Sylvie Fennec Movies

Filmed in France, Hungary, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Morocco, and Canada, this ambitious biographical TV miniseries chronicles the life and times of the "Little Corporal" from Corsica who managed to conquer nearly all of Europe within a period of a dozen years. The narrative begins in the mid-1790s, as Napoleon Bonaparte (played, curiously enough, by comic actor Christian Clavier) makes his mark on posterity with spectacular victories in Austria and Egypt. On the home front, Napoleon woos and wins the lovely (and considerably older) Josephine (Isabella Rossellini), but finds time for extracurricular romances with other women, notably Countess Marie Walewska (Alexandra Maria Lara). Ultimately, Bonaparte's ambitions destroy him, first in Russia, then at Waterloo, consigning the general-cum-emperor to live out his life in humiliation and exile. When originally broadcast in France in October 2002, Napoleon ran six hours (plus commercials), with four episodes. For its American presentation on the A&E cable network beginning April 8, 2003, the production was literally sliced in half, shown in two installments with a running time of three hours. What remained was all highlights and few insights, though a few brilliant moments remained, many of these supplied by the supporting cast, which included Gérard Depardieu (who also produced) as Fouche, and John Malkovich as Talleyrand. Thankfully, the full six-hour version was made available in the U.S. on DVD and VHS in 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The title character in the Belgian-French The Music Teacher is a retired opera star, played by Jose Van Dam. The teacher's most gifted pupil is singer/musician Anne Roussel. Her love for her teacher is one of the motivating factors of the story, as is Roussel and Van Dam's relationship with another pupil, petty thief Philippe Volter. Complicating matters is one of Van Dam's old enemies, who endeavors to exploit the talents of the pupils. Written and directed by Gerard Corbiau, The Music Teacher unfortunately drags whenever the principals stop singing and start talking. But what singing! And what cinematography! Small wonder that this film was nominated for a "Best Foreign Picture" Academy Award. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Focusing on the characters of those involved, this French drama explores a political campaign in a small town and the corruption which enters into it. Sex education gets the countrified locals all roused up against a citified school reformer, even though it is actually a side issue. The farmer whose concerns are picked up as a theme by the right-wing politicos figures out that he is being used. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This French/Brazilian co-production is a dreamy, surrealistic post-apocalypse science-fiction tale. In the strange world of the future, there are two kinds of survivors: untainted and tainted. Only the untainted are armed, and only they have access to a kind of memory playback display machine. As the film opens, an untainted man returns to his cabin, only to find a strange untainted woman there who fights him when he enters. They enter into a relationship and share memories of the time before, using the memory playback machine. A second ("Beta") woman stumbles into the cabin and upsets the precarious balance of their lives before she runs away again. They decide to search for her. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Nobles try desperately to cling to the crumbling aristocracy in the days following World War I. The Count (Jean-Claude Brialy) and his Countess Mahe (Sylvia Fennec) delight in throwing lavish costume balls. The couple develops a friendship with a young boy who delights in the parties thrown by the noble couple. Love soon blooms between the Countess and the boy as she searches for something more than a string of endless parties and social affairs. The masquerades are an attempt to freeze time and hold on to the nostalgia of a bygone era. For fear of losing her, the Count allows the Countess to continue her love affair. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

This spaghetti western features hippie outlaws battling French singer Hallyday. ~ All Movie Guide

A recently widowed woman in her early 40s receives a visit from a younger engineer. After the funeral of her husband, the two fall in love and marry. The woman's teenage daughter has eyes for her new stepfather and lets him know her attraction in no uncertain terms. Soon the man is sleeping with mother and daughter while mom keeps silent to keep peace on the home front. The daughter is soon courted by a young man with marriage on his mind, but he shoots the stepfather in a hunting accident. Mother and daughter care for him as he recovers from his wounds. When officials come to the house to give the engineer a coveted award, they leave when they see the house appears to be deserted. Sealed off from the outside world, the trio continues their unusual menage-a-trois, as mother and daughter vie for the man's affections. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide