Louise Vincent Movies
A seemingly ideal marriage is thrown into embarrassing turmoil in Patrice Chéreau's period drama, Gabrielle. Based on the short story The Return by Joseph Conrad, the film opens with Jean (Pascal Greggory) extolling the virtues of his pretty wife, Gabrielle (Isabelle Huppert), in voice-over as he makes his way home from work. Jean and his wife, with help from their team of servants, have fostered the illusion of a perfect bourgeois household. Jean is particularly happy with the way Gabrielle presents herself at the couple's frequent dinner gatherings, attended by their "set," whom, as he describes them, "fear emotion and failure more than war." We see glimpses of these occasions in flashback, while Jean explains of his wife, "I'm proud of what she is -- impassive." The secure little world he's fashioned for himself is shattered when he arrives home and finds a note from Gabrielle, explaining that she's leaving him. "It's terrible, and right," the missive states. After a brief explosion of rage, Jean tries to compose himself, but he's thrown into chaos again when Gabrielle unexpectedly returns home. She finds it impossible to speak to Jean. "This letter is not the worst of it?" he asks her. "The worst is my coming back," she explains. The two struggle bitterly to regain the balance in their relationship. Soon, in the interest of appearances, another dinner party is planned. Gabrielle, switches from black-and-white to color and back from scene to scene, and is also notable for its intriguing use of intertitles. It was adapted by Chéreau and his frequent collaborator, Anne-Louise Trividic, and was shown at the 2005 New York Film Festival, presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Isabelle Huppert, Pascal Greggory, (more)
75-year-old retired cabinetmaker Thomas Gerrin (Jack Lemmon) has been a widower for three years, during which time his well-meaning children have insisted upon treating him as a helpless invalid. Determined to prove that the spark of life still burns within him, Thomas impulsively cashes his most recent pension check and heads off for Monterey, California, there to touch base with an old flame (Betty Garrett) whom he hasn't seen in fifty years. En route, he befriends a free-spirted young graduate student named Leanne Bossert (Sarah Paulson). Both agree that any sort of romance would be out of the question: Nonetheless, Leanne is the catalyst for Thomas' new lease on life--and as his children franctically search for their fugitive dad, the May-December "odd couple" encounter all manner of breathtaking adventures and colorful characters. Based on Thomas Guerin, Retraite a 1978 French TV movie starring Charles Vanel, The Long Way Home was produced for the CBS television network, where it was first broadcast on March 1, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Lemmon, Sarah Paulson, (more)
- 1998
Zaida Ghorab-Volta directed this French drama about 58-year-old Monique (Andree Damant) who lives in a small apartment in the projects on the outskirts of Paris. She retires from assembly-line work with a small textile company, only to learn that her retirement benefits barely match her rent. One of her daughters, Giselle (Aurelia Petit) plans to enter the Drama Conservatory in Paris, while her other daughter Sandra (Lise Payen) is recovering from a suicide attempt. The film explores the relationships between these three. Shown in the Cinemas in France section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andrée Damant, Aurelia Petit, (more)
- 1997
The good witch Morgane bears a son and finds herself faced with a painful choice. Tradition requires that she select a godfather for the child at the exact moment of its birth. The moral alignment of the godfather will determine that of the child. The trouble is that there are only six witches left on the earth and the only eligible magical godfather, Molok, is a wicked warlock. If she refuses him, her only option is to select a mortal man who was born on the same day and time. Unfortunately if a mortal were to undergo the ceremony her son would lose his magic and the volunteer would literally lose his mind and become a living vegetable. This romantic French tale tells what happens when Morgane chooses the latter option. After much searching she and her remaining cronies narrow the eligible list down to three men. Unfortunately, Molok finds out and kills two of them, leaving only Michael, a handsome young New York inventor to fill the bill. Michael hates flying, but his business colleague Joel manages to convince him to go to Paris. There he meets Morgane who takes him to her grandmother's home. En route they pause to take magical potions and make love in the forest. Trouble brews when afterward Morgane finds herself falling in love with Michael and thinking twice about taking away his extraordinary intelligence. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vanessa Paradis, Jeanne Moreau, (more)
- 1994
Rebecca (Nadia Cameron), the mentor of Immortal cat burglar Amanda (Elizabeth Gracen), is murdered by Luther (Emile Abossolo-M'bo), one of her students. Hoping to achieve invulnerability, Luther cuts a bloody swath in his search for the portions of an ancient crystal once owned by Rebecca. By virtue of his previous amorous relationship with Amanda, Duncan (Adrian Paul) is reluctantly drawn into the present intrigue. Canadian character actor John Novak dubbed the voice of guest star Emile Abossolo-M'bo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrian Paul, Stan Kirsch, (more)
Edmond Rostand's classic drama of inner and outer beauty is given a lavish treatment in this acclaimed French production. Gérard Depardieu portrays the title character, a brilliant, charismatic swordsman with a generous spirit and a genius for poetry. It would seem that such a man would have no trouble attracting women, but Cyrano considers himself doomed to loneliness by an unattractive face featuring an oversized nose. His feelings of inadequacy are emphasized when Roxane, the beautiful woman he adores, attracts the attention of Christian, a young cadet in Cyrano's service. Christian lacks the poetic gift, however, and he ironically turns to Cyrano for help in winning Roxane's love. What follows is a tale of deception, with Roxane falling in love with the ineloquent Christian thanks to Cyrano's words of love. The underlying narrative has become quite familiar to modern audiences through retellings and variations from the 1950 adaptation starring José Ferrer to Steve Martin's Roxanne. Director Jean-Paul Rappeneau's interpretation stresses the tragic majesty of the original, setting a vigorous performance by Depardieu against a beautifully designed reproduction of the period and an emphasis on the sound and poetry of Rostand's original language; the subtitles for the film's English release were penned by renowned British author Anthony Burgess. This attention to detail creates a particularly faithful cinematic rendering of the original work that met with positive critical responses. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Depardieu, Anne Brochet, (more)
- 1989
- R
Directed by Philip Sebton, Mister Frost chronicles the life of serial killer Mr. Frost (Jeff Goldblum), who, after stashing 125 tortured corpses in and around his property, is caught by a British detective (Alan Bates) and brought to a mental institution. Strange things begin to happen immediately after his arrival--the egotistical Dr. Reynhardt (Roland Giraud) suddenly loses confidence, an angelic young boy goes insane, and people see images of Satanic eyes in their rear-view mirrors. Meanwhile, the only person Frost (Goldblum) will speak to is psychiatrist Dr. Sarah Day (Kathy Baker), who questions why the police could not find any official records of his existence. He tells her that he is, in fact, none other than Satan himself. According to an angry Frost, the world has tossed aside the notion of pure evil, opting instead to use psychological explanations to aid them in understanding why terrible things happen to good people. Frost's mission on earth is to remind man that the devil does exist, and is still bargaining for immortal souls. He believes if he can convince a psychiatrist (Baker), to murder him because she believes he is the devil, it will not only help his cause, but act as a resounding personal victory. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Goldblum, Alan Bates, (more)
Following the disastrous Pirates (1986), director Roman Polanski got back on creative track with this finely-wrought thriller that, while failing to impress at the box office, was nevertheless his most critically well-received film of the decade. Harrison Ford stars as Richard Walker, an American doctor who has come to Paris, where he's scheduled to deliver a paper to a medical conference. Richard has brought along his wife Sondra (Betty Buckley), because Paris was the site of their honeymoon 20 years earlier. Sondra picks up the wrong suitcase at the airport, which leads to her kidnapping and an ever-more complicated quest that takes Richard into the seedy and dangerous underworld of European drug smuggling and terrorist arms sales. Along the way, he is rebuffed by skeptical officials at the American Embassy and meets Michelle (Emmanuelle Seigner), a sexy courier who agrees to help him in exchange for the money she's owed for trafficking in narcotics. Playing cleverly on American fears about Europe's Byzantine politics and "decadent" society, Frantic received, from many observers, perhaps the greatest compliment possible for a thriller, comparison to the work of Alfred Hitchcock. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harrison Ford, Emmanuelle Seigner, (more)
- 1986
This uneven science fiction road race combines European motorcross with football. Gus (Karen Allen) is the driver of a behemoth vehicle named Monster. The computer-controlled car runs off course, with Gus being captured and tortured. Before she dies, she turns the driving gloves over to fellow cellmate and former trucker Stump Manchot (Johnny Halladay). Stump agrees to take her place and stops the illegal plans of a fetus-smuggling doctor (Jurgen Pronchow). ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Hallyday, Karen Allen, (more)
- 1985
In a standard psycho-killer thriller, Cecile (Nathalie Baye) goes from her home in Canada to New York after her boyfriend is thrown in the slammer there for drug-running -- she still wants to be near him. Unable to stay past her visa's limits, Cecile literally contracts a legal marriage to an American via an agency and starts working in a deli to support herself. It is when her totally wacko "husband" shows up that her life goes from terrible to terrorific. His insanity has already slashed up one wife, and he is ready to continue on with Cecile unless the slow-witted female can figure out what to do. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nathalie Baye, John Shea, (more)
- 1981
- R
An ambitious Parisian fashion designer finds romance and great career success in this story about the life and loves of the legendary couturier, Coco (Gabrielle) Chanel. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marie-France Pisier, Timothy Dalton, (more)
Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) is a rebellious slave purchased by Lentulus Batiatus (Peter Ustinov), owner of a school for gladiators. For the entertainment of corrupt Roman senator Marcus Licinius Crassus (Laurence Olivier), Batiatus' gladiators are to stage a fight to the death. On the night before the event, the enslaved trainees are "rewarded" with female companionship. Spartacus' companion for the evening is Varinia (Jean Simmons), a slave from Brittania. When Spartacus later learns that Varinia has been sold to Crassus, he leads 78 fellow gladiators in revolt. Word of the rebellion spreads like wildfire, and soon Spartacus' army numbers in the hundreds. Escaping to join his cause is Varinia, who has fallen in love with Spartacus, and another of Crassus' house slaves, the sensitive Antoninus (Tony Curtis). The revolt becomes the principal cog in the wheel of a political struggle between Crassus and a more temperate senator named Gracchus (Charles Laughton). Anthony Mann was the original director of Spartacus, eventually replaced by Stanley Kubrick, who'd previously guided Douglas through Paths of Glory. The film received 4 Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Ustinov. A crucial scene between Olivier and Curtis, removed from the 1967 reissue because of its subtle homosexual implications, was restored in 1991, with a newly recorded soundtrack featuring Curtis as his younger self and Anthony Hopkins standing in for the deceased Olivier. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, (more)
