Jacqueline Bisset Movies

Set in Victoria, Australia, the made-for-TV Witch Hunt concerns an infant girl named Hannah, who is abducted by her grandmother Barbara Thomas (Jacqueline Bisset). Hannah's father David Overton (Cameron Daddo), convinced that Barbara is the head of a coven of witches, inaugurates a desperate nationwide search for his missing daughter. However, David may have a sinister agenda of his own, as indicated by the fact that his wife recently died under mysterious circumstances. Originally telecast by Australia's Network Ten on May 2, 1999, Witch Hunt later aired in the U.S. courtesy of cable's Lifetime network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Director and screenwriter Stacy Title (best known for the independent feature The Last Supper) obviously knows a good story when she sees one, and proves it with Let The Devil Wear Black, which takes the framework of Shakespeare's Hamlet and recasts it with present-day characters and dialogue. Jack (Jonathan Penner), a professional student, is convinced something is rotten in the state of his family after the recent death of his father -- especially when Uncle Sammy (Jack Sheridan) decides to marry Jack's mother (Jacqueline Bisset) with what Jack thinks is inappropriate speed. Jack becomes convinced his father's death was at the hands of some shadowy conspiracy, while his girlfriend, Julia (Mary-Louise Parker) starts to unravel in the face of her own tensions and Jack's obsessions. The supporting cast includes Philip Baker Hall, Jonathan Banks, Maury Chaykin and Chris Sarandon; Let The Devil Wear Black was shown as part of the 1999 Slandance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A literal interpretation of the oft-produced biography of 15th century historical heroine Joan d'Arc, this four-hour television miniseries version of Joan's story is lavishly produced. In a tiny village during the Hundred Years' War, teenager Joan d'Arc (Leelee Sobieski) has been raised by her parents, flinty Peter (Powers Boothe) and Isabelle (Jacqueline Bisset), amidst the wreckage continually wrought by British incursions into the area. A devout girl, Joan experiences visions of St. Catherine, which lead her to believe that she may be the "Maid of Orleans," a mythical figure who will lead France to victory over its enemies. Counseled by local priest Father Monet (Robert Loggia), Joan pursues her destiny in spite of her father's wishes. At first supported only by lowly commoners, Joan comes to the attention of the Dauphin, King Charles (Neil Patrick Harris). Together with his scheming advisor Bishop Cauchon (Emmy-winner Peter O'Toole), Charles uses Joan to unite his quarreling factions. Skeptical but superstitious, Charles' generals, including La Hire (Peter Strauss) are eventually won over by Joan's startling victories. But awaiting Joan is a disastrous Parisian campaign and Charles' betrayal. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Model and film actress Jacqueline Bisset's turbulent personal life and struggle for artistic respect are the subject of this Lifetime Intimate Portrait. Born in Weybridge, England, into an idyllic family life, Bisset's innocence was shattered by her mother's battle with multiple sclerosis and the resulting divorce of her parents. Independent, but with a strong sense of duty, Bisset started a successful modeling career in London and helped support her ailing mother and older brother. Soon after, she began garnering film roles with her stunning physical beauty, and as her dramatic talents developed she would fight to maintain her integrity and gain respect as an actor. The program is narrated by Candice Bergen. ~ Sarah Welsh, All Movie Guide

Adapted from a novel by Rosemunde Pilcher, the British miniseries September boasted a fairly impressive cast in a fairly impressive production. Jacqueline Bisset starred as Pandora, a worldly middle-aged woman who after many years at large returned to her hometown, a provincial Scottish village. No sooner had Pandora arrived than she lived up to her name by opening a veritable trunk full of uncomfortable memories -- especially among those with whom she had been "familiar" in the old days. A Portman production, September was offered in two 90-minute installments by Britain's Sky One satellite service in 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When Catherine Lelievre (Jacqueline Bisset) hires mousy and taciturn Sophie (Sandrine Bonnaire) as a housemaid, she thinks that she found a treasure. Mr. Lelievre (Jean-Pierre Cassel) seems to agree with her, pointing out that the maid just has yet to learn how to serve dinner correctly. Wealthy liberals, they treat her generously enough and expect diligence and reliability in return. However, Sophie didn't tell her new employers that she is dyslexic, and very soon she has terrible troubles with even such supposedly ordinary things as shopping lists. She befriends outspoken postal clerk Jeanne (Isabelle Huppert), who occasionally helps her with the above-mentioned lists and tells her all sorts of gossip about the Lelievre family. Mr. Lelievre, who suspects that Jeanne opens their mail, tells Sophie that Jeanne was charged with the murder of her four-year-old daughter and though she was later acquitted, he can't believe in her innocence. Thus he forbids Sophie to invite Jeanne to the Lelievre house, and the tension between Sophie and her employers increases. What could have been a thriller in the hands of a different director, in the case of Claude Chabrol has become another witty and observant social commentary about the eternal confrontation between the rich and the poor. Ruth Rendell's novel A Judgement in Stone was previously filmed in 1986 in Canada. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide

According to reviewers, an expert cast of character actors make this bedroom farce eminently watchable, despite glitches in the storytelling. In the story, a group of old friends and relations gather each year to celebrate Christmas together on the ski resort of Chamonix. They don't do much skiing, however, but mostly explore their own and their friends' and relations' romantic quandries. In the story, the widower family patriarch Leo (Daniel Gelin) announces his engagement to Francoise (Anouk Aimee), which provokes all sorts of reactions in his sons Max and Simon (Gerard Lanvin and Andre Dussollier) and their families, because their own marriages are really rocky. Among the complications: Simon's son is infatuated with Max's daughter, Max is trying to make time with a woman who works locally, Simon has brought along his mistress, family friend Stephane is having trouble with his girlfriend, who threatens suicide if he won't marry her, and a difficult time is had by all during this merrymaking season. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

A beautiful woman discovers a new side of her personality in this erotic drama. Kansas-born Emily Reed (Carré Otis) is an intelligent but naive young woman who has made a name for herself as a lawyer and is hired to work with businesswoman Claudia Lirones (Jacqueline Bisset), who is putting the finishing touches on a major real estate deal. Claudia brings Emily with her as she jets off to Rio De Janeiro to wrap up the sale of a resort hotel to the Chinese. When Claudia is unexpectedly called away, Emily is left in the care of James Wheeler (Mickey Rourke), an expatriate American multi-millionaire with a truly remarkable tan who is in on Claudia's deal. The Carnivale is in full swing in Rio, and James seeks to broaden Emily's horizons by introducing her to the sensual pleasures lurking all around her; James and Emily soon become involved, which complicates matters when Claudia returns. One of Wild Orchid's love scenes between Mickey Rourke and Carré Otis had to be trimmed so that the film could gain an R rating for American release (the uncut version was later released on home video); a widely circulated rumor had it that Rourke and Otis, who were living together at the time, had actually had sex while the scene was filmed, though Otis later denied it. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this satirical skewering of the lifestyles of the rich and famous, a divorced Beverly Hills gal ends up on the doorstep of her next-door neighbor, an out-of-work TV sitcom actress who happens to have a socially eclectic group of friends and a deceased husband who can't accept the fact that he is dead. The topic of conversation is sex, and before long, a wager between servants sets the sexual escapades into action. ~ All Movie Guide

When a man learns that both his wife and his young, unmarried daughter are both pregnant, he is forced to rethink his opposition to abortion in this drama. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A tribute to the late, great French director Francois Truffaut, this documentary was undoubtedly named after his last movie, Vivement Dimanche, released in 1983. Included in this overview of Truffaut's contribution to filmmaking are clips from 14 of his movies arranged according to the themes he favored. These include childhood, literature, the cinema itself, romance, marriage, and even death (The Green Room). Of lesser notice in this documentary is the life of the man himself. There are some scenes of his receiving an award or two and some interview footage, but nothing extensive. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide