds himself trying to save the residents of St. Tropez from oil-guzzling humanoid space aliens. But for their constant thirst for petro-products, the only other way to tell the invaders from people is touch them and see if they sound like empty garbage cans. Soon chaos reigns. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A young man leaves home when he finds the marriage of his mutually adulterous parents to be hypocritical in this romantic comedy satire. He has a gay artist pursuing him and a mistress he does not care for very much. When he leaves home, the mother beds down with the homosexual while his father takes on his son's former mistress. The young man meets a girl, and the two have an affair while the May 1968 riots in Paris enfold. She leaves him for a while to take part in the political turmoil, but returns to her apolitical lover when her efforts prove to be ineffective. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Henri (Jean-Claude Dauphin) is a young filmmmaker who convinces a nobleman to let him use his sprawling chateau to film a movie. The governess to the nobleman's children is a Polish woman in her 30s. Henri successfully talks her into a role in the film, and the two are soon engaged in a passionate romantic affair. He joins the army, but the lovestruck governess follows him wherever he goes. When he tries to end the affair, she attempts suicide. The unfortunate woman continues to follow Henri, who may never escape from her amorous obsession for him. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

This drama's main asset is Charles Boyer as Pierre, a father out looking for his son one night. Pierre receives a call from a woman who says she will kill herself because of his son. Naturally disturbed at this news, Pierre takes off to find his son and avert disaster. Along the way, he picks up a malcontent, wealthy young woman who decides to stick with him and help him look for his son. After traveling through some of the worst aspects of Paris' demi-monde, Pierre begins to wonder if his son will ever be found. Meanwhile, the relationship with his newfound wealthy friend is heating up. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The title of this French satirical comedy translates to The Unemployed Man of Clochemerle. In point of fact, there's only one unemployed man in the town Clochemerle, and that's the hapless Tistin (Fernandel). Obliged to use their tax money to keep Tistin from starving, the other townspeople insist that he find some sort of work. Tistin obligingly takes a few jobs, working for the various ladies in town. Before long, the menfolk become convinced that Tistin is playing the field, and they're angry at him all over again. And so it goes under a happy ending -- happy for everyone else, that is. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The title of this film refers to the "ladies of the evening" whose trials and tribulations motivate the plotline. Maria Mauban stars as a young woman consigned to a life of prostitution, despite many efforts to escape her fate. Fortunately, she manages to extricate herself from her situation with her virtue intact. The hero of the piece is Philip Lemaire, who seems a bit too jaded for the innocent character he's called upon to play. In America, Les Clandestines was limited to the grind-houses specializing in "dirty pictures" or, as Variety so colorfully put it, "the baldheaded row trade." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

European film favorite Fernand Gravey not only starred in Le Plus Heurs des Hommes, but also co-adapted the script from Jean Guitton's play. The title translates to The Happiest of Men, which hardly describes Gravey's character, an innocent bystander named Pierre. Walking into a bookshop, Pierre witnesses what seems to be a murder. But the victim (Jean-Claude Pascal) isn't really dead; he's staged the whole scene to divest himself of an inconvenient mistress. Within a few minutes, however, Pierre has killed the "corpse" for real. Why he does this could be explained here, but that would spoil the fun to be found in this curious comedy-drama. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Donne e Briganti (Women and Bandits) was the second of two Mario Soldati-directed films released in Europe during the last week of June, 1951 (the first was Je Suis de la Revue). Set in the early 19th century, the film recounts the Robin Hood-like adventures of bandit Michele Pezza (Amedeo Nazzari), better known as Fra Diavolo. This same character was depicted along more villainous lines in the famous 1830 opera by Auber, which was filmed in 1933 as The Devil's Brother, with Dennis King in the title role and Laurel and Hardy as comic relief. In Donne e Briganti, Fra Diavolo is his own comic relief, his tongue firmly in cheek as he robs from the rich, gives to the poor, and takes time out to romance his wife Marietta (Maira Mauban) and mistress Flora (Jacqueline Pierreux). According to this film, Fra Diavolo was also something of a patriot, opposing the invading forces of France. Sumptuously produced, Donne e Briganti falters only in the indecisive camera work by Mario Montuori. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cairo Road is a standard British "police precinct" drama with a twist; this precinct is located in Cairo, Egypt. Eric Portman plays an Egyptian police chief who takes on the seemingly routine matter of a murdered Arab. Portman deduces that this was no ordinary street killing, and that the Arab was mixed up with drug smuggling. The chief leaves the relative security of his office to set a trap for the murderers within the teeming streets of Cairo. Cairo Road was photographed by Oswald Morris and included in its supporting cast a young Lawrence Harvey--two worthies who wouldn't be working in British programmers much longer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide