Gabriel Gobin Movies

During World War II, allied soldiers Ralph Bates and Yves Beneyton escape from a Nazi POW camp in France. They escape to Lyons, where they accept the hospitality of mademoiselle Cherie Lunghi. The woman has a psychic sister, played by Mathilda May, who sees dark days ahead for the two escapees. Sure enough, Bates is killed, whereupon Beneyton, at Lunghi's behest, assumes Bates' identity. It's all part of a complex inheritance-scam plot, but Beneyton does not figure this out until he's in too deep. Letters to an Unknown Lover is based on the Boileau-Narcejack suspense novel Les Louves, which was the original French title of this film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While arch surrealist Luis Bunuel never made a secret of his skepticism about the existence of God, he was also raised as a strict Spanish Catholic and remained fascinated with the church's teaching throughout his life, and his obsessions with both faith and the contradictions of dogma provided the basis for this episodic satiric comedy. Jean (Laurent Terzieff) and Pierre (Paul Frankeur) are two threadbare vagabonds who are making their way from Paris to Spain on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, where the remains of Saint James are believed to be kept. While Jean and Pierre's journey begins in the 20th Century, as they travel they seemingly develop the ability to move through time and space as they pass through a variety of historical scenes taken from a broad range of theological texts -- and all involving heresy in one form or another. As they walk the long road to Santiago de Compostela (when they can't catch a ride), Jean and Pierre encounter Jesus (Bernard Verley), who decides not to shave his beard to keep his mother happy; a young boy with stigmata and unusual powers; the Marquis de Sade (Michel Piccoli), who patently struggles to teach atheism to a young girl he's captured; an eccentric priest who has an irreversible belief in transubstantiation until he changes his mind; two men who put their debate over Catholic dogma to the test in a duel with swords; and Satan (Pierre Clementi), who shows up just in time for a car wreck. La Voie Lactee (aka The Milky Way) was scripted by Bunuel and his frequent screenwriting collaborator Jean-Claude Carriere; each of the film's historic episodes was adapted faithfully from an actual biblical text or historical account. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this British war comedy, set in WW II, a bomber crew is shot down over Paris during the Nazi occupation. They are helped out of the city by several good-hearted Frenchman. They make it to the steambath where they had an important rendezvous. They then begin the final part of their escape. A cross-eyed German inadvertently helps them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This war-drama centers more on the effects of battle on civilians than it does on the bravery of the fighters as it tells the story of a courageous squadron of Yankee soldiers endeavoring to protect and bring to safety a village full of French civilians whom they saved from German captors following the Allied invasion of Normandy. During the battle to free them, the soldiers also capture a German officer. They then begin heading toward the beach with the civilians so they can go to England. Unfortunately, the beachmaster does not know they are coming and regretfully sends them back. Twice more the squadron and the civilians go back to the beach, but they are still not allowed to go. Things get even worse when the Germans begin bombing the remains of their town and they are forced to find some place to hide until help arrives. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The second screen version of Octave Mirbeau's novel (originally filmed in 1946 by Jean Renoir), Diary of a Chambermaid charts the ambitions of Celestine (Jeanne Moreau), a woman who comes to work in the 1930s for a Normandy estate occupied by Monsieur Rabour (Jean Ozenne), his daughter (Francoise Lugagne), and the daughter's husband, Monsieur Montiel (Michel Piccoli). Celestine quickly learns that M. Rabour is a more or less harmless boot fetishist, his daughter a frigid woman more concerned with the family furnishings than in returning the affections of her husband, who, in turn, can't keep his hands off the servants. The gamekeeper, Joseph (Georges Geret), is a fascist who keeps his masters informed of all the doings downstairs, and the next-door neighbor (Daniel Ivernel) is a veteran who can't stand Monteil and is sharing a bed with his housekeeper. Celestine picks her way through this minefield carefully, spurning the advances of all of the men until it's convenient for her. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide

This somewhat verbose, standard comic thriller involves one sharp gangster nicknamed Le Dabe (Jean Gabin) pitted against three others as they work on a counterfeiting operation. Le Dabe has just been cooling his heels in the hot tropics and has now resurfaced in France where he hooks up with the counterfeiting trio. Together, they print out millions in fake Dutch guilders, but along the way, the three friends scheme to double-cross Le Dabe as soon as their operation is completed. They obviously underestimate the man. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The original "grumpy old men," Jean-Marie (Jean Gabin), Baptiste (Pierre Fresnay), and Blaise (Noel-Noel) raise havoc in this entertaining comedy by director Gilles Grangier. The trio of irritable, temperamental grouchy men abandon their village to go take up residence in a senior citizens' home. They have a great time playing tricks on others and venting about the inadequacies of modern youth. Each elderly eccentric has his moment in the spotlight, as their story unfolds in an episodic manner. In the end, the retirement-home staff become convinced that taking care of these characters lies above and beyond the call of duty. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Originally released in France as Dedee D'Anvers in 1948, this tight little melodrama was both directed and co-written by Yves Allegret. The title character, played by Simone Signoret, lives in near-squalor near the docks of Anvers. Her only companions are practitioners in that left-handed form of endeavor known as petty crime. Even the man she lives with, doorman Marco (Marcel Dalio), is not immune to baser instincts: Marco is driven to murder when sea captain Francesco (Marcel Pagliero) threatens to take Dedee away from him. For his troubles, Marco is himself knocked off by Dedee and seedy café-owner Rene (Bernard Blier). And so it goes. Suspense is deliberately downplayed in Dedee in favor of characterization and mood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide