Antoine Basler Movies

A young woman bent on revenge becomes a legendary thief in the vein of Robin Hood in director Bernie Bonvoisin's 2002 comic swashbuckler Blanche. When she was 14, young Blanche de Perrone's family was massacred by the Cardinal Mazarin's (Jean Rochefort) right-hand man, Captain KKK (Antoine de Caunes), after her businessman father suspected the cleric of great evildoing. The lone survivor of the murder, Blanche vowed vengeance and eventually became a greatly feared robber of stagecoaches. Meanwhile, Mazarin has begun to set up his own little drug dealing operation without rousing the suspicion of the sexually-kinky reigning monarchs King Louis XIV (Jose Garcia) and Queen Anne of Austria (Carole Bouquet). As Blanche (Lou Doillon) begins to put into motion her plan to bring down Mazarin, she unexpectedly falls in love with royal spy Bonange (Roschdy Zem), who is not totally insensitive to Blanche's quest. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide

La Guerre Dans le Haut Pays is a period piece set in the winter of 1797-98, during the six days leading up to the fall of Bern and the victory of Napoleon's army, when the Bern government is faced with mixed loyalties from its subjects. The population of the lower valley is divided, but the upper region remains loyal, since they have been given special autonomy and a favorable system of taxation. David, a postman, works between the two regions. His father, who is a hard-line conservative, does not approve of his relationship with Julie, who is from the lower part of the valley. Julie's father, on the other hand, is more open to the new ideas of liberation. As a result of his work, David is exposed to new ideas and becomes a believer in equality and justice. When he meets Ansermoz, who is forced by his poverty to work as a mercenary for the French government, David distances himself more and more from his father. The last straw is when his father wants him to fight with those who support Bern. David refuses and plans to run away with Julie, while his father is determined to carry the combat. Tragedy strikes when the father and the son face each other on opposite sides of the battlefield. For lovers of historical drama, the film offers plenty of escapist action and excitement, with interspersed ideological clashes and fanaticism. All these are enhanced by celebrated French screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere's contribution to the script. The romantic love story spices up the generally male-dominated nature of the story. For audiences who prefer films dealing with not-so-grandiose subjects, La Guerre Dans le Haut Pays, which competed at the 49th International Berlin Film Festival in 1999, has very little to offer. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide

Written and directed by Olivier Assayas, Irma Vep tells the story of has-been French filmmaker René Vidal (Jean-Pierre Léaud). In an attempt to reinvigorate his career, Vidal decides to remake Les Vampires, the classic silent serial featuring the adventures of jewel thief Irma Vep. Playing herself, actress Maggie Cheung is cast as the lead, joining Vidal on a chaotic set where he gets little respect from the rest of the cast and crew. Speaking no French, Cheung finds herself fending off the advances of lesbian costumer Zoé (Nathalie Richard), sticking up for Vidal, and becoming so immersed in her role that she burgles the guests of her hotel while in costume. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Chance meetings provide the central theme for this Parisian film comprised of three loosely related episodes. The first, "Le Rendez-vous de 7 heures," centers on Esther, who tries to make her womanizing boyfriend jealous by finding her own new lover. She finds a likely candidate in a Montmartre market; they begin talking and agree to meet at the Beaubourg cafe that night. There, he steals her wallet. Later a stranger returns it. The stranger mentions that she must go to the Beaubourg to meet her ex-lover. Esther accompanies her and gets a big surprise. In the second episode, "Les Blancs de Paris," two would-be lovers hold a series of conversations in various Paris locales. The problem is that she is trying to find the courage to leave her fiancé. The new man, a young professor, asks her to move in with him. Instead, they end up planning to spend three days in a Montmartre hotel while her fiancé is out of town. There the woman meets with an unfortunate coincidence. In the last vignette, "Mere et enfant 1907," an artist and his Swedish lady friend go to an art gallery. There the painter sees a young woman admiring Picasso's 1907 canvas Mother and Child. He then abandons his friend and takes off after the woman through the winding streets. Eventually, he ends up at her studio where he meets with disappointment. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Lady M (Myriam Mezieres) sings in some of the less well-known Paris clubs. She's a gifted performer and is quite beautiful, but her work is not the sort that invites popular acclaim. Despite the fact that she is unlikely to become famous, she enjoys her life as a performer who lives just outside the mainstream. Awaiting her backstage one evening is a Spanish painter who has seen her show and wants to make her acquaintance. They walk around Paris getting to know one another, and then the painter returns to Spain. Something about the man has moved Lady M to passion: she flies to meet him in Barcelona and he shows her his beloved Catalonia. This time, however, their relationship is as much about passionate lovemaking as it is about compatibility. So smitten is Lady M with her new man that when she discovers that the painter has a negro wife and child, she is only a little bit taken aback; she invites his whole family to join her in Paris. Surprisingly, they do, and the number of people sharing their love and sexual appetites changes from two to three. This story is allegedly based on the personal diaries of Myriam Mezieres, who narrates. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Filipa has to return to Portugal from Switzerland, where she has been living, to marry. She has invited her Swiss friend Marie to come along. Marie is a young lady who has enough money to indulge her doubts and scruples about what she is going to do with her life. She is between relationships at the moment, and the two old friends head off for Portugal. As they talk over their lives and plans for the future, it becomes very obvious that they live in two entirely different worlds. Rather than harming their relationship, these differences only heighten it. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide