Gaby Morlay Movies

Left a young widower, banker Monsieur (Jean Gabin) discovers that his late wife was having an affair before her death. About to end his life after the news, he is rescued from his misery by a prostitute who was once his maid. Deciding to make a change in his life, he abandons his old one and becomes a valet, passing the girl off as his daughter. Now working for a wealthy man, Monsieur finds that his employer's lonely wife is tempted to try out another's affection. Monsieur saves the day by dissuading the wife, falling in love with the prostitute and deciding to reclaim his prior fortune. This French comedy is adapted by Claude Sautet and Pascal Jardin from a play by Claude Gevel. Sautet would go on to direct some impressive features, including the more recent Un Coeur En Himer/Heart in Winter (1992) and Nelly et M. Arnaud/Nelly and Mr. Arnaud (1995) starring the talented Emmanuelle Beart. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

This is a routine, somewhat melodramatic wartime tale set in Occupied France and featuring Michele Morgan as Juliette, a woman with two children who is forced to flee the occupied zone for the French free zone after her partisan husband is captured by the Germans. Juliette cannot manage this escape with her family on her own and so Fortunat (Bourvil) agrees to escort her across the checkpoints, posing as her husband. That is not an easy bluff because he is a simple peasant while she is from the upper echelons of the social hierarchy. Matters become complicated when they cross paths with a deported Jewish family, and even more complicated when Fortunat and Juliette start to fall in love. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Mon Coquin de Pere translates approximately as My Darned Father. The father in question, played by Claude Dauphin, falls in love with pretty young mademoiselle Gaby Morlay. Trouble is, Dauphin's son Philipe Lamaire has also set his cap for the beauteous Morlay. The film's most enjoyable scene is an extended flashback sequence, consisting of footage from the 1938 French romantic comedy We are No Longer Children -- which also featured Claude Dauphin. While the 1938 film was directed by Auguste Genina, Mon Coquin de Pere was helmed by Georges Lacombe, whose next-to-last film this was. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The arrival of Catherine (Marie-Helene Arnaud), a new student with a troubled past, at an exclusive French girls' school triggers a tumult of emotions for Anne-Marie (top-billed Agnes Laurent) and her friends, especially naïve Monica (Christine Carère), who develops a crush on the newcomer. Trouble arises when Catherine falls in love with Anne-Marie's sister's fiancée, which causes Monica to retaliate in jealousy. ~ Paul Gaita, Rovi

A popular attraction in French cinemas, Papa, Maman la Bonne et Moi (Papa, Mama the Maid and I) later became equally popular on the Late-TV-Movie circuit in America. The hero, Robert (Robert Lamoreaux) is fired for making a pass at one of the girls in his office. It wasn't his freshness that got him canned, but his clumsiness with the opposite sex. Normally, Robert would go to his parents (Fernand Ledoux and Gaby Morlay) for advice, but this is a more delicate situation. To learn more about "l'amour", Robert hires a lovely young girl (Madeline Barbulee) whom he passes off as his maid. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Une Filled au Fouet translates to The Girl with the Whip, which alone was enough to pack 'em in back in 1952. French audiences were treated to a extra added attraction denied most American filmgoers: the title character, a lass named Pietro (Veronique Deschamps), at one point cavorts around in the nude. The daughter of a notorious smuggler, Pietro is raised as a boy by her adoptive mother. The "young man" is befriended by young mountain-climber Calixe (Michel Barbey), who is in for quite an education when he spots Pietro in her birthday suit. Though given top billing, Gallic film favorites Michel Simon and Gaby Morlays are both out of the proceedings by the fourth reel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The works of Guy de Maupassant have likely been adapted by more French filmmakers than those of any other author (with the possible exception of Georges Simenon). Max Ophuls harnesses three Maupassant short stories to suit his artistic purposes in Le Plaisir (House of Pleasure). In "The Mask," an aging lothario (Jean Galland) learns more about himself than he cares to when he dons a mask to cover his wrinkles. In "The House of Madame Tellier," the proprietress of a brothel (Madeline Renaud) closes up shop one day for an unusual (for her) personal mission. And in "The Model," both the title character (Simone Simon) and her artist-lover (Daniel Gelin) pay the price for her romantic impulsiveness. Each of the playlets in Le Plaisir explore conflicting sides of human nature -- a theme common to both the works of Maupassant and the films of Ophuls. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ne de Pere Iconnu is one of the lesser-known works of versatile French filmmaker Maurice Cloche (of Monsieur Vincent fame). The plot is set in motion by the suicide of an unwed mother. The father of the girl's baby is subsequently tried for murder. The young man's attorney (J. P. Kerien) proves unable to separate his own personal travails from his courtroom activities. Surprisingly for a French film of the postwar era, Ne de Pere Iconnu is often prudishly old-fashioned. The harsh, ultra-realistic photography is by Cloche's frequent collaborator Claude Renoir. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi