Noël Roquevert Movies

It's the Paris Life (C'est La Vie Parisienne) is set at the turn of the century. The point of the film is summed up by the old French adage which begins "Plus ca change": The more things change, the more they remain the same. Director Alfred Rode uses two romantic subplots -- one set in the 1890s, the other in the 1950s -- to illustrate how little "affaires d'amour" have changed in 60 years. The characters in the modern portion of the film are the descendants of the people introduced in the earlier scenes, with the actors introduced in the 19th century scenes playing their own 20th-century grandchildren. The most interesting performance is offered by Philip Lemaire, cast in the dual role of a dissipated nobleman and a jaded jazz trumpeter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This upteenth film version of the life of royal courtesan Madame Du Barry stars Martine Carol in the title role. Starting out as an ambitious shopgirl, our heroine catches the eye of the even more ambitious Count du Barry (Daniel Ivernei), who in turn brings the girl to the attention of King Louis XV (Andre Luguet). Enchanted by her beauty and forthrightness, Louis takes Mme. Du Barry as his mistress, indulging her every whim. Banished from the court of Versailles by Marie Antoinette, Du Barry ultimately falls victim to the French Revolution, but she has fun while she lasts. Director Christian-Jaque wittily frames his story in the form of a magic-lantern show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Pauline Kael once characterized the French adventure film Fanfan the Tulip as a "Louis XV western". This is a pretty broad interpretation, though it is true that the film never stops moving--an excellent method of sustaining audience attention and plugging up the plot holes. Gerard Philipe plays Fanfan, a handsome, athletic and self-impressed young peasant soldier. Fanfan is as adept in the boudoir as on the battlefield; it has been prophesied that he will wed the king's daughter, thus he wants to get as much practice as possible. Fanfan's many conquests include Gina Lollobridgida and Genevieve Page, which may be why this film did so well in the States. Fanfan the Tulip is available in several shorter versions, one of which has been redubbed Soldier in Love. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Spanish singing sensation Luis Mariano is the star of Andalousie. The story finds Mariano cast as an amorous bullfighter named Juanito. When he's not waving the red flag and shouting "Toro! Toro!", Our Hero is wooing such European lovelies as Dolores (Carmen Sevilla) and Fanny (Arlette Poirier). The singing and dancing numbers hold far more interest than the bullfighting sequences. Andalousie was decked out in an attractive Euro-based process called Gevacolor. Director Robert Vernay co-authored the screenplay with J. Feydeau. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

La Passante (The Passerby) stars Henri Vidal as the title character, a seafaring man named Francois. While briefly stopping over in Paris, Francois makes the acquaintance of Mado (Maria Mauban), a young woman who has just killed her husband in self-defense. Mado persuades Francois to allow her passage on his barge. This leads to another potential tragedy when Mado comes between the sailor and his assistant Georges (Daniel Invernel). Any French film set on a barge inevitably invites comparison to Jean Vigo's influential L'Atlante; La Passante, however, gets by on its own merits. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

French filmmaker Maurice Cloche was better known in 1950 as the founder of the Institute of Advanced Film Studies than the fact that he was as a director of stature. Most of Cloche's own films were merely potboilers, with such notable exceptions as La Cage Aux Filles. Daniele Delorme, who'd been discovered the previous year as the star of Gigi, plays Micheline, an unhappy young woman entrapped by circumstances. After a desultory romance with a married man, Micheline is slapped into a girl's reformatory by her brutish stepfather. Her she is given a crash course on petty crime, which serves only to get her thrown back into the institution shortly after her release. Only through the guidance of an understanding matron is Micheline able to get her life in order. La Cage Aux Filles would seem to owe some of its inspiration to G. W. Pabst's Diary of a Lost Girl (1929). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide