Jacques Nolot Movies

In this tragic tale of misunderstanding, obsession, and increasing madness, "she," a beautiful young woman (Isabelle Adjani) settles into a small town in the south of France with her introverted mother (Maria Machado) and physically handicapped father and soon becomes the subject of wild speculation because of her aloofness and at the same time, her obvious sexuality. The young woman is actually caught up in the desire to avenge the long-ago rape of her mother, a rape committed by three Italian immigrants, one of whom is associated with a player piano. An attractive car mechanic (Alain Souchon) is enamored of her, and the woman suddenly sees him in a different light when she learns that his father, now dead, was an Italian immigrant who owned a player piano. Intent on taking action against the mechanic's family to right the wrong suffered by her mother, the daughter begins to lose her grip on sanity when she finds out that the men she suspects of the rape are actually innocent. In fact, her father long ago exacted his own vengeance on the three rapists. This knowledge pushes her over the edge, and she has to be institutionalized. Meanwhile, the young mechanic misunderstands what has happened and sets in motion events that cannot but lead to tragedy. L'Été Meurtier garnered four different Cesars in the 1983 competition: "Best Actress" (Isabelle Adjani), "Best Supporting Actress" (Suzanne Flon), "Best Original Screenplay," and "Best Editing." ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Through a series of convoluted turns, like a tornado going through Kansas, director Claude Lelouch has managed to keep a vacuum at the center of his film. A corporate executive (Michel Piccoli and a young actress (Evelyne Bouix) suddenly disappear and reappear and disappear, almost as fast as blinking Christmas tree lights. Since neither can remember what is going on, it is likely that they are suffering from the classic "I was kidnapped by an extraterrestrial" syndrome. And in fact, that may be the case because it seems that some ETs wanted to speak through these two people to tell earthlings to quit gearing up their nuclear arsenals. Jean-Louis Trintignant plays an acting teacher and Charles Aznavour plays a restaurant owner in this complex story -- yet both stars cannot carry the film on their own merits. For many viewers the labyrinth that wends its way to the final credits is a bit difficult to follow, and at the center of the labyrinth is a woefully inadequate ending. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Scene of the Crime (Le Lieu du Crime) begins with a quote from Great Expectations. Thirteen-year-old Nicolas Giraudi, picking flowers in a cemetery, is surprised by escaped criminal Wadeck Stanczak, who orders the boy to bring him some money. Displaying no signs of fear, Giraudi does what he is told, and as a "reward" his life is spared by the convict. Later on, Stanczak gets stinking drunk at a road house managed by Giraudi's mother, Catherine Deneuve. Fascinated by Stanczak, Deneuve arranges for the fugitive to take a room at a local hotel. On the day that Giraudi is to receive his first communion, his mother plans to run off with Stanczak. The climactic set-to between criminals and police has the negatory effect of separating Giraudi from his mother; on a more positive note, however, the boy has been drawn closer to his father Victor Lanoux, whom Deneuve despised. The dreamlike, new wave-ish Scene of the Crime is a lot more complex than this skeletal synopsis would suggest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Corruption in the rarified air of the corporate and governmental elite drives the action in this fast-paced thriller. Claire Rousset (Sabine Azema) heads to a small town to come to the aid of her ailing ex-husband, who has been poisoned by the town's drinking water. As Claire arrives, she sees a band of arsonists burn the city down, lock, stock, and water barrel. The iron-clad official statement is that the incinerated town had an unfortunate gas explosion. This blatant lie propels Claire to find out who torched the town, and why no one in government is listening to her. Meanwhile, Jeff Montellier (Richard Anconina), an employee of a company that transports lethal chemicals, finds out that a dangerous accident in the destroyed town poisoned its water supply. Eventually, Jeff and Claire cross paths in their investigations and discover that they are up against some very powerful enemies. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Set in a cafe which has become the hangout for a group of unhappy and frustrated men, this slice-of-life film follows them as they complain to one another about their lives, discuss their options, and generally quarrel and suffer. They are joined by a woman who is the ex-lover of one of them. Her presence heightens the already immense sexual frustration of these unsuccessful men - so much so, that one of them rapes her in a back room of the cafe. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Postwar France was slow to recover from the after-effects of the World War Two. The economy was doing poorly, and many people were poor and homeless, sleeping under bridges, etc. The winter of 1953-54 proved particularly difficult for these people, as it was one of the coldest on record. Father Pierre (Lambert Wilson), a parish priest, on seeing the suffering of these people (and their frequent death from the cold), was moved to write the French government seeking help for them. When his letter, which was published in the newspapers, succeeded in rousing overwhelming popular support for helping the homeless, he was able to form a charitable group (still active today) titled "Les Chiffoniers d'Emmaus," or "The Ragpickers of Emmaus" to channel help to them. This biographical film tells the true story of Abbe Pierre's successful efforts in those years. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

On a whim, the long-married Hélène decides to look up a former lover of hers. At his apartment, she is met by the man's grown son, Julien, who tells her that his father died just a few days before. Before long, she has become Julien's lover, but she is also increasingly becoming attached to the rather unlikely idea that Julien and she are genetically related. Meanwhile, her cardiologist husband cannot fathom her increasingly bizarre behavior. It is one thing to have an affair, even with a much younger man, but she seems to be edging ever-closer to the borderline between sanity and madness. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This is a nostalgic French coming-of-age drama from director Andre Techine set in a Provence deeply divided over the war for independence being waged against French colonialism in Algeria. In 1962, Francois (Gael Morel) and Maite (Elodie Bouchez) are best friends and students at a boarding school in southwestern France, where Maite's mother Madame Alvarez (Michele Moretti) is an instructor. Francois is realizing he's gay because of his attraction to his working class roommate Serge (Stephane Rideau). Although Serge seduces Francois one night, he is not gay and is actually attracted to Maite. So is Henri (Frederic Gorny), a radically-politicized Algerian-born Frenchman who supports France in the war, an unpopular position, particularly with Madame Alvarez, a communist. The classroom sparring between Henri and Alvarez galvanizes the school, but then word comes that Serge's older brother has been killed in the war. Madame Alvarez, who loved him but refused to help him desert the military, becomes so unhinged that she must be sent away for treatment. Wild Reeds (1994) won four Cesars (France's equivalent of the Oscar), including the award for that year's Best Picture, beating such other notable films as Red (1994) and Queen Margot (1994). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Three old French jamons attempt to make a comeback by working in a road-show production of Scoubidou in this hilarious French farce. Also on the tour are the flighty leading actress Carla Milo, and a murderous producer, Shapiron, who knows the show is a stinker and tries to convince Carla to feign an illness so they can collect the show's insurance money. Unfortunately, Carla would never dream of letting down her "fans" and so refuses. The three hams, meanwhile do not get along at all. Victor suffers great swings, he is either terrified of the crowd or grossly overacting while evil-tempered Georges is only in it for the money. Then there's Eddie, who thinks of himself as a Casanova and adores the notion of a little behind-the-scenes romance. When the desperate Shapiron decides to use physical force to get Carla to quit, the three has-beens rally 'round to protect her. This happens during a performance, much to the delight of the audience. Soon the show becomes a huge success and is slated to play on Broadway where the silliness intensifies because none of the actors can really speak English. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Director Jacques Nolot writes, directs and stars in this semi-autobiographical trilogy concerning a homosexual man who remains the same individual despite displaying three distinct personalities. From a look at a childhood rite of passage to meditations on the man he could have been, Nolot's film uses non-professional actors to explore the existence of a man whose life is defined by his surroundings. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide