Jean Richard Movies
- 1952
The Seven Deadly Sins is a portmanteau film (a la Quartet and O. Henry's Full House) assembled by some of the biggest talents in the Italian and French film industry. The film's six sections (one containing two sins) are designed by separate titles, which should be self-explanatory. "Avarice and Anger" stars its director, Eduardo DeFilippo, as a miser who comes to grief. "Lust," directed by Yves Allegret, contrasts minor flirtation with major sexual passion. "Pride," directed by Claude Autant-Lara, details the fall from grace of a snooty mother and daughter. The other episodes include "Sloth," directed by Jean Dreville; "Envy," directed by Roberto Rosselini; and "Gluttony," directed by Carlo Rim. An eighth sin, directed by Georges Lacombe and starring Gerard Philipe, is thrown in as a comic bonus. Seven Deadly Sins is a lot of fun, though each of the individual episodes could use a little work in the continuity department. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Philipe, Viviane Romance, (more)
- 1952
Belle Mentalle (Wonderful Mentality) stars Jean Richard as Honore, a valet blessed with the inability to tell a lie. In addition to his honesty, Honore is also supremely logical, a character trait that comes in handy for his master, lawyer Maitre (Jean Martinelli). The valet not only saves Maitre's business, but his marriage. Alas, Honore's candor and wisdom does good for everyone but himself--until the film's twist ending. The film's effectiveness rests almost solely in the comedy prowess of star Jean Richard, who does wonders with the thinnish material at hand. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Richard, Mich_le Philippe, (more)
- 1953
Le Portrait de Son Pere (His Father's Portrait) tries, and sometimes succeeds, to get laughs by playing straight. Comic actor Jean Richard plays a peasant lad who suddenly inherits a fortune from the father he never knew he had. Thrust into the uppermost rungs of Parisian society, Richard manages to hold his own despite the chicanery of the dead man's widow. He also turns his late father's store, which has been moribund for several years, into a thriving success. American filmgoers were mildly amused by the plotline of Le Portrait de Son Pere, though most were more interested in the feminine charms of third-billed Brigitte Bardot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mich_le Philippe, Brigitte Bardot, (more)
- 1954
Originally a character in a Gaston Leroux novel, Cheri-Bibi was transformed into a popular French comic-strip character in the 1930s. The character was also featured in two films, the second of which was in 1955. Jean Richard plays the title character, a born loser who undergoes plastic surgery in order to resemble his rival for the hand of Lea Padovini. Once he emerges from the bandages, Cheri-Bibi is plunged into a series of melodramatic misadventures. Though never "camp" in its tone, Cheri-Bibi is engagingly tongue-in-cheek, having fun with its source material rather than poking fun at it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Richard, Raymond Bussières, (more)
- 1954
Sacha Guitry's Si Versailles M'Etait Conte (If Versailles Were Told to Me) is best known by its American title Royal Affairs in Versailles. In addtion to writing and directed the film, Guitry reserves for himself the plum role of Louis XIV. Concentrating on the palace of Versailles over a period of 300 years, the storyline concentrates on the various amorous and political intrigues of three French kings. The plot manages to wend its way through the French revolution, coming to a halt in "the present". The star-studded supporting cast includes Jean Marais as Louis XV, Claudette Colbert as Mme. Montespan, Micheline Presle as Mme. Pompadour, and, best of all, Orson Welles as a gouty Ben Franklin. Most currently available prints of Si Versailles M'Etait Conte are severely edited, and fail to do justice to the rich Eastmancolor hues of the original version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sacha Guitry, Michel Auclair, (more)
- 1955
Le Madelon is the name of the young heroine played by Line Renaud. During WWI, the gaminlike Madelon becomes the unofficial mascot of the French army. When she is falsely informed that her soldier fiancé has been unfaithful, Madelon heads to the front in search of her "wandering" sweetheart. Along the way, star Line Renaud is permitted to sing several vintage ballads and patriotic tunes, usually accompanied by a robust male military chorus. Keeping Le Madelon in the context of its time period are some well-chosen newsreel clips, some of them deployed satirically to comment upon the action. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Line Renaud, Jean Richard, (more)
- 1956
In the 1950s, French films were considered the ne plus ultra in naughtiness by certain impressionable filmgoers. It was to these movie fans that the American distributor of Jean Renoir's Elena et les Hommes (Elena and the Men) catered when it provocatively retitled the picture Paris Does Strange Things As further grist to the mill for American publicity hacks, the film starred Ingrid Bergman, who had recently returned to Hollywood after her career was nearly ruined by a marital scandal. Actually there was nothing overtly erotic about Paris Does Strange Things. The film was a sweet romantic comedy wherein Bergman plays a poverty-stricken Polish princess, who is wooed by eligible admirers Mel Ferrer and Jean Marais. Will she marry for love, or merely to restore her wealth? The suspense is bearable. Inexpertly cut to 86 minutes for its American showings, Paris Does Strange Things was restored to its full 98 minutes in 1986 and its title reverted to Elena et les Hommes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ingrid Bergman, Jean Marais, (more)
- 1956
La Vie est Belle is purely and simply a showcase for the popular French comedy team of Roger Pierre and Jean-Marc Thibaut. The two stars also co-directed the film, thereby beating Jerry Lewis to the punch by some four years. The "plot," concerning the efforts of four people to live as cheaply as two, is merely a clothesline upon which to hang a series of unrelated comedy sketches. Supporting Pierre and Thibaut are the toothsome Colette Ricard and Veronique Zuber. The film's ironic title translates to the equally ironic Life is Beautiful. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roger-Pierre, Jean-Marc Thibault, (more)
- 1956
Fernand Gravey and Jacques Duby star as a pair of slick race track touts in need of some quick cash. Targetting rural rube Jean Richard as a patsy, the two sharpsters con him into putting up his hard-earned cash on a few sure things. Within what seems like seconds, Richard becomes wealthy by using his instincts, while the "clever" Gravey and Duby come a-cropper by playing the odds. If it's possible for a French film to be Runyonesque, then Courte Tete is that film. Though the title's "official" translation is By a Nose, Courte Tete was released to American TV as Photo Finish. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fernand Gravey, Micheline Dax, (more)
- 1956
Eddie Constantine found a little time between his "Lemmy Caution" actioners to star in the tongue-in-cheek meller Les Truands (The Thieves). In flashback, the audience learns why 104-year-old Amedee (Yves Robert) steals the watch belonging to the town mayor just before expiring. The film develops into a history of the watch-thievery business, told in anecdotal fashion. Constantine plays a Wild West timepiece-rustler who develops a sense of morality which puts him out of business; others in the cast include Noel-Noel as a bemused burglar and Jean Richard as an amorous crook. Les Truands was directed by Carlo-Rim with the same breeziness that he invested in his Fernandel comedies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Constantine, Noël-Noël, (more)
- 1957
The French Photo Finish doesn't get much play these days, but it used to be a Late Late Show perennial in the 1960s. Fernand Gravey and Jean Richard play a pair of con artists who've run out of suckers. They decide to try their luck at the track, where they hatch an intricate scheme involving the fixing of the race results. It's an almost perfect caper, but be prepared for a slyly ironic finale. Filmed in 1957, Photo Finish didn't make the American theatrical rounds until 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Director Jean Bastia has created another amusing comedy in this story about Claudius (Jean Richard), a local policeman who is plagued by the local bandit, Vittorio (Roger-Pierre). In reality, Claudius has become Vittorio's friend, which makes chasing after him in all seriousness a difficult proposition. Assisted by an able supporting cast and an upbeat spirit, this farce may be a bit too specialized in its regional humor and jargon to reach a general, non-French audience. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Richard, Roger-Pierre, (more)
- 1958
French filmmaker Sacha Guitry had intended to direct as well as write 3DLa Vie a Deux3D (3DLife as a Couple3D), but death claimed him before he could bring his plan to fruition. Adapted from Guitry's original by Jean Martin and directed by Clement Duhor, the film offers an all-star cast in a series of seriocomic anecdotes. The narrative is tied together by a millionaire novelist (based on Guitry himself), who on his deathbed wants to bequeath his fortune to several married couples upon whom he'd based one of his books. The proviso is that the couples must have remained happily wed to claim their money. The millionaire's family anxiously hire private detectives to prove that the couples in question are not only unhappy, but shameless philanderers in the bargain. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Brasseur, Danielle Darrieux, (more)
