Patrick Dumont Movies
- 2001
Damien Odoul makes his directorial debut with this character study of a young restless lad whose identity and burgeoning maturity is tested during a single day. Aggressive, rambunctious, and scatterbrained, David (Pierre-Louis Bonnetblanc) is a teenaged boy who lives in a remote corner of France with his uncle, his parents having long since absented his life. On one particularly fine day, David's relatives throw a barbecue for the rough and tumble country folk in the area. As the day wears on, David convinces his uncle to let him have his first taste of alcohol, and soon a round of drunken male bonding ensues. Later, David wanders away from the party and meets up with one of his friends, and soon they are exploring the fields and streams of the country. Soon this youthful reverie gives away to something darker and more serious. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre-Louis Bonnetblanc, Dominique Chevalier, (more)
- 1995
This French film chronicles the amazing-but-true story of Lisa Alling who in 1928 successfully walked from New York City to Siberia via the Bering Straight by following telegraph poles. It was shot entirely in the Ukraine. Lisa, a chambermaid, has had enough of American life and wants go home to Siberia. Because she had no money, she decided it was better to walk than stay in the U.S. any longer. An opportunist, she takes whatever food, warmth and even romance that is offered along the way. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yelena Safonova, Christopher Chaplin, (more)
- 1984
An aging Nazi war criminal, "Doktor S.," was convicted of killing more than 11,000 people in Byelorussia and Lithuania during World War II and served 18 years in prison before being released due to poor health, bad eyesight, and old age. He tells his story in this unusual docudrama, leaving the viewers to sort out the limited information gleaned from his recollections. He complains because he lost his good standing with the SS when his brother came to Germany from the U.S. and started criticizing the Nazis. It does not matter that his brother died in Buchenwald; Doktor S. still resents him for ruining his position within the Gestapo. Next, the man explains how he had to work his way back into favor by committing atrocities -- but when confronted with specifics, the story told by Doktor S. raises more questions than it answers. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Kramer
- 1984
Director Robert Kramer became intrigued with the process of filming Wundkanal by Thomas Harlan because the exchange between Harlan and the convicted Nazi war criminal he interviewed was charged with their personal histories. Harlan's father, Veidt Harlan was Nazi propaganda minister Paul Joseph Goebbels's favorite movie director, made infamous by his vicious, anti-Semitic movie Jud Suess. Thomas Harlan had his own name and conscience to clear (or defend) when he set out to interview the "Doktor S." who was the subject of Wundkanal. Kramer has expertly chosen segments of the interview to awaken the viewer's sensibilities and invite questions on why anyone would want to listen to "Doktor S.," no matter what he has to say. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thomas
- 1972
This French thriller by first-time director Liliane de Kermadec follows the adventures of an amorous threesome on their bike tour through the countryside. When they visit an ominous country mansion, all is not as it seems. Are they dreaming of terror within, or is it real? ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
