Jean Lefebvre Movies

The greatest film that Alfred Hitchcock never made, Henri-Georges Clouzot's Diabolique is set in a provincial boarding school run by headmaster Michel Delasalle (Paul Meurisse). A ruthless lothario, he becomes the target of a murder plot concocted by his long-suffering invalid wife Christina (Vera Clouzot, the director's own spouse) and his latest mistress, an icy teacher played by Simone Signoret. A dark, dank thriller with a much-imitated "shock" ending, Diabolique is a masterpiece of Grand Guignol suspense. The simple murder plot goes haywire, and Michel's corpse disappears, prompting strange rumors of his reappearance which grow more and more substantial as the film careens wildly towards its breathless conclusion. Later remade as a greatly inferior 1996 Hollywood feature with Sharon Stone and Isabelle Adjani. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

Quand la Femme S'en Mele (When the Woman Butts In) stars French film favorite Edwige Feuillere as a high-class gangster's moll named Maine. When Maine's first husband and daughter pay a visit, it's an awkward time for our heroine and her current amour, gang boss Godot (Jean Servais). In addition to fielding a lot of embarrassing questions, Godot also has to deal with a pesky turf war with a rival mobster. Not that the ex-husband is a paragon of virtue: he's busy trying to get even with a crooked business associate. Billed fourth in the cast of Quand la Femme s'en Mele is Alain Delon, who, according to contemporary viewers, "shows promise". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Yves Allegret's 3DLa Fille de Hambourg3D (literally 3DThe Girl of Hambourg3D) was released stateside as 3DPort of Desire3D. The film focuses on a former French POW named Pierre (Daniel Gelin) who returns to Germany after the war to seek out a fraulein named Maria (Hildegarde Knef), who extended the hand of kindness to him during his incarceration. Despite the fact that he is married, Pierre hopes to inagurate a romance with Maria, who now works in a seedy Hamburg nightclub. When Pierre is killed by a two-bit thief, Maria brokenheartedly assumes she's been deserted, a misapprehension that leads to tragedy. As was his wont, Allegret piles symbolism upon symbolism throughout 3DLa Fille de Hambourg3D. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this tragedy, a sailor heads to Hamburg to search for the girl who became his friend a decade before when he had been a POW in Germany. He finds her in the red-light district, the Reeperbahn, where she works as a mud-wrestler in a crummy dive. She hates her job, and she hates the seedy clientele. When she meets the sailor, her hopes of a better life rise. Even though he is already married, the two fall in love. He promises to return that very night, but he is later knifed to death by a mugger. The unknowing woman, assuming he has abandoned her, is crushed and commits suicide. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Three screenwriters pooled their talents for the French racetrack drama Duke of the Derby. Jean Gabin plays a handicapper who's been living high on the hog (or horse) for years. While playing the ponies at Britain's Epson Downs, Gabin finally outsmarts himself. The rest of the story concerns his feverish efforts to recoup his former glory. Originally Le Gentleman D'Epsom, the film is also known as Grandes Seigneurs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This crime comedy finds ex-gangster Fernand (Lino Ventura) receiving a call from a dying friend, a mob boss nicknamed "The Mexican" (Jacques Dumesnil). The doomed mobster talks Fernand into taking care of some criminal business and looking after his soon-to-be-married daughter (Sabine Sinjen). When a longtime mobster heavy, Volfoni (Bernard Blier) takes exception to Fernand for being an outsider, they come after Fernand who is equal to the task. He defends himself in a series of comical killings from the onslaught of the mob. Writer Albert Simonin adapted this comedy from his book Grisby or Not Grisby, with sharp dialogue written by Michel Audiard. Both Simonin and Audiard would later work on director Georges Lautner's Les Barbouzes/The Great Spy Chase which, along with Les Tontons Flingueurs, would again feature actors Francis Blanche, Lino Ventura and Bernard Blier. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

In this French crime drama, two safe-crackers are breaking into a safe when they are caught in the act by a guard. One of the crooks kills the guard and flees leaving his partner behind. The abandoned accomplice is captured and convicted. One year passes before the convict is able to escape from prison and set out to exact his revenge. As he flees, he becomes friends with a gas station owner married to a gold-digging ex-hooker. When the wife learns that the hero is a fugitive she blackmails him into cracking her husband's safe. Unfortunately, they are captured by the owner who is killed in the ensuing scuffle by his wife. The fugitive hero then buries the body. He refuses to open the safe. As fate would have it, the fugitive's ex-partner happens upon the scene, but he too will not open the save. A short time later, the wife leaves. The partners then attempt to open it, but are surprised when the murderous wife returns with a shotgun. The fugitive's partner kills the girl, but as he tries to flee the police, his car careens into the gas pumps and explodes in a tremendous ball of fire. Fortunately, the hero escapes at the very last second. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

French comedian Louis de Funes stars as Garnier, a shopkeeper who gets taken advantage of by a local banker. He decides to retaliate by planning a bank robbery. Rather than going about it in a more conventional manner, Garnier begins digging a tunnel from his store, intending to reach the bank vault across the street. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide