Alain Cavalier Movies
French filmmaker Alain Cavalier started out assisting Edouard Molinaro and Louis Malle. In 1958 he directed his first solo film Un American, a featurette. He made his first full-length feature in 1962, Le Combat dans I'lle. The critical and commercial reception to the film was lukewarm. His most famous film is the Catherine Deneuve vehicle La Chamade (1968). ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi- 2011
Two men ponder the nature of French politics, culture, and celebrity in this satiric mock-documentary. In Pater, director Alain Cavalier plays the president of France, and actor Vincent Lindon is the prime minister, as the two men improvise lengthy dialogues in which they discuss the issues of the day -- principally wage disparity and the electoral process -- as well as sharing opinions about the nature of the political game, the trials of winning and maintaining high office, and the differences between filmmaking and governance. With time, the conversation between Cavalier and Lindon becomes as much about the film they're making as they characters they've assumed, and politics becomes a stand in for money and the cult of personality. Pater was an official selection at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 2009
Actress Irene Tunc was the wife of filmmaker Alain Cavalier; in 1972, she died in an auto accident that may have been a suicide. In the years since her passing, Cavalier has struggled to come to terms with his wife's death and the fact he'll never know for certain if she killed herself. Cavalier offers a deeply personal look into his memories of his wife and how he's learned to cope with her loss in the documentary Irene. The director shares stories of his wife's troubled youth, visits the places they lived (including the house where he last saw her alive), ponders his feelings about her life and if he'd still be happy with her today, includes footage of a recent stumble on a public escalator (and the wounds it inflicted) and muses that while he's grown old, she'll always be as young as she was the day she drove away. Irene was an official selection at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, where it was screened as part of the "Un Certain Regard" program. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 2002
French director Alain Cavalier ventures into pseudo-documentary territory with his 2002 film René. Purportedly concocted as a means for Cavalier to help actor Joël Lefrançois lose weight while not making a straight documentary about Lefrançois' ordeal, René instead focuses on fictional children's theater actor René (Lefrançois) from provincial France who is undergoing a bit of a personal crisis. Having just been abandoned by his girlfriend, René decides dieting is the only way to win back her love. The portly actor proceeds to reevaluate his old lifestyle in order to meet his goal of shedding pounds, and in the process, he gets a chance to revise his personality and examine his life from an entirely different point of view. It should be noted that over the course of filming, Lefrançois did actually lose nearly 70 pounds. René was in competition at the 2002 Locarno International Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joel LeFrancois, Thomas Duboc, (more)
- 2001
Documentary filmmaker Alain Cavalier captures on videotape the lives of four remarkable men -- three living, one deceased -- in this feature. Noted sculptor Jean-Louis Faure tells the story of his life in the arts as he offers a tour of his apartment and studio, surgeon Yves Pouliquen performs exacting operations on the eyes of seven patients as he speaks of his life with great good humor, and Michel Labelle, a butcher by trade, shares his story as he turns a side of beef into cuts ready for market. Finally, Cavalier and his camera tour a ramshackle French estate that was once home to Orson Welles, as Francoise Widhoff, once the great filmmaker's assistant, shares stories of the ups and downs of her years with Welles. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Yves Pouliquen, Francoise Widhoff, (more)
- 1996
Arty and steeped with metaphysical insights, this French film contains a running stream of director Alain Cavalier's thoughts as he and an unseen lover reflect upon the world's innate beauty while passing their first year together. Episodes from this filmic diary are illustrated with shots of various objects, body parts, wildlife and views from a window. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Florence Malraux
- 1993
Exploring a dystopian future which has parallels to those found in Brazil, Fahrenheit 451, and 1984, this film, tells of a place where a military junta has taken control and requires people to think, speak, and act in precise ways: anyone who fails to do so is killed. The story is told entirely without the use of spoken dialogue. Symbolic imagery replaces much of what would have been spoken in a narrative, establishing the situation and setting. In the story, two brothers are part of an underground organization opposed to the totalitarian regime. Members of the underground identify themselves using pieces of torn photographs. Reviewers found that the story is told intelligibly and quite swiftly, despite the absence of dialog, but is not quite lively enough to satisfy action buffs. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
The legend of Therese Martin, canonized as a saint and popularly known as "the Little Flower of Jesus," is affectionately related in this 1986 French film. At 15, Therese (Catherine Mouchet) enters the convent, hoping to become a Carmelite nun. While preparing for her life as a "Bride of Jesus," Therese begins keeping a journal, eloquently pouring out her fervent spiritualism between its pages. Her unbending devotion to her calling seems to literally sap her of all strength; in 1897, she dies of tuberculosis, a profound loss for the other Carmelites who have come to love her as much as she loves Jesus. Therese is one of those rare films that is able to thoroughly convey the euphoria of spiritualism, rather than pay it mere lip service. After sweeping the 1986 Cesar Awards (France's equivalent of the Oscar), Therese went on to win the Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Catherine Mouchet, Helene Alexandridis, (more)
- 1981
A father-daughter relationship is melded, strained, and deepened by a shared angst: the grandmother in the family left her home by train and never arrived at her destination. The father Pierre (Jean Rochefort) is distraught that the police could basically dismiss the issue as inexplicable, and he decides to retrace on foot the voyage his mother should have made. His daughter Amelie (Camille de Casablanca) goes with him, and the story evolves as the two walk along the train tracks, searching in the nearby terrain and bushes for any evidence that might point to what happened. Along the way, their once antagonistic and distanced relationship (Amelie is a student, her father is a picture-restorer) begins to work itself out. By the time the mystery of the grandmother's disappearance is resolved, the father and daughter have resolved their differences. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean Rochefort, Camille de Casabianca, (more)
- 1979
Following the death of his wife in a car accident, a grieving, injured man whose head is wrapped in bandages returns to their apartment, smashes the furniture, and begins painting everything in sight black, including the windows, all the while raving about his past life and his dead wife. The story seems to parallel certain aspects of director Alain Cavalier's own life: his wife (actress Irene Tunc) died not long before in a car accident. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- 1978
A French-raised Vietnamese girl and a classical singer-in-training become lovers and have an affair. Up to now she has been a procuress for a rich man with a taste for girl prostitutes. In return, the rich man has paid for her apartment and given her an allowance. One of the rich man's favorite prostitutes is a new girl, only 16, who, on realizing that her lifestyle is for real, commits suicide. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Isabelle Ho, Xavier Saint-Macary, (more)
- 1976
When a young auto salesman is forced to give up a vacation with his wife in order to drive an American car to its new owner who lives on the Riviera, he makes the best of things. First, he gets and old friend to ride along with him. Then, the two of them are joined by another pair of men who want to ride south. The four of them have a great time, talking about women and fatherhood, among other things. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Patrick Bouchitey, Etienne Chicot, (more)
In this romantic melodrama, Lucille (Catherine Deneuve) is a young woman who takes comfort in the arms of her older wealthy lover Charles (Michel Piccoli). She meets a young man, Antoine (Roger van Hool) who is involved with an icy socialite (Irène Tunc). Lucille and Antoine become lovers and the former leaves Charles to move in with the young man. For a while, the two are content to live on love, but eventually Antoine urges Lucille to seek employment. It isn't long before she is bored with the working life as she contemplates a return to her old boyfriend. Lucille is torn between the passion of her young lover and the creature and material comforts that money can provide as she determines she must choose between the two men. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Catherine Deneuve, Michel Piccoli, (more)
- 1967
A gang of crooks invades a small town in this unusual crime drama. After taking over the police station and the post office, they systematically rob all the banks and factory payrolls. The caper seems to have been motivated by a jilted husband whose wife ran off with a factory manager who absconded with the company funds. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michel Constantin, Daniel Ivernel, (more)
A Matter of Resistance is the English-language title of the frothy wartime comedy La Vie De Chateau. Set in occupied France, the film stars Catherine Deneuve as the young and beautiful bride of middle-aged and homely Philipe Noiret. Disappointed at Noiret's indifference concerning the Nazi invaders, Catherine is swept off her feet by handsome Resistance leader Henri Garcin. Throughout the rest of the film, it seems as though the underground operatives and the German officers are more interested in bedding the bewitched Ms. Deneuve than in winning the war. The music by Michel Legrand lends just the right airiness to this captivating farce. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Philippe Noiret, Catherine Deneuve, (more)
- 1964
In this drama that alludes to the Algerian War with France of the 1960s, Thomas (Alain Delon) is a deserter from the French Foreign Legion who is on the run from authorities. He helps damsel in distress Dominique (Lea Massari), who has been taken hostage by a group of terrorists. Thomas is wounded but manages to escape after killing the guard who inflicted the injury. Dominique gives Thomas money to escape to France after he secures her freedom, but he is caught between the Foreign Legion and the terrorists seeking revenge. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lea Massari, Alain Delon, (more)
- 1963
In this melodrama a prodigal son returns to his home village after he is acquitted of his stepfather's death to find that most of his former neighbors now shun him. At least his best friend sticks by him. Soon the young man finds himself drawn to his loyal buddy's lover. He and the woman have an affair. Later his friend finds out and vows to kill him. He cannot do it. At the same time, the young man cannot keep hurting his only true friend. As a result he spurns the woman, who runs off into the darkness and gets hit by a car driven by her first lover's mother's car. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
The political overtones in this action-oriented drama may be a little murky outside of its time and place, yet the story is well told. Clement (Jean-Louis Tritignant) is a right-wing rabblerouser married to aspiring young actress Anne (Romy Schneider). He belongs to an underground terrorist group determined to spread chaos among the Western nations in order to eventually gain political control and then expand their activities. At the moment, he is taking part in an assassination scheme aimed at a major labor leader that ultimately fails because of an informer. Clement takes off to find the culprit, leaving Anne in the care of his supposed friend Paul (Henri Serre). That turns out to be a mistake on several different counts. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Romy Schneider, Jean-Louis Trintignant, (more)
- 1960
This is an uninspired murder mystery directed by Jacques-Gérard Cornu about the unfortunate and unnatural demise of a blackmailer. Gabrielle (Danielle Darrieux) is married to Georges (Mel Ferrer) but both she and her niece had been involved with the blackmailer who is now dead. Assigned to the murder case is a closed-mouthed police inspector whose investigations eventually start to shake down clues and bits of evidence, hinting that the identity of the killer will not be a mystery forever. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Danielle Darrieux, Mel Ferrer, (more)
The Lovers (Les Amants) furthered the reputations of both director Louis Malle and star Jeanne Moreau -- and also pushed the boundaries of American censorship (1959 vintage) to the breaking point. Moreau plays a humdrum housewife whose life brightens considerably when she meets a handsome young archeologist (Jean-Marc Bory). The two enjoy an exquisite evening in the boudoir, and when comes the dawn, Moreau has gained a whole new outlook on things. She abandons her family in favor of Bory, even though neither has the slightest notion of what the future will hold. The Lovers gained notoriety upon its first release as the Movie With the Nude Scene: though a model of decorum by today's standards (the most suggestive moment is a shot of Moreau's hand falling limply on the bedsheets), the scene provided fodder for outraged guardians of public morals for several years. One hapless Cleveland theatre owner was arrested on an obscenity charge, a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court. The Venice Film festival took a more liberal stance on the matter, awarding The Lovers a special jury prize. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jeanne Moreau, Alain Cuny, (more)
The feature-film debut of famed director Louis Malle is an interesting, modern film noir with the classic theme of lovers plotting to kill the husband and make it look like suicide (reminiscent of The Postman Always Rings Twice). Jeanne Moreau, as Florence Carala, gives an astonishing performance, perverse but naive as she leads her young lover down a path that can only lead to doom for both of them. Malle and his cinematographer Henri Decae make extensive use of Paris at night, giving the film the feel of claustrophobia and desperation reminiscent of the classic noir films. The excellent score by Miles Davis adds to the entire effect of this mystery thriller. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jeanne Moreau, Maurice Ronet, (more)
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