Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu Movies

Like The Bear, director Jean-Jacques Annaud's acclaimed animal picture released 15 years prior, Two Brothers offers a family-friendly epic as told through the eyes of its four-legged protagonists, who, in this case, are sibling tiger cubs Koumal and Sangha. Though a life in the jungles of French colonial Indochina circa the 1920s seemed certain, the cubs are separated shortly after their birth when the notorious hunter Aidan McRory (Guy Pearce) kills their father. Koumal is whisked away to a circus, where he is cruelly beaten into submission and forced to perform tricks to earn his keep. Sangha fares better at first -- he lands in the posh estate of a French government official who wants the big cat to serve as a companion for his lonely son, though a series of unforeseen circumstances ultimately finds Sangha in the hands of a man determined to turn him into an aggressive prizefighter. Understandably, neither tiger is happy with his arrangements, and both escape captivity in hopes of returning to the jungle. Unfortunately for them, the prospect of two loose tigers is hardly comforting for the locals, who quickly demand that McRory kill the cubs before they threaten the safety of the village. Once McRory finds the tigers in their natural habitat, however, he faces a crisis of conscience he hadn't thought possible. Two Brothers also features Jean-Claude Dreyfus and Freddie Highmore. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

A man hoping to win the favor of a King finds that his heart has gotten in the way in this lavishly-produced comedy-drama. In 1671, the Prince du Conde (Julian Glover) is a figure of French nobility who is deep in debt and suffering from gout. Hoping to buoy his fortunes and his reputation, du Conde wants to win command of the French Army in an anticipated conflict with Holland. When du Conde receives word from the Marquis de Lauzun (Tim Roth) that that King Louis XIV (Julian Sands) wishes to spend three days at his estate, du Conde is determined to pull out all the stops, and he asks Francois Vatel (Gerard Depardieu) to make the arrangements. Vatel is a master chef with a genius for arranging spectacular entertainments, and he is determined that this will be a weekend that the king will always remember. But that's before Vatel meets Anne de Montausier (Uma Thurman), a lovely courtesan traveling with the king's party. Anne is the king's new mistress, but that doesn't stop Vatel from falling in love with her, and he is determined to win her heart. Produced in both English and French language versions, Vatel was chosen to open the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This is the first feature-length film by Stéphane Clavier (brother of Christian Clavier, the actor and screenwriter), and it does not fare as well as his 1987 short, Torero Hallucinogène. This comedy is about a Métro worker, Jules (François Cluzet), who penned seventeen unanswered letters to France's Minister of Transportation protesting being fired. When he learns that the Minister is to appear in person at the Lyons station to dedicate a new rail line, Jules is there hoping to speak with him in person; he carries a concealed gun and when he is unable to speak to the Minister, the normally mild Jules snaps and takes an entire train car hostage. Aside from this unusual avocation, the story is replete with various odd characters, but in spite of good performances by its lead actors who try to add depth to their roles, the film is still more a miss than a hit. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

As part of an intergalactic coalition, a well-meaning space alien volunteers to bring a message of self-actualization and harmony with nature to the one planet rejected by all her peers as incorrigible--Earth. This family-oriented French sci-fi comedy chronicles her adventures on the chaotic planet. Mila is 150 years old and has five children; encoded in her brain are two telepathic programs designed to restructure the thinking of destructive humans. The first is a fairly mild program designed to inspire the humans to rethink their world and begin asking some difficult questions. The other is far stronger and rapidly indoctrinates subjects with lofty utopian ideals and makes them deeply aware of themselves. Mila lands in Paris and is unnoticed but for the sudden, inexplicable power surges and outages that occur whenever she sends a telepathic message to her alien cohorts. Instead of eating, Mila draws energy from holding newborn babies. It is while holding an orphan infant in an obstetrics ward that her Earthly troubles begin. Feeling deeply for the baby's plight, she confronts the ward's head doctor and when logic fails, looses her programs upon him. Instantly the unsympathetic brute sees the light and begins helping her save the babe from wicked welfare workers. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Best known for their historical epics that examine class and social issues in British life through a thick lens of tasteful production design and good manners, director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant set their sights on an American protagonist for a change with Jefferson in Paris. As the title suggests, Jefferson in Paris deals with the five years that Thomas Jefferson (Nick Nolte) spent as U.S. ambassador to France prior to the French Revolution; while Jefferson is sympathetic to the revolutionary forces in France, he's become well enough acquainted with the ruling aristocracy that he finds himself torn between the two sides of the issue. Jefferson, a recent widower, also becomes friends with Maria Cosway (Greta Scacchi), who is married to a foppish British artist; while it's obvious the two are in love, neither is in a position to do anything about their infatuation. And while Jefferson's daughter Patsy (Gwyneth Paltrow) loves her father, she's very upset with him when he sends her to a convent school. In this midst of this personal turmoil, Jefferson's younger daughter Polly (Estelle Eonnet) arrives in Paris, with her slave Sally Hemmings (Thandie Newton) in tow. Attractive and bright (if uneducated), Sally catches Jefferson's eye, and a friendship develops that grows into something deeper; in time, Sally becomes pregnant, and her family claims that Jefferson is the father. At the time Jefferson In Paris was released, the question of Sally Hemmings' relationship with Thomas Jefferson was a matter of lively historical debate; since then, genetic evidence has shown that, while Jefferson's paternity can't be proved beyond a doubt, it is likely that he did father children with Hemmings. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The ruination of Michel Sindona, a powerful Italian financier with underworld connections, is chronicled in this historical drama. The tale begins in 1974 after Sindona's banking empire has just collapsed. The state sends in Milanese attorney Giorgio Ambrosoli to supervise the official receivership of Sindona's personal bank. Following the bank's destruction, Sindona high-tailed it to New York, but he still has the lawyer's every move watched. The surveillance is a routine precaution and Sindona isn't too worried about Ambrosoli, whom he sees as just another ineffectual, corruptible bureaucrat, an annoyance, but no real threat to the rest of Sindona's empire. Ambrosoli investigates deeper, and discovers that Sindona is connected to not only, the Mafia, but also the Parliament and to the Vatican. He then becomes a real threat by assuming control of the criminal mastermind's European holdings. While stepping up his investigations, Ambrosoli pays no mind to the ominous hints from the government that he should stop. Thanks to Ambrosoli, Sindona's credibility is severely damaged; meanwhile the lawyer begins receiving anonymous death threats (the actual taped threats are used for added realism). Eventually, Sindona has enough and puts a contract out on Ambrosoli, who was killed in 1979. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Many tribal people, including the Gypsies, have a form of marriage ceremony where the bride is ritually kidnapped from her home. Pietro De Leo (Fabrizio Bentivoglio), a store security guard, spends his days catching shoplifters, his weekends visiting his children who are in the custody of his ex-wife, and his evenings thinking about how to flirt some more with the store's makeup consultant. One day, he sees a young Gypsy girl (Maria Bako) lift something from his store, but is so taken with her that he lets it slide. He even testifies on her behalf when she comes to court for a hearing on another matter. Indeed, he is so taken with her that he wants to marry her, gypsy-style. He has a great deal of difficulty bringing off the kidnapping, but finally accomplishes this and the subsequent wedding. He moves to the south of Italy and starts a new life with her as a truck driver while she gets legit jobs as a hotel maid and at a factory. However, now that he is in a close relationship with her, the cultural barriers between them begin to loom large. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In the late-18th century, it was unusual for anyone to become a master craftsman before the age of twenty, much less a master clockmaker. In this story, eighteen-year-old master clockmaker Max Bardo (Jonathan Zaccai) has come to the attention of a wealthy aristocratic inventor, who has hired him to repair the clocks in his chateau. When the young man arrives there, the inventor has died, but he is kept on to do the job he was hired for. Before long, he becomes an innocent pawn in the elaborate games of the inventor's upper-class heirs and associates, who are seeking to use the young man in their quest for a legendary device made by the dead man. Soon, Max winds up in a duel with one of the aristocrats. His challenger dies during the duel, but not at Max's hands. Despite the fact that a good number of the onlookers know perfectly well that he is innocent of the killing, the consequences (including an elaborate revenge scheme) fit their plans perfectly. Then as now, the powerless innocent have little defense against the subtle plots of depraved pillars of society. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The name of painter Jean-Honore Fragonard (1732-1806) is synonymous for a kind of painting style which celebrates carefree romantic life, indoors and out. He was a painter during the final decades of the French monarchy. In this story, he and his brother Cyprien (Robin Renucci), who is an early pioneer in medical anatomy (he dissected corpses and made drawings of what he found in them), have fallen in love with the same woman, Marianne (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu), a laundress. This attraction has not escaped the notice of Salmon d'Anglas (Sami Frey), a conniving nobleman, who has his heart set on getting revenge on Jean-Honore (Joachim de Almeida) for refusing his patronage and becoming the darling of the French court. This period drama is the first film to be directed by former movie critic Philippe LeGuay. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The French/Swiss Natalia is set in France during the Nazi occupation. A Jewish film actress (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) successfully obscures her heritage, rising to the top of her profession. Some uncomfortable moments transpire when she is courted by several high-ranking German officials. The film takes it time making its points, but the quality of the acting overcomes the slow spots. Writer/director Bernard Cohn had previously worked as assistant to such cinematic heavyweights as Buñuel and Truffaut. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This political drama is taken from the classic story from Feodor Dostoyevsky, but liberties have been taken and many secondary characters eliminated. The author's condemnation of a godless society and his disdain of those who follow blindly to popular political causes remains intact. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

A trio of inept bachelors receives an unexpected lesson in the challenges of fatherhood when a young infant turns up on their doorstep in this popular, appealing French comedy. The child was unknowingly fathered by one of the roommates, but the mother, who had relationships with each man, leaves no hint as to which one is the father. Even worse, she's flown off to America, meaning the clueless Pierre, Jacques, and Michel must work together to take care of the adorable infant. As one might expect, most of the film's comedy concerns the men's reluctant adaptation to fatherhood, as they become increasingly attached to the child and compete to become the best father. The film's good-natured if familiar humor was welcomed with strong box office, numerous award nominations, and an American remake, Three Men and a Baby. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi