Isabelle Gruault Movies
- 1996
Directed by Didier Bourdon, a member of the French comedy troupe Les Inconnus, this comedy stars Bourdon and other members of the troupe. Bourdon plays one of three half-brothers who have been separated since childhood and are reunited when they come to their mother's funeral. They discover that she has left them a considerable family fortune. Each of them begins spending his share of the money on lavish things. Two days later, they are told that they are not getting the money after all because it is being donated to charitable causes. One of them also discovers that he has a young son he never knew about. With the child, the three brothers are chased by the police because they have run up debts they cannot pay. To elude the authorities, they practice various con games, steal vehicles, and wreak havoc on the French countryside. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bernard Campan, Didier Bourdon, (more)
- 1992
If this had been a western, the older gunfighter would have taught his younger rival a thing or two about the perils of a scandalous reputation before passing on the torch and (more than likely) dying tragically just as he is about to reform. Instead, in this film based on a novel celebrating the exploits of the legendary seducer Casanova, the younger competition is humbled by the fiftyish fugitive from justice because, in the art of seduction, experience is everything. In the story, Casanova (Alain Delon) is a fugitive from the wrath of the authorities of France and Italy, and he is being sheltered beneath the roof of an old friend, for whom he once did an important favor. The friend has an attractive niece, whose charms interest the almost elderly roué. However, he has two problems: his friend's wife is an old conquest who has been longing for him to show up and bed her for almost twenty years, and the niece is being courted by a handsome young soldier whose ambition is to outdo Casanova in the area of amorous adventures. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alain Delon, Fabrice Luchini, (more)
- 1991
The coming-of-age ritual of young Alexina (Valerie Stroh) is complicated by an unforseen circumstance. How can a girl become a woman if she isn't a girl in the first place? Alexina confirms this biological fact by entering into a confusing relationship with an older woman. If, after watching Alexina, you're as mixed up as the heroine/hero, rest assured you're in good company. English-language prints are unrated, but you've probably gathered that this one isn't for the kids. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Edmond Rostand's classic drama of inner and outer beauty is given a lavish treatment in this acclaimed French production. Gérard Depardieu portrays the title character, a brilliant, charismatic swordsman with a generous spirit and a genius for poetry. It would seem that such a man would have no trouble attracting women, but Cyrano considers himself doomed to loneliness by an unattractive face featuring an oversized nose. His feelings of inadequacy are emphasized when Roxane, the beautiful woman he adores, attracts the attention of Christian, a young cadet in Cyrano's service. Christian lacks the poetic gift, however, and he ironically turns to Cyrano for help in winning Roxane's love. What follows is a tale of deception, with Roxane falling in love with the ineloquent Christian thanks to Cyrano's words of love. The underlying narrative has become quite familiar to modern audiences through retellings and variations from the 1950 adaptation starring José Ferrer to Steve Martin's Roxanne. Director Jean-Paul Rappeneau's interpretation stresses the tragic majesty of the original, setting a vigorous performance by Depardieu against a beautifully designed reproduction of the period and an emphasis on the sound and poetry of Rostand's original language; the subtitles for the film's English release were penned by renowned British author Anthony Burgess. This attention to detail creates a particularly faithful cinematic rendering of the original work that met with positive critical responses. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Depardieu, Anne Brochet, (more)
- 1986
This provocative French drama is based upon the true story of Herculine Adelaide Barbin, a person who lived in the 19th century and grew up assuming that she was a woman. The character in the film is named Alexina. She had been raised in a convent and at 22-years-old, became the town school teacher in La Rochelle. There she is embraced by the locals who quickly befriend her. The trouble begins when she begins having sexual feelings for her roommate, a teacher named Sara. Their bedroom is divided by a curtain and at night, it is pure torture for Alexina who is deeply confused by the lust she feels. Eventually the two embark upon a lesbian romance until Sara remarks that Alexina loves as if she were a man. Their love affair causes a scandal amongst the townsfolk who find it disgusting. Later, Alexina is examined by a physician who discovers that "she" is also a "he," in short, Alexina is a hermaphrodite. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phillippe Vuillemin, Valerie Stroh, (more)
- 1986
Fannie Cottencon stars as Lilli, beauty salon owner and uncrowned queen of the shopping mall where the film, in its entirety, takes place. Delphine Seyrig costars as a mall boutique owner, suddenly confronted with her wartime lover. Before we're quite aware of it, the film has become a New Age Romeo and Juliet, complete with out-of-nowhere songs. Through plotlines as twisted as a tributy of the Colorado river, Cottencon's salon and Seyrig's boutique symbolically merge. Golden Eighties is known in the US as Window Shopping; its title was changed to avoid confusion with an earlier Chantal Akerman effort Les Annees 80s, also known as The Golden Eighties. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Delphine Seyrig, Myriam Boyer, (more)
