Marie Versini Movies

This sci-fi espionage outing follows the exploits of a CIA agent as he attempts to bust out of a Russian prison with some vital plans for a new space station. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In 1944, with Paris on the verge of Liberation by the allies, Adolph Hitler ordered that the City of Light be blown up and burned to the ground. General Dietrich Von Choltitz, after much rumination, decided that he didn't want to go down in history as the man who destroyed Paris. His refusal to follow Hitler's orders would make him a pariah in Germany for the rest of his life; nor was his gesture ever rewarded by the Allies. From this very human story in the midst of one of the most inhuman conflicts in history grew the screenplay (by Gore Vidal and Francis Ford Coppola) of the all-star, internationally produced Is Paris Burning? Whereas the earlier The Longest Day was able to support a castful of celebrities and brief subplot vignettes, Is Paris Burning? seems more weighted down than weighty. Still, a modern audience will have fun playing "spot the star" throughout the film, especially when those spotted stars include the likes of Gert Frobe (as Choltitz), Jean-Paul Belmondo, Alain Delon, Kirk Douglas (as Patton), Glenn Ford (as Bradley), Yves Montand, Simone Signoret, Robert Stack, and even Anthony Perkins as a wide-eyed GI. Filmed on a gargantuan scale, Is Paris Burning? was based on a book by Larry Collins and Dominique LaPierre. The film was lensed in black and white, save for the Technicolor finale (in the original road-show prints). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The nefarious Fu Manchu strikes again in this crime drama. This time the megalomaniacal Manchu plots to earn the money he needs to build a world-dominating ray gun by abducting the daughters of 12 important world leaders. His dastardly daughter assists. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Apache Gold was a German/French/Yugoslav coproduction, originally titled Winnetou I. Teil (British title: Winnetou the Warrior). It was one of a series of European Technicolor westerns based on the "Winnetou" stories of German author Karl May. As in most of these films, French actor Pierre Brice stars as Winnetou, here dedicated to halting the activities of gold raiders in Apache territory. Apache Gold was released on a limited basis in the US by Columbia Pictures; in some cities, the film went directly to television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this war drama set during WW II, French Resistance leaders help guide a group of downed pilots to safety. Later a British agent is accused of treason. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Joe Machin (William Campbell) is the devil-may-care auto racer with a reputation that doesn't endear him to other racers on or off the track. Joe makes fast time with women, often incurring the wrath of the jilted boyfriends that lose their girls to him. One such malcontent is Stephen Children, a former racer turned author. When Stephen loses his fiancee to the fast moving racer, he brings out his poison pen to write and unflattering expose on Joe. The author tracks the racer, discovering he may have misread Joe when he turns out to be a decent human being that bears little resemblance to his public image. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Explicit scenes are a regular feature in this sexually oriented drama by German director Rolf Thiele. The story is set at the beginning of the 20th century when a young man who lives along the Rhine awakens sexually and has his first, highly erotic affair with an alluring actress. His socially well-placed father is not happy and sends the lad off to a remote school in the provinces, thinking that might help him settle down. Instead, the son continues his escapades with a variety of women, including his landlady. But the libidinous lothario's one-track mind is forced to rethink his actions when World War I alters the European panorama. In relation to the title, the former imperial German flag was black, white, and red in color. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

A retired gangster leaves his life of crime and settles down on a ranch to raise bulls. The local rice farmers complain his bulls are grazing on their cash crop. When an old crime crony hides out at the ranch, trouble escalates when the fugitive makes a pass at the rancher's girlfriend. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide