Paul Frankeur Movies

In this drama, a Parisian vagabond decides to get himself arrested so he can spend the winter in a warm, cozy jail. Unfortunately his attempts fail until his pal shows him how to steal purebred dogs and then bring them back for a reward. He does well, and decides to winter in the Riviera, but first he must figure out how to keep from getting arrested since another "pal" has ratted on him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Filmed in France in 1945, The Devil's Daughter didn't make it to the U.S. until 1949. Pierre Fresnay plays Saget, a supposedly self-made man of wealth who has allegedly struck it rich in America. In fact, Saget is a bank robber, who has assumed the identity of a recently deceased millionaire known for his acts of philanthropy. Everyone in the small French village where Saget resides accepts him for who he claims to be--everyone, that is, except the local doctor (Fernand Ledoux), who knows the truth and intends to use this knowledge to his advantage. Everyone's ultimate fate is sealed when Isabelle (Andree Clement), the titular "devil's daughter," falls in love with Saget. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This popular, standard French spy drama is the second in a series that stars tough guy Lino Ventura as Paul, a man who really would like to come in from the cold. Paul has established himself in the ordinary world with an on-going, successful business and has settled down with his wife Nadine (Estella Blain) and their two children. Thanks to his former chief and the fact that some sensitive plans have been stolen, Paul is coerced to going back to work undercover to retrieve the plans, knowing that the assignment is dangerous. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Arthur (Jean Richard) dreams of killing his harridan shrew of a wife to spend more time with his demanding mistress in this crime drama. His wife refuses to grant him a divorce, so Arthur puts his mind to murder. Arthur kills a woman who is sleeping in his bed, but it turns out to be the mistress who had earlier come to visit the wife. His spouse knocked out the mistress by hitting her and dumped the unconscious victim in the bed. Arthur and his wife hide the body, but he discovers that the mistress was poisoned before her visit to his wife. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

While arch surrealist Luis Bunuel never made a secret of his skepticism about the existence of God, he was also raised as a strict Spanish Catholic and remained fascinated with the church's teaching throughout his life, and his obsessions with both faith and the contradictions of dogma provided the basis for this episodic satiric comedy. Jean (Laurent Terzieff) and Pierre (Paul Frankeur) are two threadbare vagabonds who are making their way from Paris to Spain on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, where the remains of Saint James are believed to be kept. While Jean and Pierre's journey begins in the 20th Century, as they travel they seemingly develop the ability to move through time and space as they pass through a variety of historical scenes taken from a broad range of theological texts -- and all involving heresy in one form or another. As they walk the long road to Santiago de Compostela (when they can't catch a ride), Jean and Pierre encounter Jesus (Bernard Verley), who decides not to shave his beard to keep his mother happy; a young boy with stigmata and unusual powers; the Marquis de Sade (Michel Piccoli), who patently struggles to teach atheism to a young girl he's captured; an eccentric priest who has an irreversible belief in transubstantiation until he changes his mind; two men who put their debate over Catholic dogma to the test in a duel with swords; and Satan (Pierre Clementi), who shows up just in time for a car wreck. La Voie Lactee (aka The Milky Way) was scripted by Bunuel and his frequent screenwriting collaborator Jean-Claude Carriere; each of the film's historic episodes was adapted faithfully from an actual biblical text or historical account. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Alexandre (Eric Damain), the neglected teenager in this drama, finally gets some attention when he has a very serious accident while climbing a tree: it leads to the amputation of one of his legs. When he finds out that his mother (Stephane Audran) has a lover, he blackmails her into telling him all about it. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The title of this French noir drama translates to The Black File. Jean-Marc Bory plays Jacques Arnaud, an idealistic young investigator who comes to work in a small French town. He is soon involved in a mysterious case incriminating a town notable. Arnaud devotes himself to the case but the upshot of this is rather surprising to all concerned, not to mention the audience. Like Cayatte's previous efforts, Le Dossier Noir is based on the proposition that the phrase "French justice" can at times be oxymoronic. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Droll French comedian Noel-Noel essays the title role in Le Pere Tranquille (The Quiet Daddy). Contrary to expectations, the star isn't a secret father, but in fact the unknown head of a WW2 resistance movement. By playing the fool whenever the Nazis are around and about, Noel-Noel is able to conceal his double life and successfully carry out his various sabotage missions. This deft combination of comedy and melodrama builds to a particularly suspenseful climax. Le Pere Tranquille was directed by Rene Clement, who also helmed the classic "underground" film Battle of the Rails. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi