Henri Virlojeux Movies

For his feature-film debut, critic-turned-director François Truffaut drew inspiration from his own troubled childhood. The 400 Blows stars Jean-Pierre Léaud as Antoine Doinel, Truffaut's preteen alter ego. Misunderstood at home by his parents and tormented in school by his insensitive teacher (Guy Decomble), Antoine frequently runs away from both places. The boy finally quits school after being accused of plagiarism by his teacher. He steals a typewriter from his father (Albert Remy) to finance his plans to leave home. The father angrily turns Antoine over to the police, who lock the boy up with hardened criminals. A psychiatrist at a delinquency center probes Antoine's unhappiness, which he reveals in a fragmented series of monologues. Originally intended as a 20-minute short, The 400 Blows was expanded into a feature when Truffaut decided to elaborate on his self-analysis. For the benefit of Truffaut's fellow film buffs, The 400 Blows is full of brief references to favorite directors, notably Truffaut's then-idol Jean Vigo. The film won the 1959 Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival, even though Truffaut had been declared persona non grata the year before for his inflammatory comments about the festival's commercialism. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Georges Lautner, a popular French director of comedies and romantic dramas, tries his hand at a war film in this routine tale set in a small French town during the German Occupation. A microcosm of the country as a whole, the town is divided between the resistance fighters and those who turn a blind eye to the occupying forces. The mayor (Bernard Blier) at first appears to be just a leisurely yet effective, middle-aged man who is willing to help people out when the need arises. But as circumstances take a more serious turn, the mayor shows that he is also capable of heroic action. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In this melodrama, a prominent Parisian businessman's wife finds her life incredibly boring until she has an affair with a greasy garage mechanic who is only after her money. Her husband is suspicious of his wife, but he doesn't know the lover's identity; he suspects he brother and business partner. Trouble ensues when the malicious mechanic tampers with the car he assumes the husband will drive and inadvertently kills the brother instead. The guilt-ridden wife then confesses her infidelity, the husband forgives her, and the wicked lover is arrested. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The seven major sins receive treatment from some of France's greatest directors in this lively portmanteau. "Anger" by Dhomme, chronicles a single horrific day when every bowl of soup in France is found to contain a fly. This causes a devastating nationwide revolt. "Envy" by Molinaro tells the story of a chambermaid whose dream of sleeping with a millionaire comes true. Unfortunately, she goes back to work and finds herself still consumed with jealousy. De Broca's "Gluttony" provides one of the film's most enjoyable episodes as it follows the exploits of a voracious family heading off for a funeral. "Lust" by Demy is set at a Parisian sidewalk cafe and eavesdrops upon the lusty conversation between two young men, one of whom has x-ray eyes that enable him to see through women's clothing. "Laziness" by Godard features real life matinee idol Constantine as a movie star who finds himself too sluggish to respond to the starlet trying so hard to seduce him. "Pride" by Roger Vadim tells the satirical tale of a philandering wife who changes her mind and stays with her husband after learning that her happy home is being threatened by another woman. Finally in Chabrol's "Greed," young men who have pooled their meager resources to buy a prostitute, fight for the chance to be with her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

An overly ambitious young man hopes to rise to the top of the advertising business. When he feels his progress is being impeded, he conspires to murder his way up the corporate ladder. He uses the bodies of his victims as rungs to climb to the top in this macabre comedy of errors. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Jean Gabin plays Charles, an aging gangster, newly released from prison. In fine Bogart tradition, the unrepentant Charles immediately sets to work planning a major casino heist in Cannes. His go-between for this endeavor is a chorus girl, whom Charles's associate Francis (Alain Delon) beds in order to win her confidence. This rapidly-paced suspenser was based on a novel by John Trinian. When first distributed in the US, the film travelled under the title Any Number Can Win. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this Italian mystery-adventure, a government agent is assigned to look into a mysterious outbreak of a deadly virus in Southeast Asia. While attending a party, he meets an enemy agent and his pretty sister. Later the enemy captures the agent and his own sister who has fallen for the American. Soon the Yankee operative discovers that the evil agent is planning the genocide of all races he deems inferior. In their place, he is trying to engineer a race of superhumans. Fortunately, the American and the sister escape. He eventually finds the lab where the virus is cultivated and is again captured. This time, the sister and her friend save him and set the lab afire. The woman's friend is killed. Later her brother accidently falls into a pit filled with infected rats. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The Saint (Jean Marais) and his dim-witted sidekick Uniatz (Jess Hahn) spring in to action in this slapstick comedy spy actioner. The duo goes after a cache of American cash left over from World War II used in an undercover operation. The two battle rival international agents also after the sizeable sum. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Taken from the popular play by Jean Giraudoux, The Madwoman Of Chaillot has an international all-star cast, but the final result falls short despite the talents of the celebrated thespians. The madwoman in question is the extremely eccentric Countess Aurelia (Katherine Hepburn). Roderick (Richard Chamberlain) is the peace-loving activist who, along with a local rag picker (Danny Kaye), warns the Countess of a plot to destroy the city. A quartet of villains led by the Chairman (Yul Brynner) are after the oil reserves that bubble under the water supply. Along with the Broker (Charles Boyer), the Commissar (Oscar Homolka), and the Prospector (Donald Pleasence), the evil developers plan to secure the oil rights to the region with or without the consent of the unsuspecting public. The Countess invites Josephine (Dame Edith Evans) to judge the villains, who are locked in the Countess's cellar for their crimes against the people of Paris in this lethargic film. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this caper comedy, Jean Gabin plays Lambert, an escaped convict in search of some robbery money he hid a long time ago. He and a companion, disguised as priests, take a plane into Rome. On the way their plane is hijacked, and, in order to get to their money, they must stop the hijacking. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In this quirky drama, a young man gets involved with an eccentric, elderly man attempting to build a one-man flying machine in his garage. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This undistinguished, cardboard-character action-thriller has a team of super-cops, four men and one woman, tracking down a black-leather biker who kills off young women in a prostitution ring who are trying to escape their miserable life. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide