Brigitte Auber Movies
- 1970
A struggling, middle aged entertainment journalist falls for a 20 year old psychotic pyromaniac. He meets the young woman when he goes to interview his ex-wife, a prominent actress in a mental institution. After the interview, the young woman sets fire to the institution after she overhears the conversation. Escaping to the woods, the reporter finds her and falls in love. The two decide to live in the forest in a lean-to, and they start their affair of burning passion while she continues her passionate burning. Soon the police arrive to take the disturbed woman away. The incident leaves the man on the verge of suicide out of loss and longing for his new love. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Lorsque L'Enfant Parait (When the Child Appears) was adapted from the hit play by Andre Roussin. The story revolves around the efforts of a well-meaning, highly moralistic minister who wants the government to clamp down on illegitimacy. Complications ensue when the minister's own wife become pregnant -- and all evidence indicates that the child is not his. Adding to the protagonist's headaches, his daughter, on the eve of her wedding to a wealthy young man, announces that she, too, may well be in the family way. Not to be left out, the minister's son declares that he thinks he's impregnated his father's secretary! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gaby Morlay, André Luguet, (more)
- 1956
Ce Soir les Jupons Volent (Tonight the Skirts Fly) was designed primarily to show off a new wide-screen process called Dyaliscope. The story concerns a trio of clothing models, all of whom participate in a high-profile fashion show. In flashback, the lives of the three girls are detailed, with emphasis on romantic entanglements. Director Dmitri Kirsanoff knows what his audience wants: a goodly portion of the film is given over to backstage glimpses of barely dressed damsels, not to mention the climactic runway display of revealing Gallic gowns. Whether or not the three leading ladies in Ce Soir les Jupons Volent could act was hardly taken into consideration. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A jewel thief is at large on the Riviera, and all evidence points to retired cat burglar Cary Grant. Escaping the law, Grant heads to the Cote D'Azur, where he is greeted with hostility by his old partners in crime. All of them had been pardoned due to their courageous activities in the wartime Resistance, and all are in danger of arrest thanks to this new crime wave. But Grant pleads innocence, and vows to find out who's been copying his distinctive style. With the reluctant aid of detective John Williams, Grant launches his investigation by keeping tabs on the wealthiest vacationers on the Riviera. One such person is heavily bejeweled Jessie Royce Landis, who is as brash and outspoken as her daughter Grace Kelly is quiet and demure. But "still waters run deep," as they say, and soon Kelly is amorously pursuing the far-from-resistant Grant. Part of Kelly's attraction to Grant is the possibility that he is the thief; the prospect of danger really turns this gal on. Being Cary Grant, of course, he can't possibly be guilty, which is proven in due time. But by film's end, it's obvious that Kelly has fallen hard for Grant, crook or no crook. Occasionally written off as a lesser Alfred Hitchcock film (did we really need that third-act fashion show?), To Catch a Thief is actually as enjoyable and engaging now as it was 40 years ago. Though the Riviera location photography is pleasing, our favorite scene takes place in a Paramount Studios mockup of a luxury hotel suite, where Grant and Kelly make love while a fireworks display orgasmically erupts outside their window. And who could forget the scene where Jessie Royce Landis disdainfully stubs out a cigarette in an expensive plate of eggs? Adapted by frequent Hitchcock collaborator John Michael Hayes from a novel by David Dodge To Catch a Thief won an Academy Award for cinematographer Robert Burks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, (more)
- 1955
A novel by Michel De Saint Pierre was the source for Les Aristocrates. Pierre Fresnay stars an aging Marquis, who tries his best to uphold the traditions of nobility in an ever-changing world. The Marquis' children prefer the trappings of modern society and pop culture and regard their father as a relic. This cultural clash nearly results in tragedy when two of the Marquis' offspring substitute recklessness for common sense. American prints of Les Aristocrates appear to have been heavily (and crudely) edited, though contemporary reviews suggest that the original French version was also haphazardly pasted together. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Fresnay, Brigitte Auber, (more)
- 1952
L'Amour Toujours L'Amour is based on a French theatrical piece, jointly conceived by a group of very young aspiring actors. The story focuses on five young people who have just failed their school exams. The quintet retreats to the home of one of the students to cram for the next test. Gradually, the students get to know one another intimately, leading to a series of "undying" romances--undying, that is, until the next semester. One wonders if L'Amour Toujours L'Amour was ever seen by the purveyors of such 1980s "brat pack" films as The Breakfast Club. Of the five young leading players, Philippe Lemaire stands out as a macho type whose tough veneer is easily shattered by his fickle sweetheart (Brigitte Auber). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brigitte Auber, Philippe Lemaire, (more)
- 1952
It all begins when astronomer Charles (Michel Simon) spots a heretofore undiscovered exploding star while peering through his telescope. While calling his colleagues with the news, Charles inadvertently eavesdrops on a young girl, threatening suicide. In the interests of humanity, Charles decides to try to prevent this tragedy, thereby getting himself entangled with a narcotics ring and several nubile French chorines. Brigitte Aubry plays the would-be suicide with a sharp sense of comic timing (yes, this is a comedy), while comedian Robert Lamoreaux offers a virtual reenactment of his Parisian nightclub routine. English-language prints of Femmes de Paris were purged of the original's bare-bosom shots. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michel Simon, Henri Genes, (more)
- 1951
Victor was adapted from the popular stage play by Henri Bernstein. The title character, played by Jean Gabin, is a good-hearted soul who is willing to sacrifice his own well-being for the sake of others. Smitten by Francoise (Francoise Christophe), the wife of his friend Marc (Jacques Castelot), Victor willingly accepts responsibility for a crime committed by Marc. He uncomplainingly serves a prison sentence, whereupon the conscience-stricken Francoise offers to make love to him. But Victor decides that he'd rather Francoise love him for himself, rather than merely out of pity. A sad ending? Not quite: Victor's luck has to change sometime -- and it does, spectacularly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Gabin, Françoise Christophe, (more)
- 1950
Sous le Ciel de Paris was the second of director Julien Duvivier's brace of 1950 French films. In episodic fashion, the story follows the grim and bloody path trod by an unknown psycho killer. Duvivier cannily plays the film's melodrama against the glamorous backdrops of fin de siecle Paris, concentrating on a handful of people whose lives are profoundly affected, directly and indirectly, by the fugitive murder. The best vignettes feature elderly character actress Sylvie as a spinster devoted to her houseful of cats, and Brigitte Auber as a wide-eyed country lass. Julien Duvivier's previous multistoried films include Un Carnet du Bal, Tales of Manhattan and Flesh and Fantasy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brigitte Auber, Jean Brochard, (more)
- 1949
Jacques Becker's Rendez-vous de Juillet has been credited as the first postwar European film to accurately depict the Continental "youth culture." Teenaged Lucien (Daniel Gelin) aspires to become a filmmaker, and to that end organizes his friends into a film unit. The young cineastes hope to make a journey into Africa, there to film an uncompromisingly realistic documentary. Amusingly, Lucien and his friends are shown to be rather ill-equipped for "real life," shuttling as they do between theatre classes, jazz bars and coffee houses. Also, Lucien will have to overcome some family problems before he can embrace the responsibilities of adulthood. The winner of a critics' award at the Cannes Film Festival, Rendez-vous de Juillet was released in the U.S. as Appointment with Life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Gélin, Maurice Ronet, (more)
