Bernard Blier

French/Israeli filmmaker Moshe Mizrahi wrote and directed this adapation of the fanciful comic novel by Albert Cohen. Set in 1938, it tells the farcical story of a band of five French speaking Greek Jews who seek to have their status as self-appointed ambassadors of a Palestinian Zionist state recognized by the League of Nations in Geneva. The five are played by veteran French comic actors Pierre Richard, Bernard Blier, Jacques Villeret, Jacques Dufilho and Jean-Luc Bideau. The film follows their rambling odyssey from their native Greek island to Marseilles to Geneva, where they involve a Polish Jewish immigrant (played by actor/singer Charles Aznavour in their scheme. Among the five would-be ambassadors, Richard has the showiest part as the blustery title character. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In one popular Spanish-English dictionary, "picaro" is defined as "roguish; scheming, tricky; low, vile; mischievous," and when used as a noun it refers to a rogue, a schemer. Yet the word also harkens to the kinds of novels (picaresque) that came out of Spain in the 17th century, including Don Quixote, stories that recounted the wanderings of vagabonds of one kind or another. This film by the esteemed director Mario Monicelli is set in the 17th century and concerns the picaresque adventures of two amusing "picaros." Lazarillo and Guzman (Enrico Montesano and Giancarlo Giannini) first met when they were slaves rowing on a prison-galley ship, and they strike up a friendship based on their having endured similarly horrific childhoods. While escaping from the slave ship during a mutiny (they chose the wrong side) they narrowly escape drowning and are separated. Guzman becomes an impoverished Baron's (Vittorio Gassman) personal servant and puts his thieving ways to good use in that capacity, while Lazarillo joins an acting troupe. When they meet again, they immediately decide to pull off a con-job they call "the cannoli trick." ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This adaptation of Ben Hecht's novel is a satire that unfolds as a mystery story. A Hollywood studio is producing another spectacular when the top billed male stars suddenly show up as corpses, killed before the critics could ever put pen to paper. Under suspicion is a talent agent. Is he guilty or not? These macabre events have everyone off their feed, from the producers down to the lowest gofer. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Originally titled Speriamo che sia Femmina, Let's Hope It's a Girl is a multifaceted exploration of the pointlessness of sexual stereotypes. Liv Ullmann is a countess who, after her divorce, takes over the family farm. Realizing that she can't rely on the patriarchal society structure for assistance, Ullmann runs the farm herself with the help of her female servants and relatives. When the Count (Philipe Noiret) comes back into her life, he and his male buddies find themselves outclassed by the expertise of the ladies. The flawless cast of Let's Hope It's A Girl includes Catherine Deneuve and Bernard Blier, the latter superb as a doddering old nobleman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Two Lives of Mattia Pascal is based on Le Deux Vite di Mattia Pascal, one of Luigi Pirandello's many stories concerning the transitory nature of the intangibles "Truth" and "Identity" Marcello Mastrioanni is a downtrodden average man, treated like trash by his fiancee, scorned by his associates, and cheated out of his inheritance by contemptuous relatives. The dispirited Mastrioanni heads to Monte Carlo, where he accrues a fortune. He also assumes the identity of a less fortunate gambler who has committed suicide. The "new" Mastrioanni is treated with a dignity and respect that overwhelms him--and nearly kills him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally a six-hour mini-series, Cuore lost four hours after being cut down to this sentimental feature-length film on life before the turn of the 20th century. Four soldiers meet in the army and reminisce about their childhoods in a bygone era, and these are the scenes that unfold for the majority of the next two hours. The men have been privileged to have had good teachers in school, and while their home lives differed and in some cases were difficult, nothing really stopped them from going on to a well-adjusted adult life. As 19th-century attitudes are painted in clear strokes, viewers may still wonder if life was quite as ideal as these vignettes would indicate. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

An Arab Emir (Bernard Blier) is searching for his long-lost daughter (Catherine Alric) in order to leave her his kingdom, oil wells and all. Her inheritance is jeopardized by a French petroleum czar who wants that oil for himself. The comedic tone is set by the Emir's private jumbo-jet, equipped with a tennis court and swimming pool - and a harem. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Adept at dissecting marriage as an essentially no-win institution, Luigi Comencini applies his directorial scalpel here through the viewpoints of ten-year-old Eugenio (Francesco Bonelli) and his parents. Giancarlo (Saverio Marconi) is a father who loves his wife, Fernanda (Dalila Di Lazzaro), and his son, but what he wants out of life is not necessarily compatible with the responsibilities of marriage and fatherhood. Likewise, Fernanda is torn between a more liberated existence and what she understands to be social restrictions. After Eugenio is abandoned on a road in the middle of nowhere by an irritated friend, a sequence of events is set in motion that highlights the underlying problems in his family. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The title Serie Noire refers to a popular French mystery series, and literally means "Black Series." The story is based on American author Jim Thompson's hardboiled detective story A Hell of a Woman, and is close in spirit to the U.S. film noir mysteries of the 1940s. Frank Poupart (Patrick Dewaere) is a 30-year-old loser, a salesman who is barely scraping by, whose wife has just left him "just to think things over." He meets Mona (Marie Trintignant), a quiet, dreamy 15-year-old girl whose aunt has offered her to him for his sexual pleasure in return for a sweater. They become lovers, and both of them see a way out of their impoverished dead-end existence when Mona tells him that her aunt (who is also her landlady) has a large stash of money hidden away. They decide to kill her, and also kill a Greek boxer who owes Frank money, making it look like a murder/suicide. When Frank's wife returns to him, eager to begin their marriage again, he kills her out of sheer frustration. Later he is blackmailed by Staplin (Bernard Blier), his employer, and is left with no loot, no wife, three heinous crimes on his hands, and a clueless adolescent girlfriend. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide