Sabine Glaser Movies
When he suddenly dies and is buried, the late Bertrand Morane (Charles Denner), an aeronautical engineer from Montpelier, receives funeral visitation from hundreds of women. Little wonder: in life, Morane simply couldn't keep his mind off of women -- one glance at a well-turned ankle and he was lost. Astonishingly, women felt the same way about him. Though more than one paramour held it against Bertrand when his eyes wandered, he never considered his promiscuousness a shortcoming -- which led him into amorous relationships with such colorful characters as a married sociopath (with a taste for lovemaking in risky places), a shapely blonde babysitter, an introspective book editor, and dozens of others. Ironically, Morane's success with women hardly represented a gift, for a deep, abiding loneliness lingered within him, resulting from his utter inability to love one woman. Bertrand (who eventually decided to write and publish his autobiography, "The Man Who Loved Women," as a form of self-analysis), could never quite pinpoint the source of his lack of romantic faithfulness, until a fateful and utterly unexpected chance encounter with someone from his past. Read by many as a thinly disguised film à clef for writer/director François Truffaut, The Man Who Loved Women mixes sharp, witty comedy with scenes of gentle poignancy; Truffaut uses the tale to make some deep and tremendously profound comments about love, sex, fidelity, and the underlying differences between men and women. The picture was thinly remade in 1983 by Blake Edwards, with Burt Reynolds as the irresistible hero and Julie Andrews as his therapist. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Charles Denner, Brigitte Fossey, (more)
- 1976
Michel Piccoli plays Simon, a French businessman reluctantly venturing into middle age. As he deals with his own midlife crisis, Simon becomes virtually oblivious to the social changes around him. The businessman tries to counter advancing age with an increased sex life, but finds that women aren't the same compliant creatures he remembers from his youth. Though the material is rife with opportunities for "radical" camerawork, director Claude Sautet chooses an austere, near-classic cinematic style, allowing us to concentrate more on the people in front of the camera rather than the person behind it. Featured in the cast of Mado is actress Romy Schneider, a Sautet favorite. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michel Piccoli, Ottavia Piccolo, (more)
- 1976
Leopold (Jean-Michel Folon) is a thoughtful cipher, an investment broker who is so opposed to war that he transfers his entire personal portfolio into chocolates, reasoning that this is a product that can never be turned to war-like use. His preoccupation with inner concerns begins to separate him from those around him, but his need for his wife's company helps him to realize that he must be more attentive to his world. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Michel Folon, Francine Racette, (more)
- 1975
In this French spy thriller, a policeman with wide-ranging powers to protect an African dictator who is visiting France -- to negotiate a uranium-mining treaty -- reveals an unexpected degree of skillfulness in doing his job when he is challenged by the actions of spies from other countries and the obstinacy of the dictator himself. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bernard Blier, Robert Hossein, (more)
- 1974
- R
Charlotte is better known by its original French title, La Jeune Fille Assassinee. The film combines Roger Vadim's overriding twin fascinations: eroticism and death. Charlotte (Sirpa Lane) dreams of dying violently while in the throes of an orgasm. This curious desire is the principal motivation for her entering into a life of crime. In addition to directing Charlotte, Vadim also produced, scripted, and played a major on-screen role. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Roger Vadim, Sirpa Lane, (more)
In this French tragicomedy, once Pierre sees Auriele, he cannot rest until he finds her. Pierre is just minding his own business, when this woman walks by. He does not know who she is, where she lives, what she does or anything. Pierre, a music critic and TV commentator, uses his resources to try to find her. His life is pretty meaningless otherwise; even now he contemplates suicide. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michel Piccoli, Lea Massari, (more)
