Jean-Pierre Kerien Movies
Alain Resnais's third feature film, like his earlier Hiroshima Mon Amour and Last Year at Marienbad, is devoted to the vagaries of memory. The title character is seen only in the 8-millimeter films run over and over again by Bernard (Jean-Baptiste Thierée). A veteran of the French/Algerian war, Bernard was obliged to participate in the torture murder of Muriel, an Algerian girl accused of sabotage. He is no more successful at recapturing or altering his past than is his stepmother Helene (Delphine Seyrig), who attempts to rekindle a romance with Alphonse (Jean-Pierre Kerien). Practically everyone else in the cast follows the lead of the leads by dwelling on Things Past to the detriment of the Present. Resnais' scriptwriter on Muriel ou le Temps d'un Retou was Jean Cayrol, whose earlier collaboration with the director yielded the celebrated short subject Night and Fog. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Delphine Seyrig, Jean-Pierre Kerien, (more)
- 1961
A strip joint murder provides the basis of this mystery. The trouble begins when the head dancer is poisoned and her understudy is shot while wearing one of the star's costumes. A police detective investigates and discovers the understudy was the real target. The prime suspect is the poisoned dancer's boy friend. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1960
In this standard adventure yarn shown in 3-D, four people on a "borrowed" boat -- three men and a woman -- take off looking for sunken gold worth millions. A young, handsome man (Asher Dann) works on the yacht of a Parisian tycoon who happens to be away at the moment. Two nautical layabouts (Mark Stevens and Robert Strauss) convince the man to take them out looking for the sunken treasure, so the three of them set off on their adventure with a beautiful New York model (Joanne Dru) on board. There is some underwater diving and chasing after the model, and as the title indicates, the violent storm that shakes everyone up and makes this run for gold a dangerous proposition. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joanne Dru, Mark Stevens, (more)
- 1956
Former circus aerialist Burt Lancaster was the logical choice to star in the Technicolor drama Trapeze. Lancaster plays a crippled acrobat, disabled after attempting to perform a dangerous triple mid-air somersault. Tony Curtis co-stars as an aspiring aerialist who coerces Lancaster into teaching him the tricks of the trade. The friendship between Lancaster and Curtis is threatened by the arrival of beautiful, ambitious circus tumbler Gina Lollobridgida (it's a toss-up as to which of the three stars looks best in spangled tights). Surprisingly, Lancaster's former circus partner Nick Cravat is nowhere to be found in the film; we are, however, treated to the harmonica virtuosity of Johnny Puleo. Trapeze is highlighted by its truly breathtaking stunt sequences, performed by the cream of the European big-top circuit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, (more)
- 1954
Barbara Laage essays the title role in Zoe. Our heroine's adventures begin when she catches the eye of a big-city playboy named Arthur (Michel Auclair), who is attracted not only to Zoe's beauty, but by her insistence upon telling nothing but the whole truth. This trait causes no end of comic complications when Zoe moves into the palatial home of Arthur's family. The limit comes when Zoe botches a big business deal formulated by Arthur's not-altogether-honest father (Louis Seigner). Zoe is based on a stage farce by Jean Marsan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Laage, Michel Auclair, (more)
- 1951
French filmmaker Maurice Cloche's only 1952 production (and his last effort until 1954) was Domenica. Filmed on the island of Corsica, the story concerns a restless young girl named Domenica (Odile Versois). Anxious to experience life on the mainland, she attaches herself to the first man who pays attention to her, young art-student Patrice (Alain Quiercy). Only when it is too late does Patrice discover that Domenica is mentally unbalanced. The film ran into censorship problems in the U.S. because of a brief "topless" sequence involving Odile Versois. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Odile Versois, Jean-Pierre Kerien, (more)
- 1950
Un Sourire dans la Tempete was filmed in the snowy wastes of Alaska. The "dramatis personae" consists of three men (J. P. Kerien, Richard Ney and Roger Pigaut) and one woman (Michelle Martin). Rivalry over the woman's affections leads to a potentially explosive situation. The tension does not dissipate when the woman's husband joins her admirers in a search for buried gold. What follows is a quick-frozen variation of themes previously explored in films like Greed and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Reportedly, the actors themselves ponied up the budget money for Un Sourire dans la Tempete. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Ney, Roger Pigaut, (more)
- 1950
At 110 minutes, L'Auberge du Peche is a bit too poky for its murder-mystery intrigues. Still, a decent level of suspense is maintained throughout. The ball starts rolling when barmaid Laura (Ginette Leclerc) is entrusted with a fortune by a fugitive gunman. When Laura's benefactor dies the next day, she is suspected of his murder. Enter police inspector Briquet (J. P. Kerien), who interrupts his vacation to solve the mystery. Briquet's Columbo-like probings are resented by the local police, represented by the ineffectual Notary (Jean Paredes). True to formula, it is the "buttinsky" who proves to have all the answers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ginette Leclerc, Alice Tissot, (more)
- 1950
Ne de Pere Iconnu is one of the lesser-known works of versatile French filmmaker Maurice Cloche (of Monsieur Vincent fame). The plot is set in motion by the suicide of an unwed mother. The father of the girl's baby is subsequently tried for murder. The young man's attorney (J. P. Kerien) proves unable to separate his own personal travails from his courtroom activities. Surprisingly for a French film of the postwar era, Ne de Pere Iconnu is often prudishly old-fashioned. The harsh, ultra-realistic photography is by Cloche's frequent collaborator Claude Renoir. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gaby Morlay, Gabrielle Dorziat, (more)
- 1949
Un Homme Marche Dans la Ville was Italian director Marcello Pagliero's first production in his adopted country of France. Filmed on location in a grimy seaside village, the story concentrates on a pugnacious longshoreman named Jean (J. P. Kerien). While endeavoring to help a troublesome friend keep his job, Jean must also fend off the amorous assaults of Madeleine (Ginette Leclerc), his friend's wife. This volatile situation inevitably leads to tragedy -- and to a multitude of unexpected repercussions. Director Pagliero's creative use of natural sound effects will be lost to anyone seeing an English-dubbed print of Un Homme Marche Dans la Ville. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Pierre Kerien, Robert Dalban, (more)
