Alexandra Stewart Movies

An artist fending off his detractors (more imagined than real) ends up making things more difficult for himself in this satiric comedy. Kevin Kazanovitch (Mike Marshall) is a theatrical director whose latest production, a farcical comedy, has become a resounding success. But Kazanovitch is by his nature high-strung and has a pronounced streak of paranoia, and when he's informed that he's to receive a highly coveted award for his work, Kazanovitch is certain it's part of a plot by his detractors to discredit him. The director is so thoroughly convinced of this that he decides to rewrite a few scenes of his play to comment on those he believes are trying to ruin him; he calls his cast to a special rehearsal of the material one afternoon, but Yves Lempereur (Yves Afonso), the show's leading man, gets in an auto accident while rushing to the theater from shooting a television commercial. As chance would have it, the man who hit Lempereur's car was Gaston (Jean Lefebvre), who happens to be dating Fifi Flores (Lili Vonderfield), an actress in the show. Lempereur is injured in the accident and will not be able to tread the boards for a few weeks; Kazanovitch is in a panic, until he discovers Gaston has a photographic memory and can learn Lempereur's lines in a flash (and plays the role nearly as well as the more experienced actor). However, after Gaston is cast in the play, Kazanovitch discovers his new star has a secret life, including a long-standing addiction to gambling. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Master documentary filmmaker Chris Marker directs this loving tribute to the late great Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky, who made such classics of art cinema as Andrei Rublev (1966) and The Sacrifice (1986). The film opens with documentary footage of the tearful reunion between the director and his son, after the latter finally got an exit visa from Soviet officials. Though he was ailing from the cancer that would eventually kill him, Tarkovsky cheerfully talks with his family while drinking champagne. Relying on Marker's lyrical commentary, the film juxtaposes sequences of Tarkovsky on his deathbed, footage on the set of The Sacrifice, and material from his many films. Marker postulates that the director's use of fundamental elements such as earth and fire parallel that of another cinematic master -- Akira Kurosawa (who was the topic of Marker's 1985 film, AK). Une Journee D'Andrei Arsenevitch was screened at the 2000 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

This gentle French comedy has a meandering plotline as it traces the exploits of a young man recognized as a the son of a star. The main protagonist is 23-year old Harvey who works as the guide for a group of Georgian singers who have a Paris gig. He is interested in Dinara, the 18-year old interpreter for the group. While in a restaurant, they encounter Marco Garciano who tells them he played the small lad in Crin blanc, a classic French film. He is really a half-time chauffeur and con-artist. Marco tells Harvey that he is the son of Gascogne, the father of the New Wave, and close friend and inspiration to many directors between 1958 and 1962. Marco tries to prove his point by taking Harvey and Dinara to meet some former French film impresarios. They see Alexandra Stewart and Bernadette Lafont. They also meet Claude Chabrol while he eats lunch. They meet many more including director Michel Deville. All they meet are convinced that Harvey is indeed Gascogne's son. Many of the female stars claim to be his mother. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Duncan (Adrian Paul) has patched up his differences with Watcher Joe Dawson (Jim Byrnes) and has returned to Paris in order to track down rogue Watcher James Horton (Peter Hudson) and Immortal crime lord Xavier St. Cloud (Roland Gift). Assisting Duncan are intrepid CID agent Renee Delaney (Stacey Travis) and Duncan's zany new neighbor Maurice (Michel Modo, in his first series appearance). This episode marked the exit of Highlander semi-regular Philip Akin (Charlie DeSalvo). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Monsieur (Dominique Gould) has been cheerfully living at the family residence of his girlfriend, whose parents inexplicably accept this arrangement. Nonetheless, when his girlfriend brings a new boyfriend home to live with her, he goes out and gets an apartment. The apartment house is managed by a strange bullying character, who has Monsieur do his typing for him on weekends, while an assortment of odd characters parade in and out of his apartment. Monsieur accepts all this passively, but with good grace, and by the end of the film it looks as though something good will come of it all. This odd, black and white film is the second feature by novelist-director Jean-Philippe Toussaint. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

An American filmmaker travels to modern day Berlin to make a film based on a real-life incident from 1942 in which 13 Jewish prisoners from a concentration camp were promised freedom if they appeared in a German propaganda film. Unfortunately, the German's lied. The psychological process undergone by the modern filmmaker while shooting the story provide the basis of this arty and challenging film. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

What seems to begin as a drama about a wealthy recluse who hires a private secretary soon turns into a more or less conventional suspense story with violent moments and supernatural undercurrents. After Helena Werner (Alexandra Stewart) hires the pushy, aggressive Milo (Robin Renucci) as her private secretary -- she almost has no choice in the matter -- things start to happen. Helena is already a recluse since her private nurse and her "kept" boyfriend are her main social contacts. But now the arrogant Milo cuts her off from the world even more. When a friend tries to invite Helena on a trip abroad, Milo murders him by crushing his head with his bare hands. Meanwhile, Helena continues to have nightmares about the suicide of her late husband who killed himself after he discovered she was unfaithful. Later on, Milo's savagery increases, and there seems to be no way out for either Helena or her nurse. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a woman is tried and convicted of murder. Though she swears her innocence, the judge sentences her to life in a mental institution. Ten years pass and she doesn't change her story. This causes a sympathetic psychiatrist to believe her and begin fighting for her release. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Produced on behalf of the HBO cable service, The Blood of Others is a rare venture into English-language filmmaking by Claude Chabrol. Set during World War II, the film stars Jodie Foster and Michael Ontkean as a pair of French resistance fighters. If you can swallow that, then you'll accept New Zealand native Sam Neill as a German businessman. Chabrol's wife Stephane Audran costars as Gigi, while other prominent members of the cast include Alexandra Stewart, Jean-Pierre Aumont and Micheline Presle. Oh, yes, the plot: based on a novel by Simone de Beauvoir, The Blood of Others concerns Jodie Foster's confused loyalties: should she continue in her underground activities, or succumb to the charms of the seemingly civilized Neill? This French-Canadian coproduction was originally telecast August 23, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide