Clotilde Joano Movies

French film critic Bertrand Tavernier made his directorial debut in The Clockmaker. The title character, played by Tavernier's "alter ego" Philipe Noiret, is benumbed by the nihilistic activities of his son Sylvain Rougerie. Arrested on charges ranging from arson to murder, Rougerie offers the standard-issue explanation: the establishment is full of pigs who deserve to be "offed". Noiret must ask himself if his son's behavior is the result of stifling under the bourgeois lifestyle that Noiret has always championed. The Clockmaker is based on the Georges Simenon story L'Horlonger de Saint-Paul, which was also the French title of this film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When she discovers her husband has come home with a mistress, Anne (Joanna Shimkus) leaves her home in Paris and spends the night in her office where she meets Francois (Michel Piccoli), an architect who, without asking any questions, invites her on a trip to the South of France. The two make the trip but become lost in the mountains and are put up for the night by a kindly baker. A visit to a sculptor friend allows Anne to tell her troubles to someone who cares. Francois overhears the conversation but says nothing to her. When they arrive in the South, Anne spies her husband's car, but he is nowhere to be found. Francois and Anne end up at the architect's house where they make love, but in an ironic twist, their romantic liaison is shattered when the man's wife returns home, and Anne considers returning home to her unfaithful husband. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Z is one of the most politically insightful films ever made, exposing government hypocrisy and cover-up in the wake of a political assassination. Zei (Yves Montand) is a scientist who is scheduled to give a speech against the use of the atomic bomb. On the way to the event, he is attacked outside the auditorium by a group of right-wing extremists with political ties to the government as the police stand by and do nothing to intervene. He recovers long enough to make the speech but is later clubbed again and must undergo several surgeries, then dies during one of the procedures. A newspaper reporter finds a witness to the event and a judge willing to hear the case despite government protests. The ensuing trial reveals a government conspiracy, but the results of the trial are thrown out when a new government is formed by a military coup, which results in the intolerance that outlaws long hair, the Beatles, and any peaceful protests. Director Costa-Gavras used actual trial transcripts of the investigation into the May 22, 1963, assassination of Greek pacifist leader Gregoris Lambrakis, which proved a government conspiracy in his death. Yves Montand gives the best dramatic performance of his life, and Irene Papas stars as his wife, Helena. Z won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film of 1969, was 14th in terms of box-office success, and hit an international nerve in the age of social unrest, government cover-up, and political assassinations. All those involved worked on the film for a reduced rate with an option for royalties based on earnings at the theater window. The letter Z in the Greek alphabet means "he is alive." ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

The vagaries of love are often tragic, as Amelie ou le Temps d'Aimer seems to say. Directed by Michel Drach in his second try at a feature-length film, the well-wrought romance revolves around the love that develops between Amelie (Marie-Jose Nat) and her cousin Alain (Jean Sorel). Amelie is an orphan who lives with Alain and his family on an island off the coast of France. Alain has dreams of working as a seaman, while Amelie works for Alain's father. The budding romance between the two takes a nose-dive when Alain falls for a glamorous actress who shows up on the island one day. Not mature enough yet to make a wise choice, Alain's betrayal of Amelie turns out to be a grievous mistake. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide