Sophie Desmarets Movies
- 1945
Amidst a sea of French wartime melodramas, the nonsensical plot convolutions of 120 Rue de la Gare came as a relief. The film exists solely as a vehicle for the comic talents of Rene Dary, here cast as a private detective. Dary finds himself up to his neck in danger when he endeavors to solve a baffling mystery. 120 Rue de la Gare was taken (presumably as far as possible) from a novel by Leo Malet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sophie Desmarets, Gaby Andreu, (more)
- 1950
In this comedy, a charming (at least he thinks so) king comes to Paris to sign a treaty and quickly learns more about French customs and temperament than he ever wanted to. When the senator he has come to see learns that the king is interested in his wife and mistress, the conniving fellow arranges it so he can have both of them. Following the signing of the treaty, the king, dreadfully pleased with himself, returns to his home. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Director Jacques Baratier's Sweet and Sour is an independently produced project with a surprising amount of European movie-industry input. Guy Bedos, a Brando wannabe, plays one of several young French cineastes who take to the streets to make improvisational movies. The "cinema verite" quality of the film is somewhat undercut by the presence of major stars: Anna Karina, Simone Signoret, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Monica Vitti, Claude Brasseur, and many others. After several "spontaneous" vignettes -- a street tennis game, a striptease lesson, a West Side Story style gang rumble -- Guy Bedos announces he will go to Hollywood to film the life of Voltaire. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guy Bedos, Sophie Daumier, (more)
- 1996
On the way to his wedding, Bernard (Gerar Jugnot) experiences car trouble. What could be more natural than to stop at the nearest respectable looking house and ask for help? How could he have known that at that very moment the house's residents, members of a cult, are busily committing mass suicide? Bernard escapes with his own life, and takes with him Sebastien (Francois Morel), an addled cult member who has somehow avoided his compatriots' fate. However, he has also incurred the wrath of the cult's leader, "Magic" (Jean Yanne) and his assistant (Martin Lamotte), both of whom are very much alive. This sinister duo follows Bernard to his fiancee's house, where a social disaster is in progress. In a high point of this French comedy, Bernard's upper-crust fiancee Constance (Michele Laroque) handles the intruders with wit, invective, and well-bred intolerance. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Jugnot, François Morel, (more)
- 1996
Aimed at younger audiences, this special-effects filled French comedy centers on the afterlife adventures of two recently deceased fellows, Georges, a gentle chauffeur and his ruthless corporate tiger of an employer, Phillipe. Unfortunate Georges meets his demise at the hands of a gunman just as he discovers that he has won the lottery. Shortly thereafter, his boss Phillipe is murdered by his business rival Martigues. As ghosts, no living soul can see or here Georges and Phillipe who set out together to put their earthly affairs in order before taking off to their respective final resting places. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philippe Noiret, Gérard Jugnot, (more)
- 1955
Gli Ultimi Cinque Minuti (The Last Five Minutes) was adapted from the popular Italian stage play by Aldo De Benedetti. Hollywood's Linda Darnell heads the cast as Renata, who sublets an apartment in Rome. Unfortunately, Carlo Reani (Vittorio de Sica) also has a legal claim on the apartment. The two tenants solve the dilemma by getting married, with the understanding that Renata can continue pursuing any man she wants. For a while Renata dallies with Dino Moriani (Rosanno Brazzi), but her wifely insticts eventually get the better of her. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Darnell, Vittorio De Sica, (more)
- 1950
In this drama, a free-spirited vagabond's life changes dramatically when he learns that he has inherited a fortune. Unfortunately, he also learns that he has also been named the estate's executor. He refuses and this causes problems for the other two heir who cannot claim their share until he accepts his. They therefore endeavor to change his mind until a fourth heir, and impoverished woman, turns up. In the end, the wanderer can no bear longer to watch the wasteful excesses of the idle rich. He takes his share, creates a rest camp for vagabonds, and hits the road again. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1960
This innovative though uneven comedy by Yves Robert, known for his droll sense of humor, is based on a late 19th-early 20th-century illustrated book about a zany, provincial French family. The Fenouillards (Sophie Desmarets and Jean Richard are the parents, Annie Sinigalia and Marie-José Ruíz are the daughters) are shopkeepers with higher aspirations. The Monsieur wants to run for mayor of their town, but the family acknowledges he has little experience of the real world -- and so they all take off to experience it together. After starting out by getting lost, the family goes through an odyssey that takes them to Brazil, the Antarctic, and Japan in a series of episodic adventures. Director Yves Robert has tried to evoke the ambiance of the silents with slightly speeded-up action and slapstick humor. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sophie Desmarets, Jean Richard, (more)
- 1963
The experiences of young school boys are illustrated in this lighthearted film in which a song precedes each story. One boy is compelled to shoplift when he is ignored by his parents. Another less-scholarly inclined boy shows incredible mechanical aptitude when he fixes the principal's car. Yet another lad gets a lesson in economics when he finds some paper money. The boys all learn that valuable lessons are not always confined to the classroom. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yvonne Clech, Jean Rochefort, (more)
Le Fils de Caroline Cherie is the third in a series of bodice-ripping Gallic romantic adventures. Replacing Martine Carol as 19th century heroine Caroline is Micheline Grey, who is out of the picture early on as her son Juan Jean-Claude Pascal picks up the plotline. Like his mother, Juan cuts quite a sexual swath through Europe, almost completely oblivious to the Napoleonic wars raging all about him. One of our hero's conquests is played by Brigitte Bardot, who receives top billing. Like its predecessors, Le Fils de Caroline Cherie was heavily censored before its arrival on American shores. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Pascal, Jacques Dacqmine, (more)
- 1970
Leon (Bourvil) is the owner of a cafe in a small town in occupied France in this comedic war story. Like most French of the time, he tries to get along with the German invaders. When his daughter (Sara Franchetti) brings home a downed British aviator, Leon becomes involved by helping the man escape to England. Through a strange turn of events, he accompanies the pilot back to Britain. Leon is thought to be a spy at first, but soon he is trained by British intelligence to help the Allied cause back in France. This was one of the last films for Bourvil, the beloved French comedian who often played the common man caught up in circumstances beyond his control. Terry-Thomas plays a British captain with typical flair. The color process is not credited. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bourvil, Sophie Desmarets, (more)
- 1949
Though it took Maurice Chevalier a long time to regain his American popularity after WW II, he remained a favorite in France. In Le Roi, Chevalier stars as--what else?--a king. Making a goodwill visit to France during the era of the First Republic, the merry monarch stirs up trouble with the stauncher anti-royalists. Fortunately, he doesn't lose his head, but he does sacrifice his dignity to a well-aimed cream puff, administered by one Mme. Beaudrier (Sophie Desmarets) who is the wife of a diplomat (Alfred Adam). To avoid a scandal, the diplomat tries his best to get in the king's good graces--which, of course, results in plenty of boudoir shenanigans. Based on a nonmusical stage play, Le Roi manages to find a few opportunities for Maurice Chevalier to sing, which he does with his usual panache. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annie Ducaux, Sophie Desmarets, (more)
