Francis Blanche Movies

In this bizarre psychological thriller, a handsome young boy (John Mouder-Brown), who is marred by a strange birthmark on his face, tells a disturbing tale about how his family died. The family had been living for some time in a villa which was overgrown with flowering vines. Some of the vines even penetrate to the inside of the house. It seems that the boy's father, (Fernando Rey), was part of a conspiracy to kill Hitler, and when the plot failed, he was forced to kill his family in order to prevent them from suffering horrible torture. Unable for some reason to kill himself, he escaped but became the victim of amnesia after a motorcycle accident. When a German governess came to stay, his father's memory is revived. The boy travels to Germany in pursuit of the governess and learns that her family seeks vengeance from his father. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In this French historical epic/farce, Colinot (Francis Huster) has had a hard time. First, his fiancee was kidnapped by a group of woman-sellers, and after a very long and dangerous search through 15th-century France, during which he earns the name of "Skirt Puller Upper," he finally finds his intended. Alas, although he has remained chaste (and not without some difficulty), she has not, and she has also married and given her heart to a nobleman. The all-too innocent lad is heartbroken. Fortunately an older woman, Arabelle (Brigitte Bardot), takes pity on him, and teaches him the ways of life and love . ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Subversive Italian satirist Marco Ferreri directed and co-wrote (with Rafael Azcona) this grotesquely amusing French black comedy about four men who grow sick of life, and so meet at a remote villa with the goal of literally eating themselves to death. The quartet comes from various walks of life -- a pilot (Marcello Mastroianni), a chef (Ugo Tognazzi), a television host (Michel Piccoli), and a judge (Philippe Noiret) -- but all are successful men with excessive appetites for life's pleasures (food is used as mere metaphor here, as graphic as that metaphor becomes). ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

By the Blood of Others was directed by Marc Simenon, son of famed French crime novelist Georges Simenon. In emulation of his dad, the younger Simenon builds his suspense methodically, with very little wasted motion. The story involves the kidnapping of two young women by a mentally unbalanced man. The men in charge of the small village where both kidnapper and victims live desperately try to formulate a plan to end the crisis safely. The pastoral village settings provide a piquant contrast to the sordidness of the abduction. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A tabloid newspaper reporter becomes confused with guilt after one of his stories causes the death of an innocent man, and he must think of a way to make up for his sin in this drama. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This sexually suggestive comedy also manages to simultaneously lampoon the French social security system. Chaminade (Bourvil) is the veterinarian who watches as a woman jumps off the roof of a small building. After the girl is caught by a folksinger with a striking physique, he rushes to offer assistance to the jumper and her hero. The woman is distraught over not having enough lovemaking, so the good doctor prescribes sex as the cure and enlists the folksinger to perform the services. When the word quickly gets around and love-starved women start lining up at the doctor's door for the folksinger's services, more men must be hired to satisfy the clientele. Soon the police and the judgmental tax inspector pay a visit to the clinic, which is under constant expansion and renovation. Chaminade takes the place of a stuttering government assemblyman and successfully argues for the service to be included in the social security payments in this offbeat comedy that relies on subtle innuendo instead of graphic depictions of sex. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi