Jean-Claude Brialy Movies

Filmed in 1957 but not released in the U.S. until 1962, Girl in His Pocket was released to more liberal markets as Nude in His Pocket. Jean Marais plays Prof. Jerome, a researcher who is intrigued with the theory of suspended animation. With the help of his sexy assistant Monette (Agnes Laurent), the professor stumbles upon a formula that shrinks people and turns them into living statues. When the professor's wife suspects that her husband is carrying on a romance with Monette (she's right), the au naturel Monette hides herself by drinking the potion and secreting herself within the professor's pocket. There's a race to the rescue when the professor's wife places the "figurine" Monette on an ocean liner bound for parts unknown. Girl in His Pocket was based on "The Diminishing Draft", a short story by Waldemar Kaempfert, originally published way back in 1918. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Charlotte et Véronique, also known as Tous les garcons s'appellent Patrick, was one of five shorts Jean-Luc Godard made in collaboration with his Cahiers du Cinema cohorts in the late '50s and early '60s, prior to embarking on feature films. The script was written by Eric Rohmer and is a slight, but charming, story about two girlfriends (Nicole Berger and Anna Collette) who are seduced by lothario Patrick (Jean-Claude Brialy) over sidewalk café Cokes and on Tuileries park benches. When both Charlotte and Véronique arrive for the date, Patrick brings another woman. The story is told in a fairly straightforward style. Godard's early love of youthful frivolity, pop culture, and referential film geekery are in abundant evidence (the girls' apartment walls are decorated with film posters, they mimic their idols) and there are some tentative steps taken with visual and audio jump cuts. The short is available as a special feature on Criterion's release of A Woman is a Woman (Une femme est une femme), a Godard feature where Brialy plays one of the two male leads. ~ Michael Buening, All Movie Guide

Gifted comic actor Darry Cowl plays the title role in Le Triporteur (The Tricyclist). A football fanatic, young Antoine (Cowl) follows his favorite team from one game to the next madly peddling his tricycle to his various destinations. Antoine is later needed to "suit up" during a crucial game and join his pet team on the playing field. And though it hardly seems possible, a pretty girl (Béatrice Altariba) falls in love with our feckless hero. Le Triporteur is the sort of film that Jerry Lewis might have put together in the early '60s. Perhaps Lewis' cult status in France is due to his stylistic resemblance to Darry Cowl. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cargaison Blanche (White Cargo) bears no relation to the steamy tropical stage melodrama of the same name. The "cargo" referred to in the title consists of innocent young girls who are transported to parts unknown for immoral purposes. Female journalist Francoise Arnoul tries to catch the white-slaver villains in the act, only to be kidnapped herself. She is rescued by Georges Aminel, a black dope addict with whom she forms a strong (albeit platonic) bond. Once Aminel is able to convince the authorities of Arnoul's plight, the poor girl is returned to safety by nominal hero Georges Rivieres. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Francois Perier, Peter vanEyck, and Anouk Aimee star in this tense tale of five highly skilled thieves who all pool their resources in hopes of pulling off the perfect heist. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

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

The exploits of three young Roman criminals are chronicled in this socially conscious drama. The young men commit petty crimes all day begin with arms theft, and culminating with a night with three streetwalkers. After their pleasure, the boys try to cheat the hookers, but they ladies are smarter than that and have stolen their cash ahead of time. The punks then return to the city for more crimes. Exploits include the harassment of three homosexuals, and attempts to seduce some women. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this standard wartime melodrama, forty-two-year-old Danielle Darrieux plays Jeanne, an unmarried, older woman with a miserable mother who harps on the supposed "fact" that Jeanne is ugly. Jeanne comes into close association with Pierre (27-year-old Jean-Claude Brialy) a young blind man who is hunted by the Germans and temporarily hiding out in Jeanne's house. Jeanne and Pierre are irresistibly attracted to each other, and a genuine love develops and deepens between them. Unfortunately, Jeanne's mother cannot leave her alone, and circumstances contrive to make her run away from the house -- leaving her relationship in limbo, at least for the time being. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Robert Rossellini's Vanina Vanini was released in many US markets as The Betrayer. Based on a Stendhal novel, the film is set in Italy during the turbulent years of the mid-19th century. Princess Vanini (Sandra Milo) confronts a strange looking woman in her palace. The woman turns out to be a man (Laurent Terzieff), an Italian revolutionary on the run from government troops. Princess and rebel fall in love, but when he leaves her for another, she jealously turns him over to the authorities. She offers to have his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment, but he savagely rebuffs her. After his execution, Vanini retreats to a monastery, where she ends her days. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A generally destructive atmosphere settles over this New Wave drama about a trio of youths looking to debunk hypocrisy wherever they find it. One of the early films by Claude Chabrol, the tale looks at the relationship of Ronald (Jean-Claude Brialy), Ambroisine (Bernadette Lafont), and Arthur (Charles Belmont). Arthur and Ronald have their differences, but the three join up to knock the air out of the wind-bags of pomposity, puncture the veneer of the gallingly elitist art world, and do combat in other arenas where people are less than honest. But Ronald has not forgotten an early offense he suffered at Arthur's hands, and soon the relationships in the trio start to change. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Director Jean-Luc Godard's deceptively blithe tribute to the musical comedy features Anna Karina as an exotic dancer who decides that it is time for her to have a child. When her lover refuses to commit to the decision, she turns her romantic attentions to his best friend. This being a Godard film, the straightforward story serves as a framework for improvisation and stylistic experimentation, allowing for odd interludes and unexpected images. Rather than the sometimes alienating, dense intellectualism of later Godard works, Une femme est une femme offers aesthetic pleasure through luxurious visuals and a charming musical score by Michel Legrand. Against this bright backdrop, Karina proves particularly fetching, capturing the film's frolicsome mood in an unforced manner. While not one of Godard's most groundbreaking or influential films, Une femme est une femme is one of his most appealing and pleasurable efforts. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide