Jean-Pierre Guerin Movies

A French army journalist bears witness to the atrocities of the Algerian war in 1962 in this gripping French war movie. It is based on the 1967 novel by Philippe Labro. The film begins in Paris as Jerome Carier, ready to embark to Algiers, is beaten and questioned about the politically sensitive photographs he has. The photos were sent to him by Francois, a friend stationed in Algiers. Francoise is trying to get the French and the Algerians to reconcile. Jerome arrives in the war-torn country and finds himself faced with unbelievable carnage. The French are behind most of it. Because he took the pictures, Francois life is in jeopardy. He is murdered and Jerome finds himself attracted to his girl friend, a radio station announcer. The film contains graphic pictures of the slaughter. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Director Benoît Jacquot adapted Chantal Thomas' bestselling novel examining the genesis of the French Revolution as witnessed from the perspective of the servants closest to Marie Antoinette. July 1789: Versailles. As the people of France rise up against King Louie XVI (Xavier Beauvois), the frightened sovereigns begin plotting their escape. Sidonie Laborde (Léa Seydoux) is the Queen's reader, and as such enjoys the many lavish privileges of being in the monarch's entourage. She sees herself as an extended member of the royal family, so when Marie Antoinette (Diane Kruger) requests that Sidonie don the Queen's clothing and flee in her carriage, the naïve servant views it as a tremendous honor. Meanwhile, the Queen herself plots to escape the palace under the cover of darkness, leaving her most loyal servant at the mercy of the raging mob. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A bored and dispirited man heads out for a new adventure in this French comedy-drama from filmmakers Benoit Delépine and Gustave de Kervern. Serge (Gerard Depardieu), nicknamed "Mammuth" by his friends for the old motorcycle he's owned for years, began working at a slaughterhouse when he was sixteen years old; a model worker, Serge never had a sick day or was laid off, and shortly after turning sixty he's given a retirement party by his fellow employees. After spending nearly his entire adult life at the same job, Serge isn't sure what to do with his free time, but he soon discovers a snag in his retirement plans -- several former employees at the slaughterhouse neglected to fill out the proper paperwork, and until they sign the appropriate forms he won't receive his pension. Hoping to make the best of a bad situation and give Serge something to do at the same time, his wife Catherine (Yolande Moreau) suggests he pull his old motorcycle out of the garage and take a road trip to round up the needed signatures. Serge takes her advice, but as he catches up with his old friends, he discovers how little they think of him, and he's haunted by the spirit of Yasmine (Isabelle Adjani), a beautiful girl he used to love. Serge later finds a traveling companion in Solange (Miss Ming), his free-spirited niece; Solange is an artist who along with her friends encourages Serge to open himself up to his creative side that he's ignored most of his life. Mammuth was an official selection at the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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, Rovi

The Romanovs were both a family and a political dynasty. They ruled Russia for over three centuries, from 1613, when Czar Michael rose to power, to 1917, when Nicholas II was killed during the Russian revolution. This documentary looks at the family's long and colorful history, with special emphasis on the rule of Nicholas II, the discovery of the bodies of the Romanovs executed during the revolution, a rare interview with Grand Duchess Leonida (one of the last links in the family's line), and footage of the funeral of the last of the Romanovs, held in 1998. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi