Jean Poiret Movies

In his work as a notary, Hippolyte has registered prenuptial agreements entrusted to him by hopeful young couples and divorce settlements by unhappy older couples. He has often seen the spark of romance wither and die among his clients and the people in his life, and he is determined not to allow that to happen with his marriage. As a consequence, he is constantly making one dramatic scene after another, in order to ensure that his wife will prove her love with him. Once, he threatened to leave her just to see if it would upset her. On another occasion, he drove them in their car into a lake, to see how she would feel about dying with him. Despite these unsettling antics, Camille genuinely loves the fool, though she is intrigued by the anonymous love letters she has begun getting. Are they from Hippolyte? If not, should she agree to see their writer? This light romantic comedy was the only film directed by the playwright (La Cage aux Folles) and actor Jean Poiret (he was most frequently paired with Michel Serrault) before he died in March of 1992. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

The immature young ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Franz Joseph, was extremely shy around women but (according to this film) was constantly being propositioned, lewdly or otherwise, by ambitious courtesans. When he was finally married to his Empress, the teen-aged Bavarian princess Sisi (Elizabeth), it seems that his relief knew no bounds, for he was now sure that he would never have to think about sex ever again. According to the filmmakers, this is the true history of that marriage. This story is a complete reversal of the romantic legend depicted in the popular 1955 film Sissi, which helped brighten the emerging stardom of Romy Schneider. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Walter (Michel Blanc), the leader of a nudist colony, enlists the help of left-wing militant Henriette (Jacqueline Maillan) in this political satire. He feels he has been snubbed by the government when he mistakenly believes he should receive the Legion of Honor. The release of the film coincided with the elections in France, but none of the political issues of the time were reflected in the subject matter. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Martin Morel (Jean Poiret) is a philandering executive who talks his friend Guillaume (Jacques Villeret) into posing as the husband of his teenage mistress in this uneven romantic comedy. Morel's indulgent wife Beatrice (Eva Darlan) must decide whether or not to forgive Martin after Guillaume and the mistress fall in love. All the action takes place at the Morel family's Alpine ski resort. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Inspecteur Lavardin is a mellow, take-your-time Claude Chabrol effort of the 1980s, partly financed by French television. Jean Poiret had previously played the role of Inspector Jean Lavardin in the 1984 Chabrol film Poulet au Vinaigre (aka Cop au Vin). This story is built completely around the Lavardin character. The good inspector travels to a small coastal town to investigate the puzzling death of a well-known writer. In the course of his probings, Lavardin inadvertently uncovers several skeletons -- the kind that people keep hidden in their closets. Chabrol co-wrote the screenplay of Inspecteur Lavardin with Dominque Roulet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This is an often wilted, occasionally flat spoof of the French Revolution by Jean Yanne, France's answer to Mel Brooks. The revolution, used as a foil for politics in the 1980s, has Robespierre Roland Giraud) in love with Charlotte Corday (Mimi Coutellier) who works for Marat (Jean Yanne) and unsuccessfully tries to stab him one day. That only makes him worse, causing him to stoke up the population and establish himself as a dictator, with the assistance of the Caliph of Baghdad (Jean Poirot). It seems the Caliph is in Paris to check out the new guillotine at a trade show of implements of torture and execution. Eventually, Robespierre and Charlotte, along with Louis XVI (Michel Serrault) and Marie Antoinette (Ursula Andress) make their way to Baghdad, where life is less revolutionary. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In a routine murder mystery based on a novel by Dominique Roulet, a cruel, wheelchair-bound invalid (Stephane Audran) who consistently terrorizes her teen son Louis (Lucas Belvaux) into abject obedience, is threatened with the loss of her home by a conniving trio who want her property as part of a deal for a lucrative development project. The three men are comprised of a butcher (Jean-Claude Bouillaud), a doctor (Jean Topart), and a notary (Michel Bouquet). Louis is a postal worker who is fending off the attentions of Henriette at the office (Pauline Lafont), and brings his mother all the mail scheduled for their trio of enemies, whereupon she steams it open and keeps herself informed about their plans. In retaliation for their attempts to seize his home, young Louis pours sugar into the butcher's gas tank which ultimately causes a fatal accident, and in fact, the doctor's wife has also died in a car accident. And now the notary's mistress is missing. Enter, at last, the imperious and heavy-handed Inspector Jean Lavardin (Jean Poiret) to finally go after the clues and the suspects until the case is solved. He succeeds admirably, and as a consequence, appears on his own in 1985's Inspector Lavardin. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Andre Joeuf (Jean Poiret) is the coldly calculating president of an insurance company who, when faced with the imperative of firing some of his highly paid executives, invites them all over to his country estate for a weekend to indulge in a few games of musical chairs. Anyone left standing after each round will be out his job. The mix of people at the estate and their relationships to each other and their boss, as well as the character of the boss himself, are enough to make most business majors switch to art history. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Leon (Bourvil) is the owner of a cafe in a small town in occupied France in this comedic war story. Like most French of the time, he tries to get along with the German invaders. When his daughter (Sara Franchetti) brings home a downed British aviator, Leon becomes involved by helping the man escape to England. Through a strange turn of events, he accompanies the pilot back to Britain. Leon is thought to be a spy at first, but soon he is trained by British intelligence to help the Allied cause back in France. This was one of the last films for Bourvil, the beloved French comedian who often played the common man caught up in circumstances beyond his control. Terry-Thomas plays a British captain with typical flair. The color process is not credited. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide