Isabelle Gélinas Movies

Alain Berberian directed this French comedy about night watchman Franck (Patrick Timsit), who skips out on work to attend a soccer match. He sits next to a TV star who's photographed. The photo makes the cover of a national magazine, prompting Franck's boss to fire him. He can't bring himself to tell his beautician wife Evelyne (Catherine Frot), but he asks for compensation from the magazine. Franck becomes friends with paparazzo Michel (Vincent Lindon) without learning that it was Michel who got him fired. The film's commentary on paparazzi and privacy surfaces: Michel discovers he can't seem to get rid of the nerdy Franck, who constantly follows him about. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

This made-for-TV drama from France examines the life and times of Charles Pathe (played by Didier Bezace), a producer and entrepreneur who became one of the pioneering figures of the French film industry. The film examines the ups and downs of Pathe's career, as well as his encounters with American film trailblazer George Eastman (Ronald Guttman) and legendary French comedian Max Linder (Alain Fromager). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

History buffs will glory in the riches of Louis, Enfant Roi, others will perhaps find this complex story of intrigues and betrayals in the court of the young king tough sledding. When Louis the Fourteenth (1638-1715) was born, the power of government was shared between the monarchy, the church, the nobility, and the Parlement. His predecessor had greatly centralized the powers of government following the advice of Cardinal Richelieu. Louis XIV (often called "The Sun King" for the brilliance of his rule) followed the advice of Richelieu's successor, Cardinal Mazarin (Paolo Graziosi), and brought the powers of government under the sole sway of the monarch. He expanded the territory and influence of France in a series of wars throughout his reign. How he came to be so autocratic and ruthless both personally and politically is the subject of this biographical drama. When Louis (Maxime Mansion) was just ten years old, the Parlement of France refused to ratify a tax measure, and the disagreements between the various powers ruling the country came to a head in a long civil war known as "The Fronde," which lasted from 1648 to 1653. This movie tells how the intrigues and battles of this period appeared from the perspective of the young monarch. At first they are highly confusing for him, but gradually they become clearer, and he begins to emerge from the regency of his mother, Anne of Austria (Carmen Maura), to assert some of his own authority, making some grim and unpleasant decisions in the process. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In this screwball crime comedy, a perfectly innocent computer jockey (Lambert Wilson) becomes the prime suspect in a bank robbery. Among the tribulations he must suffer is that the real culprit is his landlady. Another source of suffering for the poor man is his extremely strong-willed mother, whose wants must be catered to. Meanwhile, he is being rabidly pursued by one of his female coworkers, who has taken a shine to him. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Celine (Sophie Marceau) must choose between Tarquin (Lambert Wilson) and Aurele (Stephane Fries) in this historical drama set during the French Civil War of 1793. The Republican Army decimated Western France when an insurgence of peasants, clergy, and aristocrats loyal to the Royalists staged a counterrevolution. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide