Giselle Preville Movies

A bizarre Euro-kink variation on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic, this intriguing film from Polish director Walerian Borowczyk takes place almost exclusively in the palatial home of Dr. Henry Jekyll (Udo Kier), where the good doctor is being feted prior to his engagement to the austere Miss Fanny Osborne (Marina Pierro). The guest list -- comprised of various dignitaries, officials and symbols of bourgeois respectability -- could easily have strolled in from a Fellini film, complete with a closetful of perverse habits and barely-repressed sexual urges. At the onset of the festivities, it is learned that a young girl has been murdered on the streets that night -- an event somehow linked to Jekyll's insistence that his estate be willed to the yet-unseen Mr. Hyde. It comes as no surprise that Jekyll's infamous potion transforms him into a crazed sexual predator with desires so aggressive that his victims cannot survive... but the real twist comes when young Fanny joins Jekyll in his bath while he is transforming into Hyde, and the formula's malevolent effects are spread to her as well. Before long, the entire affair devolves into an orgy of sexual sadism and bloody violence as the evil is spread throughout the house. Borowczyk has imbued this quirky exercise with a doomed, nightmarish quality, contrasting the opulence of the festivities with dimly-lit, smoky rooms where the lecherous Hyde stalks his victims. Patrick Magee borrows a bit from his arch performance in Marat/Sade as the swaggering "General" who gets taken down a few notches at the end of a bullwhip. Released in the U.S. as Blood of Dr. Jekyll, then later on video as Bloodlust. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

This tragic and suspenseful tale of domestic abuse concerns a couple who have drifted far from the intent of their marriage vows. Bob (Anthony Perkins) is a former soldier who met Lisa (Sophia Loren) when she was a poor girl living in Italy. After they marry, they take up residence in Paris where Lisa holds down a job and Bob is always going to the next job interview -- that ultimately yields nothing. The sniveling weasel slaps his wife around, endearing himself to no one. As he is leaving for an interview, Lisa tells him at the airport that she's had enough and it's over. The plane crashes, but bad-boy Bob is the lone survivor and returns to his long-suffering wife. He promises he will leave her for good once the life-insurance claim is processed. Her slap-happy spouse then decides when the money comes in, he will have her arrested and charged with insurance fraud. Meanwhile, Lisa has fallen for David (Gig Young). When Bob forces her to drive him out of the country, Lisa plans to drive Bob out of her life for good. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Set in a fancy resort hotel, Le Dindon is based on a stage farce by the inimitable Georges Feydeau. The title, which translates to "The Turkey," refers to the sort of fellow who spends his time romancing the wives of others. All the usual stock characters are in attendance, including the amorous fashion plate, the wry playboy, the ripe-for-cuckolding husband, his impressionable wife, and a pompous, easily deflatable authority figure, in this case a cavalry officer. It was de rigeur for Feydeau to include at least one character with a "funny" physical or vocal impairment. This time, it is the stone-deaf wife of a lecherous bellhop. There's a plot, to be sure, but that plot is soon forgotten amidst a maelstrom of assignations, misunderstandings, misrepresentations and ever-slamming doors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Set in World War II times, this drama involves a highly trained bunch of British soldiers who must parachute into Nazi-held Belgium on a rescue and destroy mission. Documentary film footage is included in the early parts of the film as the trainees get prepared for the task ahead. Robert Beatty plays the priest, Father Phillip, and Simone Signoret appears as an insurgent who falls in love with another of the trained resistors. ~ All Movie Guide

The English-language title of L'Entraineuse is Nightclub Hostess, the profession held down by leading lady Michele Morgan. Tired of her job and its tawdry trappings, Morgan jumps at the chance to enjoy a 15-day vacation on the Riviera. So as to avoid being ostracized, our heroine keeps her nightclub background a secret, passing herself off as a respectable young lady to her new circle of friends. This leads to a blissful romance with handsome, upright young college student Gilbert Gil. Alas, when Morgan's gangster acquaintance Andrex and his moll Giselle Preville arrive on the scene, the girl's dreams for a rosy future are irreparably shattered. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide