Frederic Pierrot Movies
One of the prime choices of French casting directors when filling distinguished, slightly offbeat roles, Gallic actor Frédéric Pierrot originally spent a year studying mathematics, but shifted focus and emphasis after moving to the United States and discovering a great love of cinematic spectacle. Upon returning to France, Pierrot promptly decided to establish himself as an actor and debuted onscreen in the 1986 short Manège by director Jacques Nolot. In the years that followed, he enjoyed his most prolific and successful collaborations via repeat projects with director Bertrand Tavernier, who favored the actor enormously and enlisted him on several occasions. Among their joint ventures were the 1996 Captain Conan and the 2004 Holy Lola. Additional noteworthy projects that starred Pierrot included Ken Loach's Land and Freedom (1995), Jean-Luc Godard's For Ever Mozart (1996), Laurence Barbosa's La Vie Moderne (2000), and Philippe Claudel's I've Loved You So Long (2007). ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide- 1995
- NR
A reflective look at an idealistic young man's involvement in the Spanish Civil War, Land and Freedom combines wartime drama with impassioned political debate. Director Ken Loach, better known for his intimate portraits of working-class British life, begins on familiar turf in the present day, with a teenage girl sorting through the belongings of her recently deceased grandfather. She soon discovers her grandfather's involvement in the Spanish Civil War, and the film then flashes back to the 1930s to tell the story of young Dave Carr, intensely portrayed by Ian Hart. A dedicated young communist, Carr joins an international group of freedom fighters in order to wage the good war against fascism. The experience proves far less heroic than expected, however, as the fighters struggle with poor supplies, a lack of training, and internal discord. The traditional battles and romances of war drama follow, as Carr becomes involved in a tumultuous affair with a fellow fighter, but Loach and screenwriter Jim Allen give equal weight to more philosophical discussions about the nature and fate of socialism. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian Hart, Rosana Pastor, (more)
- 1995
- R
The quiet agony of a mother whose daughter grows up to pursue her own life is chronicled in this realistically presented French drama. The Circuit Carole of the title refers to a motorbike racetrack. Jeanne and her 20-year old daughter Marie share a small apartment in a working-class Parisian neighborhood; the two live harmoniously, but the daughter is restless and anxious to set out on her own. Marie then takes a job in a northern suburb and their lives are forever changed. The racetrack is near her work; Marie is enthralled by the racers and their fast machines. Along with her new boyfriend, a racer, Marie begins riding herself. She then moves out of her mother's flat, leaving Jeanne bereft of companionship and a purpose in her life. Her silent, deeply internalized grief eventually drives her completely mad. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bulle Ogier, Laurence Côte, (more)
The grim post-World War I era in Europe is grist for director Bertrand Tavernier's mill in Life and Nothing But. Philipe Noiret portrays a French major who is supervising the gruesome task of counting and identifying the corpses still strewn over the battlefield. Noiret is obsessed with the notion that, by doing his job above and beyond the call of duty, he can somehow make up for the carnage in which he participated a few years earlier. The major's mission is intercut with short vignettes involving the families and loved ones of the dead, and with the efforts by another officer to find a suitable candidate for an Unknown Soldier testimonial. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philippe Noiret, Sabine Azéma, (more)
