Daniel Gélin Movies

In order to solve a family mystery, John, a stonemason from Zimbabwe, travels to Berlin to search for 1928 footage of a tightrope walker at Niagara Falls. While there, he becomes romantically obsessed with Miriam, a French rock musician in an all-girl band. Unfortunately, Miriam is totally in love with her boyfriend Pierre, a talented scientist. Running parallel to the main plot is that of Jacob, a Jewish tailor who in the film's early scenes is caught shoplifting, an act that will have troubling ramifications for John, who gets caught in the middle of Jacob's attempt to flee the crime scene. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Aimed at younger audiences, this special-effects filled French comedy centers on the afterlife adventures of two recently deceased fellows, Georges, a gentle chauffeur and his ruthless corporate tiger of an employer, Phillipe. Unfortunate Georges meets his demise at the hands of a gunman just as he discovers that he has won the lottery. Shortly thereafter, his boss Phillipe is murdered by his business rival Martigues. As ghosts, no living soul can see or here Georges and Phillipe who set out together to put their earthly affairs in order before taking off to their respective final resting places. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This French action movie features spectacular stunts in the air, on the slopes, and in the water as it follows the adventures of daredevils appearing on a popular French TV show. The story begins with Fiona standing upon a mountain peak releasing a beautiful eagle. The tale is told in flashback and from her point of view. She is the host of "Extreme Game" an independent show that records daring feats. The show is owned by cable magnate the greedy Farjonnes who will do anything for high ratings. The fearless regulars on the show are Xigor Copeland, ice climber and aerial surfer, Eric and Christophe, snowboarders, Dominique who jumps off cliffs wearing skis and a chute, Criss, a crazy telemark skier, Jean-Louis, vertical skier, and Eric Fradet, a sky surfer who lost his voice in an aerial accident. The stunts are filmed in Chamonix, Mont Blanc, Argentina, and Lake Titicaca, Bolivia. Things heat up when Xigor publicly announces that he will sky-surf and land on the snowy slopes without a parachute. To add danger, he will do this at night using only flares and a laser to guide him. Farjonnes does not make it easy as he makes the men compete against each other in a grueling series of matches. The questions then become: will Xigor survive? Is his stunt for real? ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

According to reviewers, an expert cast of character actors make this bedroom farce eminently watchable, despite glitches in the storytelling. In the story, a group of old friends and relations gather each year to celebrate Christmas together on the ski resort of Chamonix. They don't do much skiing, however, but mostly explore their own and their friends' and relations' romantic quandries. In the story, the widower family patriarch Leo (Daniel Gelin) announces his engagement to Francoise (Anouk Aimee), which provokes all sorts of reactions in his sons Max and Simon (Gerard Lanvin and Andre Dussollier) and their families, because their own marriages are really rocky. Among the complications: Simon's son is infatuated with Max's daughter, Max is trying to make time with a woman who works locally, Simon has brought along his mistress, family friend Stephane is having trouble with his girlfriend, who threatens suicide if he won't marry her, and a difficult time is had by all during this merrymaking season. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In real life, filmmaker Simon Reggiani's father, Serge Reggiani, was a desperately ill elderly alcoholic and also a renowned singer and cinematic leading man (mostly in France). In an effort to sustain his father's interest in life, he cast him in the central role in a biographical pseudo-documentary. In the story, Simon convinces his father to join him on a journey to Italy, where he can meet the man who can ease the guilt he has carried for almost seventy years; he believes he was responsible for the death of his infant brother. Reviewers indicate that Serge's performance was extraordinarily magnetic and skillful. Furthermore, the caring son reported that the film served its purpose of keeping his father lively and interested in life; indeed, he has gone on to take major roles in several more films. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

A made for cable TV docudrama, former Carter administration aides Hamilton Jordan and Gerald Rafshoon were responsible for the production of this miniseries which recounts the 1979 humiliation of America by a handful of Iranian radicals. Told through the eyes of a U.S. Embassy official married to a Tehran woman, this story did not spare neither the aides nor President Carter in the depiction of the shortsightedness and bungled rescue attempt which led to fifty-two Americans being held hostage for over a year and eventually led to President Carter's defeat in the next election despite an otherwise powerful administrative record. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

Directed by Philip Sebton, Mister Frost chronicles the life of serial killer Mr. Frost (Jeff Goldblum), who, after stashing 125 tortured corpses in and around his property, is caught by a British detective (Alan Bates) and brought to a mental institution. Strange things begin to happen immediately after his arrival--the egotistical Dr. Reynhardt (Roland Giraud) suddenly loses confidence, an angelic young boy goes insane, and people see images of Satanic eyes in their rear-view mirrors. Meanwhile, the only person Frost (Goldblum) will speak to is psychiatrist Dr. Sarah Day (Kathy Baker), who questions why the police could not find any official records of his existence. He tells her that he is, in fact, none other than Satan himself. According to an angry Frost, the world has tossed aside the notion of pure evil, opting instead to use psychological explanations to aid them in understanding why terrible things happen to good people. Frost's mission on earth is to remind man that the devil does exist, and is still bargaining for immortal souls. He believes if he can convince a psychiatrist (Baker), to murder him because she believes he is the devil, it will not only help his cause, but act as a resounding personal victory. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Life is a Long Quiet River is the satirically philosophical title for this French domestic comedy. Borrowing a page from The Corsican Brothers, the film begins with a castoff mistress spitefully switching a pair of newborn babies at the maternity ward managed by her doctor lover. As a result, the daughter (Valerie Lalande) of a family of tramps and thieves is raised in a comfy bourgeois household, while the lowlife family ends up with the middle-class family's offspring (Benoit Magimel). Twelve years after the fact, the discarded mistress confesses to her misdeed. The mistress' ex-lover, doctor Daniel Gelin, tries to set things right, with hilariously disastrous consequences. Director Etie Chatiliez had received his training in French TV commercials, so it's not surprising that Life is a Long Quiet River is a string of anecdotes and punchlines. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When a wealthy, elderly woman and an unknown stranger are murdered in the same small village on the same night, the judge who is charged with investigating the deaths begins to suspect that a new arrival in the village is connected to the crime. The only serious obstacle to chasing down that possibility is that this new arrival is a Catholic priest. This three-hour crime drama was intended as a television miniseries, and so when watched from beginning to end without interruption, tedium takes over. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide