Catherine Jourdan Movies
- 1984
This strange film about lesbianism and murder may take itself too seriously, since the stilted lines would perhaps play better as a farce. The setting is the 1920s, and Marthe (Ingrid Caven) is the headmistress of an all-girls school and is distraught over her lover's emotional instability. It seems that the woman, Solange (Catherine Jourdan) by name, is being treated for drug addiction as well as undergoing therapy in a psychiatric hospital. In the meantime, one of the women at school has reappeared after an unexplained absence, and although she has brought along a policeman for personal protection, his presence does not prevent her murder. Who dunnit? Most likely another woman, in this setting. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ingrid Caven, Catherine Jourdan, (more)
- 1983
With little dialogue, no specific storyline, and subject matter dealing with murder, hate, sex, and an erotic nightclub act, this film focuses on a performer named America (Catherine Jourdan) who goes "on the road" with her new lover Jimmy (Carlos Castañon), a thief. America is dodging a former lover, so life on the road does not look to be easy, and it is anything but virtuous. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Jourdan, Richard Bohringer, (more)
- 1975
This French film has nothing to do with Chick Young's cartoon series about the Bumstead family; neither does it relate to the 1980's pop group Blondie. In this political drama, Rod Taylor appears as a United Nations official, active in the effort to ban chemical weapons and to promote the use of nuclear power. He makes speeches around the world on these topics, which are met with protests and demonstrations. He also has a waif-spouse, whom he neglects, and a mistress. His wife has a sadomasochistic affair with a young man while he is away. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Jourdan, Bibi Andersson, (more)
- 1974
This French slapstick comedy stars the musician/comedian foursome Les Charlots, as valets to the Four Musketeers. One of the film's highlights is a mutual kicking session between Cardinal Richelieu, the King, and a monk. This comedy foursome was enormously popular in 1970s France, and they made a huge number of films during that period. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Rinaldi, Gerard Filipelli, (more)
- 1973
This French romance/drama follows the efforts of a woman (Catherine Jourdan) who has long had a stifling marriage in a boring province. She has an affair with a traveling photographer, follows him to Paris, and then has a series of unsatisfactory but interesting relationships, one of which is with a woman. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Jourdan, Yves Beneyton, (more)
- 1972
This French fantasy makes allusions to children's fairy tales while maintaining a sensuous and erotic focus. A mysterious woman (Catherine Jourdan) steps out of a car in the woods. Her first footstep exactly matches a foot imprint on the forest floor. After she changes her clothes behind a bush, she goes to a nearby house. She makes unsuccessful advances on the house's male housekeeper and spends the next day observing men cutting trees and indulging herself in various ways. While she has been watching, she has been watched and photographed by the logging foreman. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1970
In this French drama, Nina (Catherine Jourdan) is the much-loved daughter of a country family. In turn, she loves her anti-Semitic virago of an aunt, her gentle father, and especially her effeminate cousin, whom she has a crush on. During the Nazi occupation, she falls in love with a German officer, and the difficulties and compromises she goes through then help her to evolve into a fully grown woman. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1970
This plodding film concerns the bored college students who hang out at the cafe Eden. Hoping for adventure, one girl gets more than she bargains for when she and her date are chased by vicious gang members. She manages to escape when he is killed, but when she returns with help, the body is gone. Soon she is off to Tunisia to locate a stolen painting. After an erotic nude posing before a total stranger, she is kidnapped and chained by Arabs who pump her for information. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Jourdan, Pierre Zimmer, (more)
- 1968
Director Jack Cardiff also served as scripter and cinematographer of the Anglo-French co-production Girl on a Motorcycle (La Motocyclette) The girl in question is played by leather-clad Marianne Faithfull, who speeds through Alsace on her cycle, en route to a tryst in Heidelberg with her ex-lover (Alain Delon). In a series of flashbacks, she recalls the events leading up to the present critical moment, including her desultory marriage. Based on a novel by Andre de Pieyre, the R-rated Girl on a Motorcycle was originally released in English-speaking countries in an X-rated version titled Naked Under Leather. Based on the stage play by Walter Melville. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alain Delon, Marianne Faithfull, (more)
- 1968
Two young lovers are broken up when the young man's mobster boss forces him to take over a rock-and-roll nightclub. Philippe (Jacques Perrin) is under orders to incite riots at the club, which lead to a shutdown. His naive girlfriend Nora (Catherine Jourdan) loses faith in him until they are brought together by an inebriated newspaper man. After taking over the club, Philippe is ousted by the gangster. The disillusioned youth become even more upset when they have no place to dance away their energy and rebellious tendencies. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacques Perrin, Catherine Jourdan, (more)
Long considered a classic of European film noir, this existential gangster drama from French director Jean-Pierre Melville was released in the United States only in a severely truncated, re-edited, and overdubbed version entitled The Godson. Thirty years after its initial public airing, Le Samourai (1967) finally saw a limited American release in its intended form. Alain Delon stars as Jef Costello, a professional Parisian assassin-for-hire who, by nature of his work's solitary demands, has no friends. Although he is loved by Jane Lagrange (Natalie Delon, the star's real-life wife), Costello knows that Jane already has a lover. After he successfully wipes out a nightclub owner at the behest of his boss, Costello discovers that he was seen by the club's pianist, Valerie (Cathy Rosier). Although he survives a police lineup thanks to a lie offered up by the fearless Valerie, Costello's alibi disintegrates rapidly and his shadowy employer takes out a contract on him. As he seeks revenge on his betrayer, Costello must also stay one step ahead of a wily, determined superintendent (Francois Perier). Melville's film influenced several other filmmakers and projects, most notably director John Woo's The Killer (1989). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alain Delon, Natalie Delon, (more)
