Philippe Lemaire Movies

Jean-Paul Belmondo romps his way through the role of 18th century French bandit chief Cartouche. At first robbing from everyone in sight (he has to -- he's head man of a Parisian crime syndicate) Cartouche is rechanneled into becoming a Gallic Robin Hood by beauteous gypsy Venus (Claudia Cardinale). In Highwayman fashion, Venus eventually sacrifices her own life to save Cartouche from harm. He vows to continue his activities to avenge her death, but still manages to have a riproaring good time doing so. Hilarious without being condescending, Cartouche was reissued under the completely inappropriate title Swords of Blood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Released in some markets as The Toy Wife, the French Frou-Frou stars Dany Robin in the title role. The heroine is a WW1-era cigarette girl who captures the hearts of four wealthy, middle-aged cabaret patrons. The jovial foursome take it upon themselves to pluck Frou-Frou out of her tawdry surroundings and transform her into "a lady". Through their sponsorship, she emerges as one of the top singing attractions of the Roaring Twenties--and, eventually, as the wife of one of her "fairy godfathers." A few early scenes, in which Frou-Frou is shown living without benefit of clergy with one of her benefactors, were trimmed for American consumption. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Strange Deception combines a standard revenge tale with a postwar reenactment of the first four books of the New Testament. Freshly released from a Russian POW camp, Italian soldier Raf Vallone tries to discover who betrayed his brother to the Nazis. Alain Cuny is an enigmatic carpenter who has confessed to causing the brother's death. Cuny is slain by Vallone, whereupon it is revealed that the carpenter sacrificed himself on behalf of the real culprit, Phillipe Lemaire. Vallone catches up with Lemaire, but is unable to kill him, thanks to the Christlike example of Cuny. Originally titled Il Cristo Proibito (The Forbidden Christ, just so we don't miss the point), this film represented the movie directorial debut of novelist Curzio Malaparte, who also wrote the musical score. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

L'Amour Toujours L'Amour is based on a French theatrical piece, jointly conceived by a group of very young aspiring actors. The story focuses on five young people who have just failed their school exams. The quintet retreats to the home of one of the students to cram for the next test. Gradually, the students get to know one another intimately, leading to a series of "undying" romances--undying, that is, until the next semester. One wonders if L'Amour Toujours L'Amour was ever seen by the purveyors of such 1980s "brat pack" films as The Breakfast Club. Of the five young leading players, Philippe Lemaire stands out as a macho type whose tough veneer is easily shattered by his fickle sweetheart (Brigitte Auber). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

L'Etrange Monsieur Steve (The Strange Mr. Stevens) features Armand Mestral as the title character. It is bank robber Mr. Steve (or Stevens) who introduces mild-mannered bank clerk Georges (Philippe Lemaire) to the criminal viewpoint. Fascinated by Mr. Steve's dangerous lifestyle, Georges vicariously lives his own life through the crook's activities. As a result, he leaves himself wide open for the tragedy that follows. Jeanne Moreau offers the film's best performance as a gun moll who temporarily casts a spell over the susceptible Georges. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

La Rage au Corps (Tempest in the Flesh) stars Francoise Arnoul as Clara, a woman with quite a past and a questionable future. Employed as a lunchroom worker by a Parisian construction company, Clara is rescued from a potentially fatal on-the-job accident by a handsome laborer. She expresses her gratitude sexually, and soon the rest of the workers are consumed by lust and jealousy. A psychiatrist determines that Clara is a nymphomaniac, who can be "cured" only by truly falling in love. Eventually this happens, but not before several torrid affairs (many of which proved too torrid for the American censors). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Le Vrai Coupable (The Real Guilty) is a laid-back social drama with plenty of surprises. The main character, a young woman, is dead from the outset, the victim of a botched abortion. Detectives Mario (Philipe Lemaire) and Georges (Clement Thierry) politely shuffle through the clues to find out who was responsible for the girl's grisly fate. In so doing, they save the decedent's impressionable cousin from suffering the same denouement. The film's abortion angle prevented Le Vrai Coupable from attaining prime American bookings; in 1951, the subject was still taboo so far as the Motion Picture Code was concerned. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide