Maria Casarés Movies
Spanish actress Maria Casares was born Maria Casares Quiroga. During the Spanish Civil War she volunteered as a nurse, then sought asylum in France after Franco's victory. She studied drama at the Paris Conservatoire, then began appearing on stage in the early '40s. Casares made her screen debut in Carne's Children of Paradise (1945), going on to make sporadic film appearances in which she dominated the screen with her dark beauty and charismatic personality; her notable roles include that of Death in Cocteau's Orpheus (1950). Meanwhile, she continued to be a remarkable tragedienne with the Comedie Francaise and later with the Theater National Populaire. ~ All Movie Guide- 1995
- R
Immigrant friends living in a shabby corner of Brooklyn while they pursue the American Dream are the center of this comedy-drama from Serbian director Goran Paskaljevic. Tom Conti stars as Alonso, a Spaniard and owner of the Paradiso, a run-down bar where he lives with his blind mother and where his friend Bayo (Miki Manojlovic), an illegal immigrant from Yugoslavia, works as janitor in exchange for free room. The best of friends, Alonso and Bayo are united in believing that they'll succeed in the Land of Opportunity, despite much evidence to the contrary. Bayo's family then follows him to New York from Montenegro, but his beloved youngest son is drowned in the Rio Grande during the dangerous journey. Unable to cope with his grief, Bayo blames his eldest son, Luka (Sergej Trifunovic) for the tragedy. Luka, however, turns out to be the salvation of both his father and Alonso, transforming Paradiso into a trendy ethnic restaurant and marrying a Chinese-American girl in order to gain citizenship. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Conti, Miki Manojlovic, (more)
- 1988
- R
At the suggestion of a friend, Constance (Miou-Miou) places an ad in the paper offering her services as a reader in this romantic comedy drama. Her job leads her to a variety of employers and occasional romantic involvement. Maria Casares plays the widow of an East European general who has Constance read Tolstoy and Marx. Pierre Dux is the local magistrate who prefers to hear the memoirs of the Marquis de Sade. She also has an affair with a harried business executive played by Patrick Chesnais. This film was named the "Best Feature" at the 1988 Montreal World Film Festival. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Miou-Miou, Christian Ruche, (more)
- 1988
The title of Sand and Blood has led some to assume that this 1988 French film is a remake of the old warhorse Blood and Sand. In fact, the only thing the two properties have in common is a bullfighter as a protagonist. A sensitive matador (Patrick Catalifo) grows weary of killing and tries to escape his chosen profession. He meets a young, musically inclined doctor (Sami Frey) who likewise despises bullfighting. The two form a warm and giving friendship, which threatens to rupture when a woman enters the picture. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sami Frey, André Dussollier, (more)
A young girl in the 13th century is sent to a nunnery in Portugal. There she is subjected to torture, rape and whippings, but she escapes with a Jewish man named Abraham. She soon takes on a Muslim lover, who leads an invading army that castrates rapists. Amazingly enough, some of this story is actually based on historical fact. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Florinda Bolkan
In his final film, Jean Cocteau brilliantly evokes memories of his past triumphs, Blood of a Poet (1930) and Orpheus (1949). Cocteau casts himself as an aging poet who knows he is dying (as indeed he was); his greatest desire is to be reborn so that he can qualify for celestial immortality. The stellar cast includes such French film favorites as Jean-Pierre Léaud, Jean Marais, and François Perier, along with Hollywood's Yul Brynner and such Cocteau friends and admirers as Pablo Picasso, singer Charles Aznavour, and bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguen. Given the influence Cocteau's influence over the French New Wave directors of the 1950s and 1960s, it is altogether appropriate that the producer of Testament of Orpheus was François Truffaut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Cocteau, Edouard Dermit, (more)
- 1951
Caroline (Maria Casales) and Isabelle (Simone Signoret) are half-sisters with a long history of mutual animosity. Jacques (Jacques Berthier) is Caroline's lover, who jilts Caroline for her pianist half-sister Isabelle while Isabelle recuperates from a nervous breakdown. The envious Caroline tries to win Jacques back by forcing Isabelle into another emotional collapse. There may be a happy ending resulting from all this, but one would never know it from the murky photography and overwrought acting. Of the stars, Simone Signoret comes off best, making the most of a difficult and contradictory role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Simone Signoret, Maria Casarés, (more)
- 1950
Cinematic poet Jean Cocteau explored the myth of Orpheus on no fewer than three occasions: Le Sang d'Un Poete (Blood of a Poet, 1930), Orphee (Orpheus, 1949) and Le Testament d'Orphee (1960). This second of his "Orpheus" trilogy stars Jean Marais in the title role. Updated to contemporary Paris (albeit a Paris never seen before or since), the story concerns a sensitive young poet named Orpheus, who is married to the lovely Eurydice (Marie Dea). Orpheus' friend Cegeste (Edouard Dermit) is killed in a traffic accident. In the hospital morgue, Cegeste's patroness, The Princess of Death (Maria Casares), revives the young man; then, both Cegeste and Princess pass into the Underworld. Back on earth, Orpheus receives cryptic messages from Cegeste's spirit, as well as nocturnal visitations from the Princess. Meanwhile, Orpheus' wife enters into an affair with Heurtebise (Francois Perier). After seeking advice on her mixed-up love life, Eurydice is herself struck down and killed by the same cyclist who snuffed out Cegeste's life. It appears to Heurtebise that the ghostly Princess has claimed Eurydice so that she, the Princess, can be free to love Orpheus. Heurtebise persuades Orpheus to accompany him into the Underworld in hopes of returning Eurydice to life. By now, however, Orpheus cares little for his wife; he is completely under the Princess' spell. Offered her own liberation from the Underworld by the powers-that-be, the Princess dolefullly agrees to restore Eurydice to life, and to never have anything to do with Orpheus again. Orpheus has weathered much controversy to take its place among the director's most acclaimed works. Originally released at 112 minutes, the film was whittled down to 95 minutes for its American release. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Marais, Marie Déa, (more)
- 1949
French leading lady Annabella, better known in the U.S. for her marriage to Tyrone Power than her considerable acting accomplishments, stars in L'Homme qui Revient de Loin. The plot is set in motion when Jacques (Paul Bernard) knocks his cousin senseless during a quarrel. Believing he has killed the man, Jacques hides the "body" in a trunk. Soon afterward, he suffers nocturnal visitations from The Great Beyond--or so he thinks. It's all part of a vengeful scheme concocted by the "dead" man's ex-mistress Fanny (Annabella). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annabella, Paul Bernard, (more)
French filmmaker Christian-Jaque directs the 1948 melodrama La Chartreuse de Parme. Gérard Philipe plays the Marquis Fabrice del Dongo, a member of the clergy who chooses love over the church. Unfortunately, this sets off a lot a problems for both him and his sweetheart, the Dutchess Gina de San Servina (Maria Casarés). The original musical score is by Renzo Rossellini. This black-and-white film won the best cinematography award at the 1948 Locarno Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Philipe, Renée Faure, (more)
- 1948
One suspects that the torrid melodrama The Wench had a somewhat stronger title when it was first released in France. The title character, played by Maria Casares, is a cook/housemaid named Carmelle. Hired by wealthy, unmarried farmer Rabasse (Jean Brochard), Carmelle keeps her employer at arm's length until he promises to name her as sole beneficiary in his will. Upon Rabasse's death, Carmelle takes advantage of her new-found wealth and prestige by sleeping with practically every male in town. This being a French film, Carmelle is not required to pay for her sins, as she would have in a Hollywood production. One subplot involving an implicit incestuous relationship would, of course, have been vetoed from the get-go by the American censors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Casarés, Orane Demazis, (more)
- 1946
This French romantic melodrama moved a bit too slowly for American audiences, but its original Gallic fans were more than satisfied. Maria Casares stars as Therese, who after being deserted by her lover decides to get her revenge on the world by denying her younger sister Nicole (Claude Larue) any form of male companionship. Finally rebelling against her sister's domination, Nicole takes violent action. By rights, she should be punished to the full extent of the law, but her friends and neighbors, who've been on Nicole's side from the beginning, won't let that happen. Pierre Brasseur heads the cast as a philosophical beachcomber named "Twelve Apostles." Love Locked Out was filmed on location in a French coastal town, adding a bit of verisimilitude to the contrivances of the script. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Casarés, Pierre Brasseur, (more)
Even in 1945, Marcel Carné's Children of Paradise was regarded as an old-fashioned film. Set in the Parisian theatrical world of the 1840s, Jacques Prévert's screenplay concerns four men in love with the mysterious Garance (Arletty). Each loves Garance in his own fashion, but only the intentions of sensitive mime-actor Deburau (Jean-Louis Barrault) are entirely honorable; as a result, it is he who suffers most, hurdling one obstacle after another in pursuit of an evidently unattainable goal. In the stylized fashion of 19th-century French drama, many grand passions are spent during the film's totally absorbing 195 minutes. Amazingly, the film was produced over a two-year period in virtual secrecy, without the knowledge of the Nazis then occupying France, who would surely have arrested several of the cast and production staff members (including Prévert) for their activities in the Resistance. Children of Paradise has gone on to become one of the great romantic classics of international cinema. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arletty, Jean-Louis Barrault, (more)
- 1945
Roger la Honte was the first entry in a two-part production based on the epic novel by Jules Mary. Lucien Coedel plays the title character, a turn-of-the-century industrialist. Falsely accused of murder, the hero is sentenced to a lengthy prison term, which profoundly alters his personality. The second half of the saga, La Revanche de Roger la Honte, details the protagonist efforts to wreak vengeance on those who wronged him. Both Roger la Honte and its sequel were directed in a quasi-Emile Zola fashion by the always interesting Andre Cayatte. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucien Coedel, Paulette Dubost, (more)
Though this interesting film was among many responsible for the critical success of French autuer Robert Bresson, it was by no means a commercial success. Slightly different than his other films, director Bresson utilized the contrasty photography of Philippe Agostini (Sylvie et le Fantome, Monde du Silence) and chose professional actors Paul Bernard (Lumiere D'ete), Maria Casares (Enfants du Paradis), and Elina Labourdette (Shanghai Drama) to star rather than non-professionals. With dialogue written by writer/filmmaker Jean Cocteau, Les Dames du Bois du Boulogne was adapted to the screen by Bresson from an interpolated anecdote in Diderot's Jacques Le Fatalist. Casares plays Helene, a passionate but self-controlled woman who is seething after her lover Jean (Bernard) confesses he no longer loves her. Driven by revenge, Helene engineers a plan to attack Jean via Agnes (Labourdette), the woman he truly loves, and Anges' mother (Lucienne Bogaert). ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Casarés, Paul Bernard, (more)
