André Berthomieu Movies
André Berthomieu was not among the most artistic filmmakers, but he was one of the most prolific directors in French cinema. Berthomieu was first a singer before he joined films in 1924 to assist Julien Duvivier. In 1927 he began directing his own films. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Bernard Blier plays a gendarme and Philipe Nicaud co-stars as Blier's bartender buddy in En Legitime Defense. When Nicaud murders a gangster in self-defense, he runs off in a blind panic. Blier endeavors to convince Nicaud to turn himself over to the authorities, and at the same time struggles to save his pal from mob retaliation. Like many French crime melodramas of the late 1950s, En Legitime Defense is heavily influenced by Hollywood's film noir genre of the 1940s. The film was atmospherically lensed on location in the less-than-fashionable Pigalle district. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bernard Blier, Pierre Mondy, (more)
- 1953
Le Portrait de Son Pere (His Father's Portrait) tries, and sometimes succeeds, to get laughs by playing straight. Comic actor Jean Richard plays a peasant lad who suddenly inherits a fortune from the father he never knew he had. Thrust into the uppermost rungs of Parisian society, Richard manages to hold his own despite the chicanery of the dead man's widow. He also turns his late father's store, which has been moribund for several years, into a thriving success. American filmgoers were mildly amused by the plotline of Le Portrait de Son Pere, though most were more interested in the feminine charms of third-billed Brigitte Bardot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mich_le Philippe, Brigitte Bardot, (more)
- 1952
Belle Mentalle (Wonderful Mentality) stars Jean Richard as Honore, a valet blessed with the inability to tell a lie. In addition to his honesty, Honore is also supremely logical, a character trait that comes in handy for his master, lawyer Maitre (Jean Martinelli). The valet not only saves Maitre's business, but his marriage. Alas, Honore's candor and wisdom does good for everyone but himself--until the film's twist ending. The film's effectiveness rests almost solely in the comedy prowess of star Jean Richard, who does wonders with the thinnish material at hand. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Richard, Mich_le Philippe, (more)
- 1951
Filmed in France during the Occupation years, My First Love attained an American release in 1951. This spiritual precursor to the "New Wave" efforts of Francois Truffaut et al stars Gerard Nery as 17-year-old Bob Darcourt. The boy receives a crash course in the Facts of Life when he walks in on a tete-a-tete between his widowed mother (Jacqueline Delubac) and her lover (Aime Clariond). At first outraged, Bob eventually wholeheartedly accepts his mother's plan to remarry. That's about all that happens, save for a few comic interludes provided by Bob's lighthearted Uncle Victor (Louvigny). My First Love was adapted from a play by Paul Vandenberghe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gerard Nery, Jacqueline Delubac, (more)
