Jean-Paul Farré Movies

French legend has it that a creature known as the Beast of Gevaudan -- a huge, wolf-like monster -- was responsible for the violent deaths of over 100 persons in the mid-18th century, and this horror fantasy blends the lore of this fabled beast with a story of two men who set out to capture it. After a number of mutilated corpses begin appearing across the French countryside, naturalist Chevalier Gregoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) is dispatched by the King to find and capture the animal responsible for the killings. Mani (Mark Dacascos), an Indian from Canada and an experienced hand in the wilds, is hired to assist de Fronsac in his work. Gregoire's assignment earns him the acquaintance of Marianne de Morangias (Emilie Dequenne), the lovely daughter of the idly wealthy Count de Morangias (Jean Yanne), but Gregoire receives a much chillier welcome from her brother Jean-Francois (Vincent Cassel), who, despite having lost an arm to a lion in Africa, is quite the huntsman himself. As Gregoire and Mani arrive in the village of Gevaudan, they're drawn to a local house of prostitution, where the animalistic allure and supernatural powers of Sylvia (Monica Bellucci) prove to have a profound effect on the naive Gregoire. Jim Henson's Creature Shop provided the special-effects expertise for the creation of the Beast of Gevaudan. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Arthur Rimbaud, the title character of this film, was a noted French poet who at the age 26 abandoned his profession to become a North African trader/wanderer. This epic biopic tells his strange and tragic tale. A rather depressive and tormented soul, Rimbaud began his adventures in the early 1800s in a coastal village in Abysinia (modern-day Ethiopia). He joined an expedition and began an arduous journey across the Sahara. During the entire trip, the morose Rimbaud said nothing. Upon reaching their final destination, Rimbaud is horrified to see that the streets are ruled by packs of wild dogs. He attempts to rectify this by poisoning the beasts, an act that makes him unwelcome amongst the locals. Next, Rimbaud begins working with a gun runner and sets off to sell arms to a powerful African ruler. A double cross spells tragedy for the poet. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Bertrand Blier's films have explored the sometimes misogynistic sexuality of younger men, but here he offers an absorbing, funny, and moving take on a middle-aged man's adulterous affair. Gerard Depardieu stars as Bernard, an affluent car dealer who finds himself in the grip of a violent passion for his new secretary, a rather plain-looking, middle-aged woman played by Josiane Balasko. Seemingly a happily married man with a beautiful wife (Carole Bouquet) and children, he can't understand what is happening as his life is turned upside down. While it may seem that Blier simply enjoys tweaking convention, he's clearly after far more than laughs given the tenderness he finds in the scenes between the adulterous lovers. Bernard's age has suddenly made him more vulnerable, a state of emotion that he realizes Colette grasps intuitively. Depardieu and French comedienne Balasko make a completely believable couple, and the photography of the great Philippe Rousselot is stunning. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide

With embarrassing dialogue and a theatrical style, this feature-length comedy is based on cartoon characters and is equally two-dimensional. After some misguided attempts at mixing with the riff-raff, the young rich heiress Paulette (Jeanne Marine) decides to start giving her money away to anyone who sounds like they really need it. Considering this to be an act of insanity, her greedy and crooked estate administrator gets her institutionalized. In retaliation, Paulette escapes with a fellow inmate, and after several misadventures (some nudity here) she finds herself nearly drowned and still no closer to regaining her estate. She is saved by some bargemen who decide to help her out -- and the adventure continues. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In one of his few directorial efforts, Francis Perrin, the French comedian and actor, has created a routine film that relies a great deal on his comedic talents. Perrin plays a tour guide with an innately charming way with the opposite sex, and the generous desire to help out his less accomplished roommate improve his love life. When the roommate falls for an attractive psychiatrist, the tour guide manages to get in to see her, hoping to insinuate his roommate into her affections. His altruistic objective dies when he actually meets her and is smitten himself - and then the task that lies ahead is how to keep on seeing her and beguile her into sharing his feelings. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Les Charlots romp onto the screen again in this French comedy, which has the comic musicians serving as soldiers who actively support a peasant family who are resisting forced eviction by the army. Among other conflicts they have with their long-suffering sergeant is that he thinks their hair is much too long. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide