Raymond Pellegrin Movies
French-Italian leading man Raymond Pellegrin made his screen bow in the 1945 French feature Nais. His later films included Napoleon (1955) in which he essayed the title role, and such international productions as A View From the Bridge (1962) and Behold a Pale Horse (1964). In the 1960s, he appeared in an abundance of spy pictures, most of them Italian in origin. Raymond Pellegrin was the husband of actress/socialite Gisele Pascal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1986
This drama is an adaptation of a 1935 novel by Jorge Amado. Baldo is a black man from the wrong side of the tracks whose lifetime occupations keep changing. He works at being a servant, thief, boxer, ne'er-do-well, circus performer, and finally a strike organizer. Throughout this daunting array of activities, he carries a torch for a fair-haired beauty from the opposite side of the tracks whose own life changes from pampered to impoverished, and from impoverished to drug-ridden. She loves Baldo, but their destinies never seem to cross at the right place or the right time. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Balano, Francoise Goussard, (more)
- 1984
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
- Starring:
- Charlotte Rampling, Michel Piccoli, (more)
- 1984
This epic story about a Louisiana plantation owner trying to hold on to her estate before, during, and after the American Civil War, a place ironically called "Bagatelle," rides on the illustrious fame of Tara and its more famous mistress in another Southern state. Virginia Tregan (Margot Kidder) comes back to Louisiana after finishing her schooling in France and is soon left without financial support when her father dies. Motivated by dire economic straits, she marries the owner of Bagatelle, but her real love turns out to be the steward (Ian Charleson). Husbands come and go while the steward remains in the background, and clichéd characters abound: a chamber-maid whose husband is tragically murdered for supporting the Abolitionists, an evil aristocrat who rapes and kills Tregan's daughter, and the matriarch herself. The original six hours of TV miniseries time was cut to a three-hour cinema format, but the downsizing in this Danielle Steele-type story also extends to the acting, cinematography, dialogue, and dramatic interest -- making it a bagatelle rather than a real gem. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Margot Kidder, Ian Charleson, (more)
- 1983
Jean-Claude Missiaen had a very brief career as a director in the mid-1980s, and this is one of his typical police dramas that allude to American movie tough guys and detectives, to previous films in the same genre, and to well-known police/criminal actors or types (such as Humphrey Bogart). The story revolves around the relationship between a team of two policemen, brash and quick to act, devoted to justice and bending the rules to get it. The duo have to overcome a sexually off-beat, evil woman and a group of gangsters doing illegal real estate deals if they are to succeed on their currently assigned case. The two policemen (Gerard Lanvin and Eddy Mitchell) have their share of shoot-outs and brawls before the bad guys and bad woman discover that crime does not pay as well as they thought. Caught between references to other movies and characters, a certain amount of melodrama, and a wandering camera style, director Missiaen may have taken off in too many directions at once to maintain the interest of most viewers. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Lanvin, Eddy Mitchell, (more)
Claude Lelouch's Bolero covers a time span of half a century, concentrating on several generations of music lovers, all hailing from different nations and cultural backgrounds. Each of the principal actors plays multiple characters. Among the cast-members is James Caan, Robert Hossein and Geraldine Chaplin. The film's original title was Les Uns et les autres. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Hossein, Nicole Garcia, (more)
- 1980
Director Claude Barrois based this crime thriller on an actual 1978 barroom massacre. When a yahoo criminal (Daniel Duval) offends a gangland don, the don hires a group of thugs to eliminate the lone upstart. The thugs invade the bar and shoot everyone in sight, but unfortunately their sole target escapes without a scratch. Furious at this attempt to kill him, the solitary criminal cons the head of the group of thugs to join him in fighting the don and his cohorts, and the slaughter escalates. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Duval, François Perier, (more)
- 1977
- R
In this tragic drama, the neglected wife (Lisa Gastoni) of a purveyor of antique glass finds sexual fulfillment with a brutish shop clerk (Franco Nero), who swiftly establishes a master-slave relationship with her. The relationship is satisfying for both of them until he begins making demands that she bring her teenaged daughter in to him for similar treatment. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lisa Gastoni, Franco Nero, (more)
- 1976
In this violent police drama, a determined officer single-handedly takes on gangsters to get his bloody revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Old bank robbers never retire; if the heist is good enough they'll gather a crew and try again. In this film, a bank guard gives the inside dope to a retired robber. His thanks for this help, once the robbery is pulled off, is to be gunned down by the robber. The whole thing is photographed by a police-hating reporter who mails the incriminating shots to a newspaper anonymously. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louis Velle, Raymond Pellegrin, (more)
- 1974
An insurance agent, informed that he will die young from a heart ailment, decides to live a wild and uproarious life in the time he has left. He finds himself involved in heart-stopping car chases and explosions on the Riviera while trying to fill in the gaps in an important police investigation. Die Antwort Kennt Nur der Wind is based on Johannes Maria Simmel's novel of the same name. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marthe Keller, Maurice Ronet, (more)
- 1973
The action comedy Piedone Lo Sbirro concerns a police officer who goes to great and unusual lengths to put some nasty drug dealers behind bars. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 1973
While in prison, aloof and stand-offish loner Eric (Hardy Kruger) longs to see his daughter, whom he remembers as a young girl. His manner brings him abuse from the other inmates and also from a guard (Raymond Pellegrin) who appears to enjoy the abusive side of his job. Eric is indeed The Loner. Then he receives a proposition from his guard and tormentor: if he robs the prison safe, the guard will help him escape. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hardy Kruger, Raymond Pellegrin, (more)
- 1973
Le Complot is based on a true spy story of double-, triple- and quadruple-cross. The plot is galvanized by Charles DeGaulle's decision to pull French troops out of Algeria. The central characters include a group of pro-Gaullists, a gang of left-wing insurgents, and the police. It all sounds a great deal like The Battle of Algiers, but there are enough nuances to sustain the suspense. The film's 120 minutes hold up well--though you may not get all 120 minutes on commercial TV, due to the film's "R" rating. Complot is also known by the English-language title The Conspiracy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Rochefort, Michel Bouquet, (more)
- 1973
This French suspense drama concerns the efforts of a small-time criminal (Robert Hossein) to spring his older brother from jail. The younger man and his friends kidnap a non-descript detective to serve as a hostage they can exchange for the brother. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marc Porel, Robert Hossein, (more)
- 1972
A tabloid newspaper reporter becomes confused with guilt after one of his stories causes the death of an innocent man, and he must think of a way to make up for his sin in this drama. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1972
This crime melodrama features a dramatic performance by singer Charles Aznavour. In the film, he plays a doctor whose summer home is invaded by two violent criminals. They hold his wife and daughter hostage while the doctor is forced to clean out his bank account to pay for their ransom. In a variety of ways the criminals torment the doctor and his family until his patience is completely exhausted. This movie shows once again that it is not wise to push mild-mannered men beyond the limit of their patience. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1971
In this French crime thriller, you can leave the mob, but the mob won't leave you. Louis (Jean Yanne) has retired to a Thailand plantation with an Asian wife and child. Back in Marseilles, however, because a no-holds-barred gang war has broken out, Louis' large collateral family is wiped out, and he is family are slated for destruction. Hit-men are sent, and they kill his wife, but fail to get Louis. Now incensed, he returns to Marseilles to set these people straight. They confuse him with a policeman (Sterling Hayden) who is escorting Louis' daughter to Paris, and though they kill his daughter, Louis is able to get through the airport and into town. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1971
In this French caper film, Charles Aznavour stars as Eric, an architect-turned-writer who has grown increasingly dissatisfied with his life -- so much so that he turns down an award he has won (and then regrets it). His childhood friend Maurice (Robert Hossein) is a professional safecracker and invites Eric to join him in their next robbery as the planner, or "brains." The first robbery is cancelled, but their second, a bank robbery, takes place as planned. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
