Geraldine Danon Movies
- 2006
With his Springtime in Paris, long-inactive French helmer Jacques Bral both resuscitates and pays homage to the classic European caper film, crafting a small, occasionally humorous crime thriller in the mold of Rififi and Bob le flambeur, that focuses almost entirely on the aftermath of a crime in lieu of the heist itself. The film opens with thief-turned-convict Georges (Eddy Mitchell) released from prison after a five year stint, and dragged immediately back into the underworld by several nefarious pals. He teams up with fellow thief Pierrot (Sagamore Stevenin) to lift a bejeweled necklace from a safe in a private residence. The operation progresses smoothly; the aftermath turns deadly. Several in-the-know parties make the foolish decision to open their traps, which inadvertently pulls the cops in; soon after, events begin to spiral rapidly out of control. From there, Bral packs in a series of unforeseeable twists, turns, and double-crosses to keep the viewer in a permanent state of suspense. Pascale Arbillot and Pierre Santini co-star; Bral authored the original script. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddy Mitchell, Sagamore Stévenin, (more)
- 1992
Two couples traveling together in the same car are forced to take refuge at the country manor of a hermit-like old man when their car breaks down. In a star turn, Michel Piccoli plays the old man, who skillfully manipulates these virtually spineless people, destroying relationships between them and forging new ones on a whim. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michel Piccoli, Arielle Dombasle, (more)
- 1991
- NR
Originally Vielle qui Marchait dans la Mer, this elegiac French comedy is also known as The Old Lady Who Wades in the Sea. Based on a novel by San-Antonio (Frederic Dard), the film stars Jeanne Moreau as an ageing beauty, living with her travelling companion (and ex-lover) Michel Serrault in Guadeloupe. Though forced to hobble about with a cane, Moreau's infirmities do not slow her down in her chosen profession: con artist. She and Serrault have been responsible for some of the most ingenious swindles and extortion schemes in recent memory. While taking her morning walk on the seashore, Moreau is robbed by handsome young Luc Thullier. Not in the least outraged, she senses great potential in the boy, and begins training him for major robbery-while Serrault seethes in comic jealousy. The W.C. Fields-like terms of endearment bandied about between Moreau and Serrault will either charm or annoy you; we liked it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeanne Moreau, Michel Serrault, (more)
The demise of the Cold War rendered this flat and obsolete spy thriller, written and directed by Nicholas Meyer, mute upon its release in 1991. Gene Hackman plays Sam Boyd, a retired CIA agent, now making ends meet by engaging in industrial espionage. But Sam is recalled to duty and ordered to deliver a captured Russian spy, Pyiotr Grushenko (Mikhail Baryshnikov), to East Berlin for a prisoner exchange. Along with Pyiotr, Sam is also transporting $2 million in Columbian drug money to East Berlin. But due to a series of set-ups, Sam and Pyiotr finds themselves working together to keep from getting killed. Sam tries to get help from the CIA, but it turns out that the CIA (along with the KGB) wants them both dead. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Hackman, Mikhail Baryshnikov, (more)
- 1989
The oddest things come in pairs. In 1989, there were two foreign films on the market whose titles translated to Errors of Youth or Youthful Indiscretion. One was a Russian film, the other was a French picture, originally titled Erreur de Jeunesse. In this one, would-be poet Francis Frappat breezes through a number of relationships. Of paramount importance to Frappat are his attempts to seduce the lovely Muni (as she billed herself). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francis Frappat, Muni, (more)
- 1985
A rather tame drama considering its emotional topic -- AIDS, or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome -- this drama is one of the first films to be dedicated to the deadly illness since its discovery in 1981. The film was released in Germany just a month after the Emmy-winning An Early Frost aired on American television -- the first such feature there to handle AIDS and its physical devastation. In this story, Frank (Fritz Cat) drives a cab in Berlin and is suffering from a series of fevers -- quite tellingly, both he and his brother are drug users. At the moment, Frank is trying to help his sibling get out of debt to his suppliers, while on the flip side of the coin he is romancing a good-looking woman he picked up as a fare one day. Meanwhile, the fevers continue. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Geraldine Danon, Piero vonArmin, (more)
