Yvette Etievant Movies
- 1987
Roger Coggio wrote, directed and starred in this black comedy. The sexual frustration and social climbing of a lowly clerk from St. Petersburg leads to sensual sensory overload and insanity. He suffers from erotic hallucinations and Freudian imagery to the point that he must be institutionalized. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roger Coggio, Dorothée Blanc, (more)
- 1986
Antoine has a promising political career in front of him, if he can only keep from getting sidelined by inappropriate love affairs. He is a junior minister in France's socialist government, and he has had a hand in writing a number of important pieces of legislation. He has put his heart into crafting and promoting a bill to reform higher education. However, he is a little too young and idealistic to accept it when his party sacrifices his bill in order to gain a concession from the opposition on another important goal. Meanwhile, his love affair with a right-wing businessman's wife has been exceedingly difficult to consummate quietly. Antoine and Florence eventually decide they don't care that much about their reputations and throw caution to the winds. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicole Garcia, Sami Frey, (more)
- 1984
- R
A stolen letter creates all sorts of trouble for the president of France in this political comedy. The letter is hidden inside the purse of a woman who was once lovers with the leader. Their union resulted in a son, but the president is unaware of this until she, who moved to the US to have her son, finally contacts him 10 years later. Naturally this creates problems for him as he is in a terrible marriage with a woman who doesn't love him, but still he is delighted and so takes the woman and his son to his palace in Versaille where they are hidden. Meanwhile the police begin looking for the troublesome letter. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Louis Trintignant, (more)
- 1973
Like most of Costa-Gavras' political thrillers, the French State of Siege is based on a true story. The incident dramatized herein is the kidnapping of a U.S. official somewhere in Latin America. The director's sympathies clearly lie with the kidnappers, especially since the official (played by Yves Montand), ostensibly an expert in traffic control, has been assigned as special advisor to the government's secret police, training these worthies in the art of the torturing of political prisoners. Uruguay was the country where this story actually took place; though no names are given, there's little doubting the identity of Costa-Gavras' fictional locale. Despite its up-to-date radicalism, State of Siege adheres to time-honored Hollywood formula, with ugly, vulgar bad guys vs. handsome, articulate good guys. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yves Montand, Renato Salvatori, (more)
- 1967
In this provocative sci-fi drama from Alain Resnais, a man wakes up in a hospital after an attempted suicide. He has invented a time machine that has proven effective, but only transports the subject back in time for one minute. Upon his release, he gets his hands on the machine to go back to a time he fondly remembers spending with a woman he apparently has feelings about. The two stroll on the beach before she leaves for Scotland. He follows her, but tragedy ensues and it is not clear if he has killed her or if she died an accidental death. The time-machine angle of the film features a dreamlike series of flashbacks making it unclear if the action is presently unfolding or is merely a vague memory from the past. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claude Rich, Olga Georges-Picot, (more)
La Guerre est Finie represents one of the few "linear" films of French director Alain Resnais. Instead of indulging in his beloved flashbacks and flashforwards, Resnais sticks to a logical progression of events in relating this jaundiced tale of political activism. Yves Montand plays a tired, ageing revolutionary whose current target is Spain's Franco regime. Having become a familiar face to the authorities, Montand is no longer of any value as an undercover operative, yet he insists on leading a strike in Madrid. He is stopped from doing so by his fellow revolutionaries, who feel that Montand has become out of synch with the Movement. When Montand is finally able to complete his mission, everything goes wrong. Among the hero's "fellow" activists are Genevieve Bujold and Ingrid Thulin, both of whom harbor a romantic interest in Montand. The casual viewer might be surprised at the lack of action in the film, but favoring suspense over action is typical of Alain Resnais. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yves Montand, Ingrid Thulin, (more)
- 1963
This French/Italian effort travelled under the titles Le Jour Et L'Heure, Il Giorno e L'Ora and Viviamo Oggi in Europe. In Great Britain, it was known as Today We Live. No matter the title, the film stars Simone Signoret as a world-weary French aristocrat who finds a purpose in life by joining the World War II Resistance. She is ordered by her fellow undergrounders to hide allied paratrooper Stuart Whitman in her own country estate. At first resenting this intrusion in her life, Signoret falls in love with Whitman, and together they try to escape into Spain. The Day and the Hour was based on a story by Andre Barret. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Simone Signoret, Stuart Whitman, (more)
- 1962
In this gentle anti-war comedy, a class of French schoolboys divides into two factions who begin to battle each other, with the victors claiming the buttons off the clothes of the vanquished. One day, some of the boys pull a strategic coup by running into battle naked, therefore leaving their enemies nothing to steal. However, after this stunning victory, one of their number turns traitor to the other side, helping them plot a secret attack that leaves the recent champions in defeat. The informer is eventually found out and punished for his crimes, so he takes the matter to a higher authority and tells his parents he's been beaten up by bullies. Soon Mom and Dad are making trouble for their son's schoolmates, with the culprits facing a stay in juvenile hall. La Guerre des Boutons was written and directed by Yves Robert, who had a distinguished career both in front of and behind the camera in the French cinema. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Richard, Jacques Dufilho, (more)
- 1961
Transference of guilt, a theme near and dear to the heart of French author Georges Simenon, forms the basis of Passion of Slow Fire, adapted from Simenon's novel La Mort de Belle. American student Alexandra Stewart completing her education in France, turns up murdered. The prime suspect is professor Jean Desailly, inasmuch as Stewart was residing with Desailly and his wife Monique Melinard. While the professor is innocent, the impact of the tragedy causes him to kick over the traces, acquire a mistress, and ultimately kill her. Passion of Slow Fire was also released as The End of Belle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Desailly, Alexandra Stewart, (more)
- 1960
The original "grumpy old men," Jean-Marie (Jean Gabin), Baptiste (Pierre Fresnay), and Blaise (Noel-Noel) raise havoc in this entertaining comedy by director Gilles Grangier. The trio of irritable, temperamental grouchy men abandon their village to go take up residence in a senior citizens' home. They have a great time playing tricks on others and venting about the inadequacies of modern youth. Each elderly eccentric has his moment in the spotlight, as their story unfolds in an episodic manner. In the end, the retirement-home staff become convinced that taking care of these characters lies above and beyond the call of duty. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Gabin, Pierre Fresnay, (more)
French director Georges Franju's Eyes Without a Face (Les Yeux Sans Visage) is an unsettling, sometimes poetic horror film. Pierre Brasseur plays a brilliant plastic surgeon, Prof. Genessier, who has vowed to restore the face of his daughter, Christiane (Edith Scob), who was mutilated in an automobile accident. With the help of his assistant (Alida Valli), he kidnaps young women, surgically removes their facial features, and attempts to graft their beauty onto his daughter's hideous countenance. This naturally has an adverse effect on the "donors," some of whom commit suicide rather than go through life faceless. Franju's haunting, muted handling of basic horror material is what lifts Eyes Without a Face out of the ordinary and into the realm of near-classic. When the film failed to draw crowds under its original title, however, the distributors decided to exploit it as a two-bit "scare" flick with the new title The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Brasseur, Alida Valli, (more)
- 1960
Meant primarily for the moppets who naturally love animals, this conventional story by director Edmond Sechan concerns Medard (Renato Raschel), a hard-working zoo keeper, and a talking bear (Gaucha). Medard has his problems because his boss Chappius (Francis Blanche) is a despot whose only pleasure in life is making Medard's life miserable whenever he can. Once Medard discovers that one particular bear can talk, he tries to convince others of his discovery -- to no avail. But the bear opens up to Medard and tells him that he is pining for a lovely polar bear just outside of his reach, thanks to zoo barriers. The compassionate Medard manages to bring the talking bear and the object of his affections together for one brief night, and in return he gets an unexpected reward from an unexpected quarter. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- 1952
Originally titled Nous Sommes Tout des Assassins, We Are All Murderers was directed by Andre Cayette, a former lawyer who detested France's execution system. Charles Spaak's screenplay makes no attempt to launder the four principal characters (Marcel Mouloudji, Raymond Pellegrin, Antoinine Balpetre, Julien Verdeir): never mind the motivations, these are all hardened murderers. Still, the film condemns the sadistic ritual through which these four men are brought to the guillotine. In France, the policy is to never tell the condemned man when the execution will occur--and then to show up without warning and drag the victim kicking and screaming to his doom, without any opportunity to make peace with himself or his Maker. By the end of this harrowing film, the audience feels as dehumanized as the four "protagonists." We are All Murderers was roundly roasted by the French law enforcement establishment, but it won a special jury prize at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marcel Mouloudji, Raymond Pellegrin, (more)
- 1952
Filmed in 1950 as Le Rosier de Madame Husson, The Prize was produced and scripted by Marcel Pagnol, of "The Marseilles Trilogy" fame. The plot is motivated by a contest, wherein a prize of 100,000 francs will be bestowed upon the most virtuous maiden in a tiny French village. Virtue being a scarce commodity hereabouts, the money is eventually claimed by a young man named Isidore (Bourvil). Once the farcical situation is played for all it's worth, the story segues into a comedy of errors, culminating in an episode in a faraway house of ill repute. The upshot of all this is that Isidore loses the crown of virtue almost as quickly as he won it. Jacqueline Pagnol, the wife of Marcel Pagnol, has an amusing role as a coquettish farm lass. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bourvil
- 1951
Twice during his long and fruitful career, French playwright Jean Anouilh tried his hand at film directing. The second of these endeavors was Deux Sous de Violettes, released in 1951. Co-adapted by Anouilh from a story by Monelle Valentin, the film stars Dany Robin as teenager Therese Desforges. Uncommonly beautiful, Therese is forced to fend off the advances of various lechers and satyrs. Eventually she gives in to a much-older man, and the result is an unwanted pregnancy. After losing the baby, Therese considers herself damaged goods, but salvation is at hand in the form of a young and patient swain who has truly loved her all along. Some comic relief is provided by Michel Bouquet as Therese's doggedly good-for-nothing brother. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dany Robin, Helena Manson, (more)
An austere look at the experiences of a young priest in a small French parish, Robert Bresson's masterly Le Journal d'un curé de campagne (Diary of a Country Priest) presents a powerful, complex exploration of faith underneath a deceptively simple exterior. Drawn from a novel by Georges Bernanos, the film centers on the priest of Ambricourt (Claude Laydu), a withdrawn, devout young man whose social awkwardness leaves him isolated from the community he is meant to serve. Further problems derive from the priest's ill health, which limits him to a diet of bread and wine and hinders his ability to perform his duties. Growing sicker and increasingly uncertain about his purpose in life, the priest undergoes a crisis of faith that threatens to drive him away from his village and from God. Bresson presents his spiritual tale in a minimalist, unadorned style, relying on a rigorous series of stripped-down shots and utilizing non-actors in many of the supporting roles. The approach may initially seem distancing or ponderous to a contemporary audience, but the cumulative impact of the brilliant visuals and Laydu's powerful, restrained performance is unquestionable. Almost universally acclaimed, this searching drama is generally considered one of Bresson's finest works and a crucial classic of world cinema. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claude Laydu, André Guibert, (more)
Though this interesting film was among many responsible for the critical success of French autuer Robert Bresson, it was by no means a commercial success. Slightly different than his other films, director Bresson utilized the contrasty photography of Philippe Agostini (Sylvie et le Fantome, Monde du Silence) and chose professional actors Paul Bernard (Lumiere D'ete), Maria Casares (Enfants du Paradis), and Elina Labourdette (Shanghai Drama) to star rather than non-professionals. With dialogue written by writer/filmmaker Jean Cocteau, Les Dames du Bois du Boulogne was adapted to the screen by Bresson from an interpolated anecdote in Diderot's Jacques Le Fatalist. Casares plays Helene, a passionate but self-controlled woman who is seething after her lover Jean (Bernard) confesses he no longer loves her. Driven by revenge, Helene engineers a plan to attack Jean via Agnes (Labourdette), the woman he truly loves, and Anges' mother (Lucienne Bogaert). ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Casarés, Paul Bernard, (more)
