Florence Darel Movies
- 2007
La curva de la felicidad director Manuel Poirier helms this introspective drama concerning a soon-to-be divorced father of three who falls deeply in love with a woman desperate to prevent her childhood home from being auctioned off. Malo was going through one of the roughest periods of his life when he decided to take a road trip with a group of his closest friends. One day, while driving past a quaint country home that appears to be up for sale, Malo decides to have a look inside and discovers a letter written by a young girl to her father many years ago. The emotional content of the letter soon sparks something deep within Malo, who subsequently makes it his mission to locate the owners of the secluded home: two thirty-something sisters who long to hold onto their childhood home but can't afford to keep up payments. As Malo gradually gets to know the sisters, he falls deeply in love with Chloe, the sibling whose emotional attachment to the house remains the strongest. Upon discovering that the home will soon be sold to the highest bidder, Malo makes the bold decision to keep the dreams of his newfound love alive by purchasing it before it goes up for auction. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sergi López, Bruno Salomone, (more)
- 2007
A boy is forced to take an unexpected step towards adulthood in this short coming of age drama from first-time director Geoffrey Boulangé. A woman is taking a walk in the hills with her two sons when one of them makes a startling discovery -- a horse with a broken leg that's clearly in horrible pain. The older of the two sons, just edging into adolescence, is convinced they must do something to alleviate the animal's suffering, but he has a hard time convincing his mother, who believes they should just leave the beast alone. Who's view will prevail in this argument? Hinterland was screened in competition at the 2007 Rotterdam International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Florence Darel, Maxime Morinière, (more)
- 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)
- 2005
Eric Rohmer is one of the best-respected filmmakers in the history of the French cinema, as well as among the most elusive. Notoriously reluctant to talk about his own work, Rohmer rarely sits for filmed interviews, but documentary filmmaker Marie Binet has taken another route to gain a perspective on the director's working methods in this feature. Les Contes Secrets ou les Rohmeriens features interviews with 16 actors who have appeared in Rohmer's films, and they talk on camera about his unusual working methods, his personality, and his spare but evocative signature style. Among the thespians who share their memories are Jean-Louis Trinitignant, Marie-Christine Barrault, Zouzou, Jean-Claude Brialy, Béatrice Romand, Françoise Fabian, and Andre Dussolier; the film also includes rare footage of Rohmer himself at work on the set of his 1978 effort Perceval. Les Contes Secrets ou les Rohmeriens received its North American premiere at the 2005 New Montreal Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Féodor Atkine, Marie-Christine Barrault, (more)
- 2003
Pierre Schoendoerffer has made many film about the French in Indochina, and Above the Clouds finds the 75-year-old director covering that territory again. A female journalist (Florence Darel) becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Henri Lanvern (Jacques Perrin), a filmmaker who disappeared while shooting in Thailand in 1978. Although it appears that many of the men in her life have some of the answers for which she is looking, the reporter remains cut off from the truth. Because this film features many performers who have previously worked with the director, Schoendoerffer utilizes clips from his old films in order to provide flashbacks for this film. Above the Clouds was screened out of competition at the Montreal World Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Florence Darel, Bruno Cremer, (more)
- 2002
Filmed in France, Hungary, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Morocco, and Canada, this ambitious biographical TV miniseries chronicles the life and times of the "Little Corporal" from Corsica who managed to conquer nearly all of Europe within a period of a dozen years. The narrative begins in the mid-1790s, as Napoleon Bonaparte (played, curiously enough, by comic actor Christian Clavier) makes his mark on posterity with spectacular victories in Austria and Egypt. On the home front, Napoleon woos and wins the lovely (and considerably older) Josephine (Isabella Rossellini), but finds time for extracurricular romances with other women, notably Countess Marie Walewska (Alexandra Maria Lara). Ultimately, Bonaparte's ambitions destroy him, first in Russia, then at Waterloo, consigning the general-cum-emperor to live out his life in humiliation and exile. When originally broadcast in France in October 2002, Napoleon ran six hours (plus commercials), with four episodes. For its American presentation on the A&E cable network beginning April 8, 2003, the production was literally sliced in half, shown in two installments with a running time of three hours. What remained was all highlights and few insights, though a few brilliant moments remained, many of these supplied by the supporting cast, which included Gérard Depardieu (who also produced) as Fouche, and John Malkovich as Talleyrand. Thankfully, the full six-hour version was made available in the U.S. on DVD and VHS in 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christian Clavier, Isabella Rossellini, (more)
- 1994
Kissing seems to be a popular activity in this Swiss epic costume drama based on an 1880 novel. The story begins in Munich with lots of people vigorously kissing in the midst of a bacchanalia carnival. Two men, Lys and Henry are even going at it. Henry, a sensitive artist, is wearing a green suit which symbolizes his jealousy and immaturity. He, angry at Lys for cheating on his fiancee, challenges Lys to a duel upon the morrow. What Henry is really angry at is his own failure to marry his true love. The movie jumps back to Switzerland during Henry's childhood soon after he lost his father. He wants his mother's love, but she remains strict and aloof. At school Henry is picked on and it is only when he finds the theater that he meets the beautiful actress Judith. He becomes enamored and forgets all about his love affair with cousin Anna. Time passes quickly and an older Henry returns home to find dear Anna. His attentions are again diverted when the ageless Judith again appears. He does not realize that beloved but unappreciated Anna is soon to die of tuberculosis. Tragedy ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thibault de Montalembert, Florence Darel, (more)
A poor orphan grows up to be the toast of Paris when his quirky fashion designs become the rage. Filled with earthy, slapstick humor, this comedy chronicles his ride down the road of success. Fausto Barbarico (Ken Higelin) lost his folks during a biking accident and so was sent to a Paris orphanage. There he becomes best friends with Raymond (Francois Hauteserre), who, much to Fausto's delight, is a bad influence. Once he is of age, Fausto is sent to become the apprentice of Mietek (Jean Yanne), a kindly Jewish tailor who quickly becomes Fausto's mentor. Fausto has talent as a tailor and begins designing creative and kooky clothing as a way of promoting Mietek's shop. Romance comes for Fausto after he is asked to design a dress for the butcher's beautiful daughter. Trouble also arrives after Raymond suffers a terrible accident and is seriously injured while wearing one of Fausto's more outlandish designs. Originally released as Fausto, this film is known as A La Mode in the U.S. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Higelin, Jean Yanne, (more)
- 1992
A self-described son of neorealism, director Gianni Amelio utilized non-professional actors, authentic locations, and unadorned filmmaking techniques to create this honest, uncompromising look at modern Italy and its faltering human relations. Il Ladro di Bambini (The Stolen Children) begins in Milan, where Sicilian siblings Rosetta (Valentina Scalici), 11, and Luciano (Giuseppe Ieracitano), nine, live with their destitute mother. The woman regularly prostitutes Rosetta and is arrested; her children are immediately made wards of the court. Carabiniere Antonio Criaco (Enrico Lo Verso) is assigned to escort them to a foster home in a mission that appears to be simple. Yet, years of abuse forbid the siblings to trust, obey, or even like Antonio. Rosetta is hostile and demanding; Luciano is sullen and remote. When the Catholic foster home will not accept the children on the grounds of Rosetta's past, Antonio independently decides to bring them south to a home in Sicily. The three begin on a road trip during which their relationship grows and Antonio -- the epitome of hope and grace -- attempts to give the children a normal, loving experience by temporarily stealing them from their uncertain future. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Enrico Lo Verso, Valentina Scalici, (more)
French filmmaker Eric Rohmer begins his Tales of the Four Seasons series with A Tale of Springtime. Parisian philosophy teacher Jeanne (Anne Teyssedre) is temporarily without a place to stay as her cousin occupies her own home and she refuses to stay in her boyfriend's messy apartment while he is away. A young pianist, Natasha (Florence Darel), offers the use of her house and she accepts. After the two become friends, it is apparent there is a rivalry between Natasha and her father Igor's girlfriend, Eve. As Natasha's father drifts away from Eve, Natasha unwittingly finds herself embroiled in the mess. A Winter's Tale is the following installment. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Teyssedre, Hugues Quester, (more)
- 1990
- R
Uranus is set in a post-war French village that has been all but obliterated by the bombing. Jean-Pierre Marielle plays a middle-class family man who agrees to shelter many of those who've lost their homes. The polyglot of political beliefs held by these new tenants sows the seeds of discontent. The most vocal of the town's dissidents are the Communists, who terrify everyone with threats of turning in collaborators to the French Forces of the Interior. The only person in town afraid of no one is hulking innkeeper Gerard Depardieu, whose ultimate death uncovers much of the hypocrisy disguising itself as patriotism in the village. While never exactly sympathizing with the collaborators, Uranus is careful to point out that the "unofficial" executions of these unfortunates was no more morally acceptable than the Nazi invasion that encouraged collaboration in the first place. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philippe Noiret, Gérard Depardieu, (more)
