Hans Meyer Movies

French legend has it that a creature known as the Beast of Gevaudan -- a huge, wolf-like monster -- was responsible for the violent deaths of over 100 persons in the mid-18th century, and this horror fantasy blends the lore of this fabled beast with a story of two men who set out to capture it. After a number of mutilated corpses begin appearing across the French countryside, naturalist Chevalier Gregoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) is dispatched by the King to find and capture the animal responsible for the killings. Mani (Mark Dacascos), an Indian from Canada and an experienced hand in the wilds, is hired to assist de Fronsac in his work. Gregoire's assignment earns him the acquaintance of Marianne de Morangias (Emilie Dequenne), the lovely daughter of the idly wealthy Count de Morangias (Jean Yanne), but Gregoire receives a much chillier welcome from her brother Jean-Francois (Vincent Cassel), who, despite having lost an arm to a lion in Africa, is quite the huntsman himself. As Gregoire and Mani arrive in the village of Gevaudan, they're drawn to a local house of prostitution, where the animalistic allure and supernatural powers of Sylvia (Monica Bellucci) prove to have a profound effect on the naive Gregoire. Jim Henson's Creature Shop provided the special-effects expertise for the creation of the Beast of Gevaudan. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This critically acclaimed French drama blends film noir and science fiction elements in a story about a strange and deadly plague. A sexually transmitted disease called STBO is sweeping the country; it's spread by having sex without emotional involvement, and most of its victims are teenagers who make love out of curiosity rather than commitment. While a serum that can treat the disease has been formulated, it's been locked away in an inaccessible government building, and most of those suffering can't get at it. A woman known as "The American" (Carroll Brooks) has hired Marc (Michel Piccoli), who is deep in debt and desperate for cash, to steal the drug; Marc enlists the aid of Alex (Denis Lavant), the teenage son of one of his close friends, to help pull off the robbery. Alex is in love with Lise (Julie Delpy), a girl his age that he's been involved with, but he finds himself attracted to Anna (Juliette Binoche), Marc's younger lover who is determined to stand by her man. Mauvais Sang received the Alfred Bauer Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival and the International Fantasy Film Award at the Fantasporto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A depressed aspiring filmmaker falls in love with a suicidal young woman in this off-beat French drama, the second feature from director Leos Carax. Both have been recently dumped by their lovers and neither is coping very well. They meet via an apartment intercom system. Later the filmmaker sees her by the Seine. They finally meet in person at an elegant party and begin a long, strange conversation over a kitchen table. During the course of their talking, the two find themselves unable to resist their mutual neediness and this leads them to tragedy. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Michel Serrault plays a double role in this lighthearted comedy. An ineffectual actor is called on to portray his look-alike cousin, a prominent politician who is driven into hiding after he learns of an assassination plot. Jean Poiret plays the political consultant who recruits the uncured ham for the role of his life. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

This French film has nothing to do with Chick Young's cartoon series about the Bumstead family; neither does it relate to the 1980's pop group Blondie. In this political drama, Rod Taylor appears as a United Nations official, active in the effort to ban chemical weapons and to promote the use of nuclear power. He makes speeches around the world on these topics, which are met with protests and demonstrations. He also has a waif-spouse, whom he neglects, and a mistress. His wife has a sadomasochistic affair with a young man while he is away. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This film focuses on the experiences of two small children in Nazi-occupied France who, for their own protection, are placed with a somber family of Protestant farmers. It should be noted that French Protestants had been much-persecuted, were less numerous than Jews, and could be expected to have some sympathy for the plight of Jews under Nazism. The two children, a boy and a girl, are from different backgrounds and do not at first get along. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

French comic Louis De Funes stars as Henri, who has a very unfortunate accident while on his way to arrange some sort of shady deal on the Italian border. He has tried desperately not to let his better impulses get control of him; nonetheless, he has already picked up a hitchhiker (Olivier De Funes) and a married woman in distress (Geraldine Chaplin) when his car runs off the road, falls over a cliff, and lands in the crown of a tree. The efforts of this threesome to cope with the situation and get rescued constitute the body of this film. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This plodding, pretentious effort makes the directorial debut for Pier A. Caminneci, who also appears in the feature. Janine Reynaud play the double role of Isabel and Fabienne, and Hans Meyer plays Marc. The uneven and confusing plot concerns sex and criminal activity among car racing fanatics. It is hard to follow which character Miss Reynaud is portraying at any given time due to the scattered presentation of the film. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Chamoun (Michel Constantine) and his wife May (Senta Berger) arrive in the desert and take up residence in an abandoned house. Sheriff Brade (Hans Meyer) is suspicious of the couple and their beer-drinking mule. He discovers the woman is hiding out from the mafia after killing a gangster. Fearing retaliation from the mob, their solitude is interrupted by a visit from a crook who has stolen some diamonds. Chamoun agrees to help the criminal Kalne (Julian Mateos) if he gives him half of the loot. As two policemen watch the house, Kalne and Chamoun try to double-cross each other out of the diamonds in this crime drama that ends in tragedy. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

In this British war comedy, set in WW II, a bomber crew is shot down over Paris during the Nazi occupation. They are helped out of the city by several good-hearted Frenchman. They make it to the steambath where they had an important rendezvous. They then begin the final part of their escape. A cross-eyed German inadvertently helps them. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi