Françoise Arnoul Movies

A story about a man and his dog, this film is a wrought urban drama about the gritty realities of life on the street. Middle-aged Michel (Jacques Hansen) wanders the streets of Paris aimlessly until he happens upon an abused dog. When the police threaten to take the animal away, he reluctantly turns to his former lover who works with the city. The results prove to be disastrous for the brittle Michel. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Over the course of five seasons, this film chronicles a young woman's rise to power within a tempestuous all-female office. Employing elements of fantasy, realism, drama and satire, much of the story takes place in the confines of an oppressive looking steel and glass skyscraper owned by a powerful insurance company. Though the office is populated only by women, the place seethes with tension due to office politics and the personal turmoil suffered by the employees, something that the beautiful and outwardly ruthless office supervisor Carabosse does her best to ignore. When the ever business-like Carabosse finally gets promoted, she appoints Agate (the story's true protagonist) as her successor. Power corrupts and it does not take long for the compassionate Agate to transform into a copy of Carabosse. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Jean-Claude Missiaen had a very brief career as a director in the mid-1980s, and this is one of his typical police dramas that allude to American movie tough guys and detectives, to previous films in the same genre, and to well-known police/criminal actors or types (such as Humphrey Bogart). The story revolves around the relationship between a team of two policemen, brash and quick to act, devoted to justice and bending the rules to get it. The duo have to overcome a sexually off-beat, evil woman and a group of gangsters doing illegal real estate deals if they are to succeed on their currently assigned case. The two policemen (Gerard Lanvin and Eddy Mitchell) have their share of shoot-outs and brawls before the bad guys and bad woman discover that crime does not pay as well as they thought. Caught between references to other movies and characters, a certain amount of melodrama, and a wandering camera style, director Missiaen may have taken off in too many directions at once to maintain the interest of most viewers. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In this drama, unemployment complicates a father's relationship with his estranged daughter. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Jean Renoir's last completed work was this made-for-television effort, comprised of three short films along with a musical interlude courtesy of Jeanne Moreau. Included are The Last Christmas Dinner, The Electric Floor Waxer and A Tribute to Tolerance. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

The first film directed by Costa-Gavras, The Sleeping Car Murders was based on a novel by Sebastien Japrisot. During a Marseilles-to-Paris overnight train trip, a girl is found dead in a sleeping car. As Paris detective Yves Montand steps up his investigation, more and more passengers turn up murdered. The unlikely climax is the only sore point of this otherwise well-wrought mystery. Bereft of the politicizing of Costa-Gavras' later works, The Sleeping Car Murders exhibits the director's fondness for American "film noir" thrillers. The film first hit Parisian movie screens under the title Compartiment Tueurs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this offbeat ensemble comedy from French New Wave director Pierre Kast, Françoise Arnoul and Michel Auclair star as Mathilde and Michel, a couple who rents a chateau for the weekend. To liven things up, Mathilde invites a diverse group of guests to enjoy the scenic retreat. Among the eclectic bunch is a former Marxist, a scientist, an author, an estranged couple, and a 17-year-old girl ready for love. In no time, the guests are pairing off together for a series of ephemeral trysts. Also starring Catherine Deneuve in one of her earliest film roles, Vacances portugaises was released in the U.S. under it's English-translated title, Portuguese Vacation. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

The French omnibus feature Tales of Paris is made of four separate romantic playlets, each with its own cast, director, and scenarist. "The Tale of Ella," directed by Jacques Poitrenaud, stars Dany Saval as an ambitious nightclub performer who very nearly messes up her chances for success by bullying a mild-looking but important producer. "The Tale of Antonia," directed by Michel Boisrond, finds housewife Dany Robin exacting a sweet revenge on her cheating husband. "The Tale of Francoise," directed by Claude Barma, concerns the efforts of Francoise Arnoul to test the fidelity of her best friend's lover. And "The Tale of Sophie," directed by Marc Allegret, features Catherine Deneuve as a goody-two-shoes who fabricates a torrid romance in order to be accepted by her sexually knowledgeable schoolmates. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In his final film, Jean Cocteau brilliantly evokes memories of his past triumphs, Blood of a Poet (1930) and Orpheus (1949). Cocteau casts himself as an aging poet who knows he is dying (as indeed he was); his greatest desire is to be reborn so that he can qualify for celestial immortality. The stellar cast includes such French film favorites as Jean-Pierre Léaud, Jean Marais, and François Perier, along with Hollywood's Yul Brynner and such Cocteau friends and admirers as Pablo Picasso, singer Charles Aznavour, and bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguen. Given the influence Cocteau's influence over the French New Wave directors of the 1950s and 1960s, it is altogether appropriate that the producer of Testament of Orpheus was François Truffaut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This is a wartime action drama featuring Cora (Françoise Arnoul) the same heroine (known as the "cat') whose activities in the French underground were featured in the 1959 film La Chatte. She is back, this time with a string of bad luck, starting with her capture by German forces. Once she is imprisoned, Cora's mind is bent by unscrupulous techniques generally referred to as "brainwashing," that leave her in the power of her captors. When she is released, they know she will gather information about the French resistance movement and then hand that info over to the Germans. Unfortunately for her captors, their technique cannot overcome Cora's loyalty to country and friends. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In this suspenseful WW II drama a Parisian widow assists with the Resistance. Unfortunately, she falls in love with a German soldier. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Cargaison Blanche (White Cargo) bears no relation to the steamy tropical stage melodrama of the same name. The "cargo" referred to in the title consists of innocent young girls who are transported to parts unknown for immoral purposes. Female journalist Francoise Arnoul tries to catch the white-slaver villains in the act, only to be kidnapped herself. She is rescued by Georges Aminel, a black dope addict with whom she forms a strong (albeit platonic) bond. Once Aminel is able to convince the authorities of Arnoul's plight, the poor girl is returned to safety by nominal hero Georges Rivieres. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide