Pierre Mondy Movies

Inspired by director Vittorio De Sica's 1952 neorealist classic Umberto D., Francis Huster's sentimental drama stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as an aged retiree who is forced out onto the street with his dog after his relationship with a wealthy widow falls apart. A cinematic comeback for Belmondo, who previously retired from acting after suffering a major stroke, un homme et son chien tells the story of Charles, an older man who was invited by his lover to stay in the maid's room in her sprawling home. When the woman decides to marry again, however, Charles and his faithful four-legged companion are promptly shown the door. With no place to call home and no means of earning a living, Charles wanders the streets of Paris with his dog as their pair drift towards an uncertain fate. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

In this French drama, an irresponsible man is forced by circumstances beyond his control to communicate with the family he's kept at a distance. Jean-Paul (Gerard Lanvin) is the manager of a hotel in Nice whose shady business practices have put him seriously into debt; he needs to raise 300,000 francs in three days, or the loan sharks who've been keeping him afloat will come after him. Desperate for help, he approaches his younger brother Philippe (Jean-Marc Barr), whom he hasn't spoken with in ten years; Philippe stole Jean-Paul's girl from him, and subsequently married her. Jean-Paul also contacts his older brother Francis (Bernard Giraudeau), a schoolteacher who was disowned by their father when he admitted to the family that he was homosexual. Neither Philippe nor Francis can help him, so Jean-Paul tries to visit his father Raphael (Roberto Herlitzka) in Italy, hoping to put a large insurance policy on his father's life, naming himself as beneficiary. When it turns out that Raphael has gone missing, the three brothers must come together to find their father and keep him out of danger. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The second of a long string of animated children's films based on cartoon characters created by Rene Goscinny and Alberto Uderzo, this is an entertaining adventure featuring the intrepid Asterix. The hero is accompanied by his mutt Idefix (Francophones will love that one - "fixed idea" characterizes a stubborn mutt indeed) and pal Obelix, a little lacking in the attic but full of heart. Their mission is to rescue two friends captured into slavery by the nasty Romans -- a galling thought. The trio head to North Africa where they join the Foreign Legion, apparently of a much longer history than otherwise known, and then head to Rome for a climactic confrontation with some hungry lions. For the moms and dads in the audience there are generous send-ups of biblical sagas such as Ben Hur. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Alain Delon produced, directed, co-wrote, and starred in this story about a solitary thief, jailed for a jewel robbery and the murder of the jeweler, and set free after serving his prison term. His objective is to get his hands on the stolen jewels before a crowd of gangsters reaches them and/or kills him, and before the police can catch up with him again. The hero-thief-murderer manages to romance an attractive woman in the meantime, suggesting his future might be rosier than his past. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The tendency for a life of crime to continue unabated is a part of this conventional crime comedy by director Jean-Marie Poire. When Adrien (Victor Lanoux) gets out of the slammer and heads home to his wife and kids, everything goes wrong. First, his wife is living with a deadbeat bus driver, secondly, his kids need straightening out, and thirdly, his old buddies are trying to silence him for good. These associates do not intend to hand over his share of the heist that sent him to prison. Finally fed up with it all, Adrien plans to burglarize the home of the head honcho and confiscate his loot on his own. That caper is clever yet it does not exactly turn out as he expected. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Francois (Pierre Mondy) battles a mid-life crisis by becoming a bank robber in this tepid drama. He meets the young actress Rose (Micheline Presle), and takes her along as he tries to make his getaway to Spain after the police close in on him. An uneven mix of fantasy and the bizarre is thrown in, but nobody really cares about the characters, their motives, or their ultimate fate. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Every year, in France, there is a national celebration of sorts when that year's pressing of beaujolais grapes has become a wine fit to drink as an ordinary, daily beverage, vin ordinaire. In this gentle film, Camadule (Jean Carmet), the owner of a small Parisian cafe, entertains his customers with stories about the (imaginary) countess who lets him sell her beaujolais nouveau wine in his cafe. When this year's wine delivery is destroyed in an accident, he hales off with a friend he calls "the captain" (Michel Galabru) to find a wineseller, perhaps even a countess, who can help him replace the missing shipment. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This comedy follows the misadventures of a group of military goofballs who nonetheless manage to help the Resistance following the brief French war effort against the Nazis. They inadvertently stumble on a Resistance operation while out hunting and are forced to get involved. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In this sad French romance, a factory owner gives up everything to win the love of a hooker who loves only her job. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Two inept brothers, who cannot keep a job, call on their brother-in-law looking for work. He runs a detective agency, and they begin doing errands for him. They encounter a group of financiers who want a large shipment of a chemicals delivered from Portugal into France despite a transportation strike. The lads get hold of a boat and manage to evade the strikers, load the stuff on trucks, continue to evade the strikers, and make lots of money. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This French melodrama tells the tragic story of a young priest (Robert Hossein) who falls in love with a young woman, has relations with her, and gets her pregnant. His cardinal wants to ship him off to Rome, but he sticks around and has a hard time of it when she dies and he is not allowed to keep their baby. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

The notable French comedian Pierre Richard stars in and directs this, his second feature film. Here he plays Alfred, about whom it may be said, "if it weren't for bad luck, he'd have no luck at all." Unlucky in love, he tries to commit suicide, only to be thwarted by police efforts to prevent a simultaneous attempt by a nearby young woman. Their rescue does not proceed without numerous mishaps. Recovering, the young lady puts him up at her house, as he has run out of places to live. He joins a Parisian sporting team and seems to have transferred his bad luck to a corrupt television boss who is attempting to manipulate the game so that Alfred's Paris team loses. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide