Estella Blain Movies

In this French satire, a meek little bank (Jean-Louis Trintignant) clerk finds fame and fortune when he begins getting lessons from an impoverished novelist (Jean-Pierre Cassel) . Soon the clerk is wowing the Parisians with his ability to make the women swoon, and for his talent at attracting money. The film is also known as The French Way Is. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Two young lovers are broken up when the young man's mobster boss forces him to take over a rock-and-roll nightclub. Philippe (Jacques Perrin) is under orders to incite riots at the club, which lead to a shutdown. His naive girlfriend Nora (Catherine Jourdan) loses faith in him until they are brought together by an inebriated newspaper man. After taking over the club, Philippe is ousted by the gangster. The disillusioned youth become even more upset when they have no place to dance away their energy and rebellious tendencies. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

This dark, surrealistic horror film from cult filmmaker Jesus Franco is perhaps best-remembered for its images of the lethal Miss Muerte (Estella Blain) luring victims with razor-sharp fingernails while clad in a skull-mask and a revealing bodysuit. The real star of the film is Mabel Karr, portraying Irma von Zimmer, daughter of a mad scientist whose public humiliation led to his fatal heart attack. Vowing revenge, Irma uses her father's mind-control techniques to possess Miss Muerte, a nightclub performer. The hypnotized dancer murders the doctors whom Irma blames for her father's death, slicing their throats with her poisoned nails, until police Inspector Tanner (Franco) and Miss Muerte's boyfriend (Fernando Montes) track her down. One of Franco's most entertaining films, Miss Muerte is a great improvement over the similar El Secreto del Dr. Orloff, released the previous year. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

In this French melodrama, an insanely jealous alcoholic novelist writes pulp detective thrillers to maintain his wife's inappropriately luxurious lifestyle. Eventually, the spoiled wife tires of her husband and takes a lover, a wealthy art collector who is involved with the underworld. This involvement eventually gets him killed. A police inspector investigates and soon suspects that the murderer is the woman's husband. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this swashbuckler, a 15th-century Spanish naval commander becomes a pirate in order to bring justice to a tyrannical governor. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This is the first film directed by the well-known Jean-Pierre Mocky who at this stage in his young life had something in common with the age group in question -- two youths out on the night circuit, looking for women. Freddy (Jacques Charrier) and Joseph (Charles Aznavour) have high hopes as they set out one evening in search of, if not the perfect woman, at least someone in the ballpark. Alas, most of the women they meet fall short of their minimal expectations, except in one case. It looks as if one of the pair will miss the brass ring again. Mocky has created a great Parisian night scene, adding some sharp nuances in the mating habits of young French men. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

This popular, standard French spy drama is the second in a series that stars tough guy Lino Ventura as Paul, a man who really would like to come in from the cold. Paul has established himself in the ordinary world with an on-going, successful business and has settled down with his wife Nadine (Estella Blain) and their two children. Thanks to his former chief and the fact that some sensitive plans have been stolen, Paul is coerced to going back to work undercover to retrieve the plans, knowing that the assignment is dangerous. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The innocence of childhood is juxtaposed with terror in Les Fruits Sauvages (The Wild Fruit). Estella Blain plays Maria, the oldest of three children of a drunken, sadistic father. Unable to endure any more abuse, Maria kills her father, then flees for the Italian border with her siblings in tow. En route, they are given food and shelter by enigmatic gypsy-girl Lolita (Talina Sauzer). She also experiences a brace of desultory love affairs. Eventually the authorities intervene, bringing events to logical if not entirely pleasant conclusion. Though Les Fruits Sauvages is uneven dramatically, the film succeeds by virtue of the unaffected performances of its youthful cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide