Juliette Greco Movies

The story of a vengeful ghost (which spawned both a popular silent thriller and a mid-'60s TV miniseries that drew record ratings in France) returns to the big screen in this adaptation of the story by Arthur Bernede. A collection of artifacts from an archeological dig in Egypt are brought to the famous Louvre museum in Paris, and while experts are using a laser scanning device to determine the age of a sarcophagus, a ghostly spirit escapes and makes its way into the museum's electrical system. Museum curator Faussier (Jean-Francois Balmer) brings in a noted Egyptologist, Glenda Spencer (Julie Christie), to examine the findings, and she announces that the mummy inside the coffin was actually the evil spirit Belphegor. Lisa (Sophie Marceau), who lives across the street from the museum, follows her runaway cat into the museum after closing time, where she is accidentally given a shock that sends the stray spirit into her body. Soon, Lisa is disguising herself as Belphegor and making off with the rare Egyptian treasures on display at the museum, convinced that they are rightfully hers. When "Belphegor" proves more than a match for the Louvre's security forces, renowned detective Verlac (Michel Serrault) is brought out of retirement to find out why the museum's Egyptian collection has been shrinking. Belphegor: Le Fantome Du Louvre enjoyed the distinction of being the first feature film to be shot in part inside the world-famous museum. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Military Intelligence officer Major Grau (Omar Sharif) investigates the brutal murder of a Warsaw prostitute in this mystery set during World War II. Grau's only clue is that the murderer was wearing the uniform of a Nazi general. The three suspects include Gabler (Charles Gray), who fears his harridan wife more than anything, the icy General Tanz (Peter O'Toole), and the scheming, resourceful General Kahlenberge (Donald Pleasence). Grau is suspicious when he is taken off the case, but he does his own investigating when the suspects are gathered in Paris two years later. He enlists the help of Inspector Morand (Philippe Noiret), a resistance sympathizer with whom Grau forms an alliance. A side plot involving an affair with the general's daughter is thrown in for distaff interest. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

In this thriller, a veterinarian falls in love with an ex-African explorer after he comes to help her ailing cheetah. She begs him to return to Africa with her, but he doesn't want to leave his wife. Soon his wife finds herself plagued by a series of bizarre accidents. The vet blames the explorer who has a great knowledge of voodoo. To spare his wife from further curses, he agrees to go to Africa with the woman. While in the wilderness, a flash flood engulfs them and the woman is swept away. Though the vet could save her, he decides not to. Later, the wife confesses that she was responsible for the accidents. The vet is suddenly overcome by guilt and turns himself in to the police. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Three stars appear in two separate but intertwined stories of romantic triangles gone wrong in this ambitious drama. In the first segment, Hagolin (Orson Welles) is a loutish construction worker with an unhappy wife, Eponine (Juliette Greco). The wife becomes involved with a swarthy working man, Larnier (Bradford Dillman), and their passion knows no boundaries of caution or safety. Eventually, Eponine's and Larnier's lust drives them to madness, and they murder Hagolin. The second tale concerns an up-and-coming young lawyer, Claude (Dillman), whose mentor is a highly successful veteran attorney, Lamerciere (Welles), with a beautiful young wife named Florence (Greco). Claude finds himself defending Larnier and Eponine, while Lamerciere dies of a heart attack after he discovers that Florence has been unfaithful to him with Claude. Producer Darryl F. Zanuck also wrote the screenplay, under the pen name Mark Canfield. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A poor Irishman goes to Africa to help a friend harvest his tobacco, but upon arrival, he learns that his friend was eaten by a crocodile. His friend's French mistress proposes marriage and they work on the tobacco crop until the natives helping them leave for a ritual. He starts hunting crocodiles and gets enough skins to send both he and his mistress back home, but some traders steal the skins and three of the natives are killed getting them back. He and the mistress decide to repay the natives by staying and adapting to their way of life while teaching them about Western culture. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi

Francoise Sagan's bittersweet novel Bonjour Tristesse is given a sumptuous Riviera-filmed screen treatment. David Niven plays a wealthy playboy, the father of teenaged libertine-in-the-making Jean Seberg. Seberg tolerates most of her father's mistresses, but doesn't know what to make of the prudish Deborah Kerr, who will not cohabit with Niven until after they're married. Feeling that her own relation with her father will be disrupted by Kerr's presence, Seberg does her malicious best to break up the relationship--only to be beaten to the punch by Niven, who despite his promises of fidelity to Kerr cannot give up his hedonistic lifestyle. The combination of the daughter's disdain and the father's rakishness drive Kerr to suicide. Niven and Seberg continue pursuing their lavish but empty lifestyle, though both realize that their lack of moral fibre has destroyed a life. The incestuous undertones of the original Sagan novel are only slightly downplayed in the film version; the "tristesse" (sadness) is visually conveyed by filming the Deborah Kerr flashback scenes in color and the opening and closing of the film in bleak black and white. Bonjour Tristesse was codirected by Otto Preminger, who'd previously discovered Jean Seberg for his benighted 1957 filmization of Saint Joan. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the 1950s, French films were considered the ne plus ultra in naughtiness by certain impressionable filmgoers. It was to these movie fans that the American distributor of Jean Renoir's Elena et les Hommes (Elena and the Men) catered when it provocatively retitled the picture Paris Does Strange Things As further grist to the mill for American publicity hacks, the film starred Ingrid Bergman, who had recently returned to Hollywood after her career was nearly ruined by a marital scandal. Actually there was nothing overtly erotic about Paris Does Strange Things. The film was a sweet romantic comedy wherein Bergman plays a poverty-stricken Polish princess, who is wooed by eligible admirers Mel Ferrer and Jean Marais. Will she marry for love, or merely to restore her wealth? The suspense is bearable. Inexpertly cut to 86 minutes for its American showings, Paris Does Strange Things was restored to its full 98 minutes in 1986 and its title reverted to Elena et les Hommes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

La Chatelaine du Liban has all the earmarks of an American western, and never mind that it is set in the Arabian desert. Jean Servais and Omar Sharif head the cast of this yarn about two engineers in search for a rich uranium deposit. Before long, the heroes are besieged with claim jumpers, foreign spies and various and sundry lowlifes. They also attract the attention of two curvaceous "mystery women," played by Juliette Greco and Lucianna Paoluzzi. The action content in La Chatelaine du Liban more than makes up for its script deficiencies. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The English-language title of this French romantic melodrama is When You Read This Letter. Juliette Greco plays Therese, a nun-in-training who returns to "civilian" life to care for her young sister Denise (Irene Gatter). When Denise is compromised by love-'em-and-leave-'em stud Max (Philippe LeMaire), Therese forces Max at gunpoint to propose marriage to the hapless girl. Fascinated by this extreme behavior, Max falls madly in love with Therese! There's not a believable moment in Quand tu Liras Cetter Lettre, but the actors do their best to breathe life into the pulpish proceedings. Leading lady Juliette Greco would later be given the Hollywood treatment by 20th Century-Fox producer Darryl F. Zanuck, resulting in such efforts as The Roots of Heaven (1958) and Crack in the Mirror (1960). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Cinematic poet Jean Cocteau explored the myth of Orpheus on no fewer than three occasions: Le Sang d'Un Poete (Blood of a Poet, 1930), Orphee (Orpheus, 1949) and Le Testament d'Orphee (1960). This second of his "Orpheus" trilogy stars Jean Marais in the title role. Updated to contemporary Paris (albeit a Paris never seen before or since), the story concerns a sensitive young poet named Orpheus, who is married to the lovely Eurydice (Marie Dea). Orpheus' friend Cegeste (Edouard Dermit) is killed in a traffic accident. In the hospital morgue, Cegeste's patroness, The Princess of Death (Maria Casares), revives the young man; then, both Cegeste and Princess pass into the Underworld. Back on earth, Orpheus receives cryptic messages from Cegeste's spirit, as well as nocturnal visitations from the Princess. Meanwhile, Orpheus' wife enters into an affair with Heurtebise (Francois Perier). After seeking advice on her mixed-up love life, Eurydice is herself struck down and killed by the same cyclist who snuffed out Cegeste's life. It appears to Heurtebise that the ghostly Princess has claimed Eurydice so that she, the Princess, can be free to love Orpheus. Heurtebise persuades Orpheus to accompany him into the Underworld in hopes of returning Eurydice to life. By now, however, Orpheus cares little for his wife; he is completely under the Princess' spell. Offered her own liberation from the Underworld by the powers-that-be, the Princess dolefullly agrees to restore Eurydice to life, and to never have anything to do with Orpheus again. Orpheus has weathered much controversy to take its place among the director's most acclaimed works. Originally released at 112 minutes, the film was whittled down to 95 minutes for its American release. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi