Raoul Ploquin Movies

Danielle Darrieux stars as a scatter-brained college coed who miraculously becomes a lawyer. Her father would prefer that she give up the law in favor of marriage, but our heroine intends to out-Portia Portia in the courtroom. She gets her big chance when she's hired to defend Henry Garat, a charming but unregenerate crook. While trying to reform her client, Darrieux falls head over heels in love with him. The story ends when Garat reveals his true identity, which takes everyone's breath away. Utterly forgettable, Avocate D'Amour (Counsel for Romance) is also infinitely charming, with both stars at their peak. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

L'Or is the French-language version of the simultaneously filmed German melodrama Gold. Brigitte Helm repeats her leading-lady role of Fronce Wills, but the alchemist Maisslot, originally played by Friedrich Kayssler, is herein portrayed by Jacques Dumesnil, while his assistant Berthier, enacted by Hans Albers in Gold, is essayed by Jean Gabin in the French version. Maisslot and Berthier perfect an atomic reactor (20,000,000 volts of power!) for the purpose of manufacturing gold, which is highly coveted by the villains. When the scientists realize that their invention will ruin the world's economy, they set about to destroy it, setting the stage for a near-apocalyptic climax. The original Gold was directed by Charles Hartl, who served as a consultant when Serge De Poligny occupied the director's chair for L'Or. Stock footage from both versions were later utilized in the 1953 Ivan Tors production Magnetic Monster. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The matchless French farceur Fernandel essays six different roles in The Sheep Has Five Legs. We first see the horse-faced one as an elderly wine grower, looking forward to an upcoming family reunion with mixed emotions. One by one, the other five Fernandels make their appearances; these are the wine-grower's sons, each one a small masterpiece of comic characterization. Despite an overreliance on dialogue, the film's humor translates quite well to non-French audiences. The film's original title was Le Mouton a Cinq Pattes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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, Rovi