Annie Girardot Movies
More handsome than beautiful, versatile Annie Girardot was the most popular female star in France during the 1970s. Girardot typically played strong-willed, independent, hard-working, and often lonely women, imbuing her characters with an earthiness and reality that endeared her with women undergoing similar daily struggles. It is small wonder, then, that Girardot became one of the symbols of the early-'70s feminist movement in France -- though in personal life Girardot was not terribly involved with feminists.Girardot made her professional debut with the distinguished Comedie-Francaise theater troupe in 1954 after she graduated with honors from the Conservatoire de Paris. She remained with the troupe through 1957, occasionally taking time off to perform on radio, television, and in Parisian nightclubs. She made an inauspicious film debut in Trieze a Table in 1955. In early roles, Girardot was typically cast as doomed women of dubious origins in dark films, but she didn't make much impact until she played Nadia, a prostitute whom meets a tragic end in Luchino Visconti's Rocco et Ses Freres (Rocco and His Brothers) (1960). During filming she became romantically linked with co-star Renato Salvatori, who played the character who stabbed her character 13 times. They married, but divorced many years later.
Through the early '60s, Girardot played leads in a few Italian pictures directed by either Visconti or Marco Ferreri. Girardot also played leads in numerous run-of-the-mill French films. After 15 years, Girardot finally became a star when she was cast as the tragic teacher Danielle in Andre Cayatte's Mourir d'Aimer (Death of Love) (1970), the fact-based tale of a middle-aged teacher whose affair with a much younger student made her the object of bourgeoisie ridicule and harassment and led her to suicide. Though she appeared in many dramas during the '60s and '70s, Girardot never forgot her Comedie Francaise experiences and proved herself an adept comedienne in such films as La Vielle Fille (1971), Cause Toujours Tu M'Interesses (1979), and Tendre Poulet (1977). Through the '70s, she worked with some of her country's best directors, but by the '80s, her career was in sharp decline and her film appearances became sporadic. However, in 1995, Girardot had a major comeback playing a peasant wife in Claude Lelouch's Les Misérables. The role won her a Cesar (the French Oscar) for Best Actress. Upon accepting the award, a joyous and tearful Girardot expressed her happiness that she had not been forgotten. She also offered her heartfelt thanks to her many film industry colleagues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Reproduction Interdite (Copying Forbidden) is a heavily plotted meller about an art forgery. A clever gang of thieves plots to remove a valuable Gaugin from a museum, create an imitation of the masterpiece, then pass off the phony as the genuine article. Yes, the villains are clever, but they never figure in the human element. Complicating this "perfect crime" is an imperfect murder and a few other unforeseen roadblocks to success. Reproduction Interdite was purchased for American consumption by a TV syndication firm specializing in providing "new" material for the Late Late Shows throughout the nation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annie Girardot, Gianni Esposito, (more)
- 1956
Director Leo Joannon, the man responsible for the much-maligned Laurel and Hardy swan song Atoll K (1951), demonstrates that he had some talent after all in L'Homme aux Clés d'Or (The Man With the Golden Keys). Pierre Fresnay stars as Professor Fournier, who devotes his spare time to raising money for charity. When Fournier discovers that three of his students have been stealing his charity funds, he arranges to have the culprits paroled in his custody, provided they sign a note promising that they'll be on their best behavior. The professor's good intentions pave the road to Hell when one of the delinquents, a promiscuous young girl, (Annie Girardot), accused him of rape. The rest of the film details Fournier's long, arduous struggle to regain his reputation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Fresnay, Annie Girardot, (more)
- 1957
L'Amour est en Jeu (Love is at Stake) is based on The Victim, a novel by Vanderene. Robert Lamoureaux and Annie Girardot star as Bob and Marie, an eternally bickering married couple. When neither party can stand the hostility any longer, Bob and Marie decide on a divorce. As a result, their son Gege (Yves Noel) becomes a legal and emotional football. Determining to bring an end to his dilemma once and for all, Gege begins pulling strings to bring Bob and Marie together again. This all-too-familiar yarn is redeemed by the sincerity of the leading players. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Lamoureux, Annie Girardot, (more)
- 1957
Its title notwithstanding, Le Rouge est Mis (The Red Light is On) is not a drama about prostitution. Instead, the story concentrates on the humdrum, workaday world of the professional criminal. Jean Gabin plays garage-owner Louis, whose establishment is a front for a robbery gang. Louis and his confederates are careful to keep up a normal, bourgeois veneer by day, indulging in crooked activities only when "the red light is on" at night. This status quo is upset when one of the gang members becomes convinced that Louis' younger brother is a squealer. Le Rouge est Mis was adapted from a novel by Auguste Le Breton, of Rififi fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Gabin, Annie Girardot, (more)
- 1958
The hero of Le Desert de Pigalle is Janin (Pierre Trabaud), a two-fisted priest assigned to the lawless district of Pigalle. Janin takes it upon himself to reform the prostitutes in the area, which makes him extremely unpopular with the local "mecs" and white slavers. His toughest reclamation project is jaded whore Josy (Annie Girardot), but once he's won her over, she helps him to realize his goal with the other ladies of the evening. As is usually the case in melodramas of this nature, Josy pays for her change of heart with her life. Le Desert de Pigalle was directed by Leo Joannon, light-years removed from the frivolities of Laurel & Hardy's Atoll K. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annie Girardot, Pierre Trabaud, (more)
- 1958
The French-made Inspector Maigret offers one of the best-ever Maigrets in the form of veteran tough guy Jean Gabin, who played the character three times throughout the 1950s. In Maigret Sets a Trap, the inspector tackles the case of a psychopathic serial killer. The female victims have all been stripped and stabbed but none of the women was raped. Putting two and two together, Maigret determines that the killer was motivated by rage and frustration rather than sex. Maigret Sets a Trap avoids sensationalism in favor of slow-building suspense. Originally released in the U.S. as Inspector Maigret, the movie was retitled Woman-Bait. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Gabin, Annie Girardot, (more)
- 1959
This drama chronicles the exploits of two criminal brothers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Love and the Frenchwoman (La Francaise et L'Amour) concentrates on the nature of love by illustrating seven separate aspects of the emotion. In "Childhood," 9-year old Pierre-Jean Vaillard suffers a traumatic experience when he takes his parents' "cabbage patch" theory of conception too literally. In "Adolescence," a little girl (Annie Sinigalla) constructs an elaborate fantasy world on the occasion of her first kiss. "Virginity" is a study in frustration, as betrothed couple Valerie Lagrange and Pierre Michel agonizingly await their wedding-night consummation of their ardor. "Marriage" finds a union ending almost before it begins as a pair of newlyweds (Marie-Jose Nat and Claude Rich) bicker all the way to their honeymoon rendezvous. "Adultery" allows husband Paul Meurisse the opportunity to calmly provide an object lesson to his wife's lover Jean-Paul Belmondo. In "Divorce", a couple (Annie Girardot and Francois Pierer) find that it's impossible to have a "civilized" breakup. And in "A Woman Alone," bigamist Robert Lamoreaux meets his Waterloo in the forms of Martine Carol and Sylvia Montfort. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Darry Cowl, Sophie Desmarets, (more)
Luchino Visconti's operatic masterpiece tells the story of the Parondis, a poor family from a village in southern Italy who come to Milan seeking a better life. Following the death of her husband, proud Rosaria (Katina Paxinou) picks up stakes and moves to the city with four of her sons: Simone (Renato Salvatori), Rocco (Alain Delon), Ciro (Max Cartier), and Luca (Rocco Vidolazzi). Awaiting them in Milan is her oldest son, Vincenzo (Spiros Focas), who himself is preoccupied with his impending nuptials to the beautiful Ginetta (Claudia Cardinale). Divided into chapters focused loosely on each brother, the movie chronicles the Parondis' struggle to get by, as the brothers take odd jobs and the family endures life in a cramped tenement. Much of the movie's second half deals largely with Simone and Rocco. The loutish Simone eventually finds success as a boxer, and the family soon moves to a better neighborhood. Meanwhile, Rocco gets drafted by the military, and becomes a successful boxer himself upon his return. Complications arise when Nadia (Annie Girardot), a prostitute, enters their lives. Simone falls in love with Nadia first; however, Rocco eventually becomes the object of her affection. Simone's obsession with Nadia and his rapidly deteriorating behavior ultimately threaten to bring the family to ruin, even as the saintly Rocco tries to save his brother. At the peak of Rocco's success, Simone commits a crime that cruelly dashes Rocco's hopes of keeping the family together. ~ Elbert Ventura, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alain Delon, Renato Salvatori, (more)
- 1960
Director Alexandre Astruc is known for his abstract, avant-garde works such as this interesting film about a woman longing for independence. Anna (Annie Girardon) is married to Eric (Daniel Gelin) who has old-fashioned ideas about a woman never working (outside the home, that is). But Eric is also magnanimous enough to "give" Anna the freedom to run her own gallery. His ambivalence remains unresolved, contributing to Anna's sense of loneliness. Her plight, in turn, leads her into a love affair with Bruno (Christian Marquand), a man much more romantic than her husband. But as she becomes more committed to her art gallery, the men in her life -- legitimate and otherwise -- start to fade for several reasons. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annie Girardot, Daniel Gélin, (more)
- 1960
The main drawback to this well-wrought tale of a man on the run is the weight it places on dialogue and concepts over actions and feelings. Otherwise, the fast-paced, sad story moves along unremittingly after Mario (Raf Vallone) has an unexpected encounter with a friend he has not seen for many, many years. Mario had been living with his mistress Germain (Emmanuelle Riva) under an assumed name -- he deserted from the army fifteen years ago and hid his identity for obvious reasons. But now that his old friend has come back into the picture and effectively spilled the beans, Mario runs away from his home and his life because he cannot face Germain with the truth. She refuses to see him when she does find out and that only sends him running faster from pillar to post, seeking asylum from the police who are now on his trail. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Raf Vallone, Emmanuelle Riva, (more)
- 1960
Decent performances by Francois Perier and Annie Girardot cannot save this slight, routine drama by director Jean-Charles Dudrumet. The story concerns a wife (Girardot) who is having an affair behind her husband's back. She and his brother plot to kill the husband and then things go tragically wrong. Instead of one dead husband, the brother is killed by mistake. Meanwhile, the real truth about the woman's lover and her relationship to her husband take a few turns before the end credits roll. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annie Girardot, François Perier, (more)
- 1961
Upper-crust intrigue, murder, and passions are mixed together in this routine, slow-paced murder mystery by Jean Delannoy. A wily photographer has been murdered, and there are several suspects. The victim was a blackmailer, and his target was a wealthy family headed by the rich and ruthless J.K. (George Sanders), now married to a woman of opulent means. It turns out that the blackmailer was the lover of J.K.'s former wife Madeleine (Annie Girardot in one of her early starring roles), and J.K. himself seems not to have forgotten Madeleine in spite of their divorce. Naturally, he is one of the primary suspects in the case. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annie Girardot, Odile Versois, (more)
- 1962
In this melodrama, a prominent Parisian businessman's wife finds her life incredibly boring until she has an affair with a greasy garage mechanic who is only after her money. Her husband is suspicious of his wife, but he doesn't know the lover's identity; he suspects he brother and business partner. Trouble ensues when the malicious mechanic tampers with the car he assumes the husband will drive and inadvertently kills the brother instead. The guilt-ridden wife then confesses her infidelity, the husband forgives her, and the wicked lover is arrested. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Gentle Art of Murder is comprised of a trio of short crime tales: "The Spider's Web," "The Fenyrou Case" and "The Mask." An international all-star cast appears in these filmed playlets, wherein each perfect murder turns out to be less than perfect. The stories are linked by "bookend" scenes in which an aspiring wife murderer goes to a movie house and watches the three cautionary tales unreel. Nearly three hours long, Gentle Art of Murder holds both the audience--and the would-be killer--in thrall. The film's original title was Crime Does Not Pay, though it bears no relation to the MGM short-subjects series of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edwige Feuillère, Pierre Brasseur, (more)
- 1962
Various genres -- social satire, comedy, and romance -- come together in this routine tale by Denis de la Patellière about a family and greed. The well-heeled family gets its fortune from the canning of fish, and all its members are thrown into disarray when a long-lost brother comes back home. They would rather he stay lost, and now to get even with them, the terminally ill prodigal son deeds over his share of the company to his illegitimate son, Emile (Lino Ventura). Emile is a little rough around the edges and lives on a boat with a dubious-looking girlfriend -- just the type the family despises. At the same time, no one in the family considers whether or not Emile feels the same about them. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annie Girardot, Lino Ventura, (more)
- 1962
Director Franco Rossi takes a few pot-shots at Italian politics in this drama about an interlude in Los Angeles. The politically ambitious Vittorio (Enrico Maria Salerno) is a sleazy lawyer who is stranded in L.A. for awhile when he does not make his plane connections to Mexico City. He finds a few countrymen who live in the city, and they bring him along as they make the rounds of friends and parties. He meets the attractive Gabriella (Annie Girardot), and for awhile it looks like something may develop out of their casual acquaintance. But Vittorio is too willing to advance himself at any cost, and Gabriella is in an awkward transition between an Italian and American culture. She is different enough to take note of Vittorio's unsavory traits and pause before making any rash decisions. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Enrico Maria Salerno, Renato Salvatori, (more)
- 1963
The "vice and virtue" of the title of this wartime drama directed by Roger Vadim are exemplified in the personae of two very attractive women: Juliette (Annie Girardot) and Justine (Catherine Deneuve). Juliette is a collaborator and Justine supports the resistance movement, yet when her husband is arrested on her wedding day, she goes to Juliette to ask for help. That simple plan is nixed by a series of unfortunate circumstances that send Justine to a brothel for German soldiers and make Juliette the mistress of a brutal Nazi officer. The symbolism in this tale harks back to two stories by the Marquis de Sade, one titled "Juliette" and the other, "Justine." Vadim seems to have been caught between creating symbolic characters versus creating believable women since as the story unfolds, Juliette is not exactly vice incarnate, nor is Justine a model of pristine virtue. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annie Girardot, Robert Hossein, (more)
- 1963
Like The Elephant Man, The Ape Woman (original Italian title: La Donna Scimmia) is based on the real-life exploitation of a deformed human being. Ugo Tognazzi stars as a charming ne'er-do-well who happens upon young Annie Girardot, who outside of the fact that she is covered with hair from head to foot is a normal woman with normal desires and dreams. Tognazzi inveigles her into the European carnival sideshow circuit as "The Ape Woman", securing her cooperation by making love to her. She dies in childbirth; though overcome by grief, Tognazzi has not lost his cheapjack showman's touch, and he mummifies the bodies of both mother and daughter and continues to tour with them! The Ape Woman was inspired by the true story of 19th century Mexican "freak" Julia Pastrana, whose career was also covered in brief fashion by a half-hour episode of TV's Alfred Hitchcock Presents. While the original Italian version of The Ape Woman retains the cynical, faithful-to-the-facts denouement, the French version substitutes a happy ending in which the woman and her baby survive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ugo Tognazzi, Annie Girardot, (more)
- 1963
The Organizer (I Compagni) takes a gritty, near-documentary approach to its subject matter: the exploitation of Italian laborers in the 19th century. Shorn of all his studio-imposed glamour, Marcello Mastrioanni plays a Genoan political refugee visiting a friend in Turin. Appalled by the horrible working conditions in the town's textile mill, Mastrioanni stays on to organize the workers in a strike. Though he is nearly killed several times, Mastrioanni survives to set an example for the workers, who rally together into a powerful union. The fact that Marcello Mastrioanni was bearded and bespectacled in the manner of a Bolshevist radical was enough for The Organizer to be condemned by certain extreme anti-Communist elements in Hollywood--to no avail, since the film was nominated for an American Oscar, and even given a commendation by the ultraconservative National Board of Review. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marcello Mastroianni, Renato Salvatori, (more)
- 1964
In this romantic drama, a middle-aged gambler tells a casino croupier her life story. The story is told in flashback and chronicles the woman's romantic exploits with men. Though she was involved with many men, only one really touched her heart. He was a bartender who was tragically shot and killed during an attempted robbery. She later marries and has a daughter. Unfortunately she alienates herself from her daughter when she has an affair with her daughter's fiance. Her remorse is short lived. The film jumps back to the present with the woman leaving the casino on the arm of a handsome millionaire. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marie Bell, Annie Girardot, (more)
- 1965
Kay (Annie Girardot) and Francois (Maurice Ronet) are two people from France who meet and fall in love in New York in this melancholy romantic drama. She is a former countess, while he is an actor. Both of them must reconcile with their past while they decide to trust their feelings and possibly enter into a relationship. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maurice Ronet, Annie Girardot, (more)
