Andréa Parisy Movies

An older man and a younger woman find love, with his time in jail the unlikely catalyst, in this witty drama from France. Gregoire (Fabrice Luchini) is a formerly prominent French industrialist whose financial misdealings resulted in a term behind bars, which was especially embarrassing for his brother Louis (Vincent Lindon), a talk show host specializing in hard-hitting investigative interviews. When Gregoire is released from prison, he returns home to the apartment he shared with his wife Agnes (Isabelle Huppert) and their children. But everyone keeps telling Gregoire that he doesn't seem the same; he seems confused, he has a hard time making himself understood, and he freezes up during a television interview conducted after his release. A puzzled Gregoire stops by the beauty parlor where his wife gets her hair done and, to his surprise, he discovers someone he can talk to: Stephanie (Vahina Giocante), one of the hair stylists. Stephanie's boyfriend was in the same jail as Gregoire, and was released the same day, so they have some common conversational ground; Stephanie finds that she likes talking with Gregoire, and in time she finds herself falling for him. Pas de Scandale was shown in competition at the 1999 Venice Film Festival and also at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A successful ad man engages in illicit affairs in this romantic comedy satire. Serge (Serge Gainsbourg) is an annual winner at the advertising awards festival held annually in Venice. When he meets the pretty British woman Evelyne (Jane Birkin), he sets her up in an apartment and plans to leave his pregnant wife. The newfound love of the immensely shallow couple is shattered when Evelyne runs off to marry a speedboat racer. Serge continues working for the advertising firm and continues his search for love affairs without commitment ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

This romantic tragedy concerns the Archduke Rudolf (Omar Sharif) and his mistress, the Baroness Maria Vetsera (Catherine Deneuve), and their untimely demise at Mayerling, the sight of the Austrian royal family's hunting lodge. Rudolf verbally spars with his father Emperor Franz-Josef (James Mason) about wanting to implement progressive policies for his country. Ava Gardner plays his mother Empress Elizabeth. Rudolf also contends with the fallout from a loveless marriage with Princess Stephanie (Andrea Parisy). Respectful of the centuries-old Hapsburg family rule over Austria, Rudolf soon feels he is a man born at the wrong time in a country that will not realize the need for social reform. The Prince of Wales (James Robertson-Justice), later to become Britain's King Edward VII, provides the only comic relief with his dialogue. The deaths remain a mystery, but director Terence Young suggests the two lovers made a suicide pact when they decided they could not live in a world without love where the prospects for peace were dubious at best. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Louis De Funes stars in this two-part sexploitation comedy. Pleasure-seekers deal with the official closing of French bordellos after the passing of the 1949 legislation outlawing the houses of ill repute. Part two finds a former prostitute who is besieged by former associates after she pulls off a successful robbery attempt. The final segment has a wealthy but sanctimonious patron offering a joy girl a place to stay. His house becomes a popular meeting place when his friends and the prostitute's friends get together for fun and games. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this moderately suspenseful murder mystery by director Paul Paviot, a young journalist goes from a bad situation to much worse. He has been having problems in his relationship with his girlfriend, and one evening he goes out on a bender. Too drunk to remember how he got that way, he goes home to sleep it off. When he wakes up in the morning, he discovers that his hangover is the least of his problems -- he is now a suspect in a murder investigation. After getting back together with his girlfriend, he decides to hide out with a friend of his and let the heat cool down -- a big mistake, as he soon finds out. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

This routine drama about love, betrayal, and ambition stars Richard Basehart as Georges, the spineless husband of Dominique (Andrea Parisy) a woman who has enough ambition for the both of them. Edmond O'Brien is the unfortunate boss who has allowed some deeds on valuable Tahitian phosphate mines to lapse. While the wife keeps the boss distracted with a series of sexual encounters, she also convinces her husband to transfer the deeds to their names. After the deed is done, so to speak, the couple slowly climb up the economic and social ladder. But since karma never sleeps, they ultimately have to face the consequences of their actions. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Les Tricheurs (The Cheats) was director Marcel Carne's first film after a two-year absence from the screen. On the surface, the film is a gallic variation of an American "j.d." film, with young, aimless teenagers being led astray by jazz music rather than Rock 'N' Roll. But there's much more to the story than that: Carne's youthful characters are not so much people as symbols of the postwar relaxation of worldwide manners and mores. In anticipation of the "hippie flicks" of the 1960s, the main characters indulge in a great deal of sex, but abstain from true love and commitment, citing these things as irrelevant in a world full of instant gratification. Of the cast, Pascale Petit stands out as a trendy young girl whose willingness to follow the crowd leads to tragedy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide