Jean-Claude Brialy Movies
The son of a high-ranking French military officer, Jean-Claude Brialy was expected to following in his father's boot-steps upon completing his studies at Strasbourg University. Brialy was deflected from a lifetime in uniform through his blossoming friendship with aspiring filmmaker Philippe de Broca. Deciding to become an actor, Brialy appeared in some of the earliest short-subject projects of such future Nouvelle Vague directors as Jacques Rivette and Jean-Luc Godard. He made his first feature-film appearance in Jean Renoir's Paris Does Strange Things (1958). In collaboration with Claude Chabrol, Brialy starred in Chabrol's maiden directorial effort, Le Beau Serge, then originated the ubiquitous Chabrol protagonist Paul in Les Cousins. This particular role cemented Brialy's standard screen characterization: the impeccably mannered, implicitly decadent boulevardier. One of the busiest of the New Wave directors (especially during the years 1960 and 1961), Jean-Claude Brialy remained so even after launching his own prolific career with 1972's Eglantine.Brialy died of cancer in Paris, France on May 30, 2007. He was 74. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi- 1982
- R
This French comedy stars Laurent Malet as Jacko, an aging delinquent who falls for businessman's fiancee Lise (Evelyne Bouix). ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
Claude Lelouch's Bolero covers a time span of half a century, concentrating on several generations of music lovers, all hailing from different nations and cultural backgrounds. Each of the principal actors plays multiple characters. Among the cast-members is James Caan, Robert Hossein and Geraldine Chaplin. The film's original title was Les Uns et les autres. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Hossein, Nicole Garcia, (more)
- 1980
A hot topic might be overly simplified for some viewers in this first-time political drama by Stephane Kurc. Marc (Patrick Chesnais) is a leftist and leans more towards militancy than compromise in his work at a Paris television station. Unlike Marc, his friend Françoise (Olivier Granier) is ambitious and has an obliging personality that nets him the shared directorship of a weekly current events show. Ready to help Marc out if he can, Françoise gives him an assignment to report on an Algerian immigrant camp. The results are as freewheeling as Marc's opinions, and a small tempest in a teapot threatens to shape up into a more serious storm. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Patrick Chesnais, Olivier Granier, (more)
- 1979
Jacco (Laurent Malet) and his buddy Freddie (Michel Montanary) are the shiftless louts who frequent a bar run by Madga (Annie Girardot). Magda is Jacco's mistress, and she looks out for him like a surrogate mother. When Jacco meets Magda's daughter Lise (Evelyne Bouix), he drops Magda and Freddie to concentrate on seducing the young woman. The weak-willed Lise is married off to a businessman by her domineering mother. When Freddie dies, Jacco finds himself all alone and crawls back to Magda -- and is supposedly wiser for his experience. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Laurent Malet, Annie Girardot, (more)
- 1979
Robert #1 is played by Charles Denner, while Robert #2 is played by Jacques Villeret. Beyond their common name, the two Roberts are as different as night and day. Oh, there is one more resemblance: both Roberts are lonely, and both hope to meet suitable mates through a computer dating service. As they await the arrival of their new dates, Robert et Robert become fast friends. Of the three favorite film subjects of writer/director Claude Lelouch--romance, crime, and politics--Robert et Robert falls firmly into the first category. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Charles Denner, Jacques Villeret, (more)
- 1978
Marcello Mastroianni plays the downtrodden Bruno Baldassare, a murder-squad investigator in Rome who gets no respect from his peers, who give him the least interesting cases. His bumbling aide, Cantalamessa, gets even less respect. While a lightning strike could have caused the deaths of two people, the circumstances of their deaths arouse his suspicions. In this satirical detective comedy, among the suspects he must question are the victim's widow, Princess Dell'Orso (Ursula Andress) and a seedy screenwriter named Harry Hellman (Peter Ustinov). ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marcello Mastroianni, Agostina Belli, (more)
- 1978
A down-on-her-luck dreamer finds her fantasies drifting into reality in the second film from actor-turned-director Jean-Louis Trintignant. Marie's (Stefania Sandrelli) dreams seem to have a way of coming true, a fact that she clings to given her onetime vision that she would fall madly in love and gain incredible financial wealth. When she finally meets singer Marcel (Guy Marchand), it seems as if her dreams may finally be coming to fruition; and though the couple are soon living together in poverty, an unexpected job opportunity finds things momentarily looking up. Hired as a pool cleaner by wheelchair-bound billionaire Mr. Zopoulos (Moustache), Marcel soon finds himself drawn into a bizarre game between Zopolous and his personal secretary, Logan (Jean-Claude Brialy). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Guy Marchand, Stefania Sandrelli, (more)
- 1977
During a business trip to Morocco to finalize a deal to build an ugly modern tourist village on the site of a lovely local town, Jean-Luc (Jean-Claude Biraly), the bank representative, is called on by the architect's wife. She has, it seems, accidentally killed her husband during a spat and needs his help to hide the body. Incredibly, he gives it. Then he returns to Paris with the architect's murderous spouse (Marlene Jobert), who proceeds to turn his life upside down with her blithe spirit and joie de vivre. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marlène Jobert, Jean-Claude Brialy, (more)
- 1977
In this sardonic comedy, after an executive is killed in a mysterious automobile accident, the French offices of his multinational company is inundated with mysteriously threatening be-ribboned anti-capitalist tracts, delivered overnight to everyone's desks. Later, the executive's body is brought to company offices for an official wake -- only no one at the company has ordered that such a thing be done. A mysterious prankster, who is able to imitate the voice of the company's president, has arranged these things. When Americans from the head office get wind of these developments, they institute a search for the perpetrator which leads to mysterious subterranean passages under the company's skyscraper ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean Yanne, Michel Piccoli, (more)
- 1977
Without knowing it, newspaper photographer Daniele (Annie Girardot) is caught up in a complex international situation involving super-secret conflicts between NATO, the CIA and the Pentagon. An American politician, whom she has been photographing, is the target of an assassination conspiracy. Her husband, also a news photographer, gets wind of it, and is killed. As she investigates, she also begins to know more than is safe for her. Unfortunately for her, her charming neighbor Julien (Jacques Dutronc), an old friend, is also involved. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Annie Girardot, Jacques Dutronc, (more)
Former film critic André Téchiné directed and co-wrote this offbeat crime drama. Samson (Gérard Depardieu) is a down-on-his-luck boxer who manages to win a fortune thanks to a fixed fight. However, while Samson and his girlfriend Laure (Isabelle Adjani) are trying to get away with the money, he is killed by a gunman who looks just like Samson (and is also played by Depardieu). Laure is crushed, but in time she finds herself attracted to Samson's murderous double; he is also drawn to her, and they eventually become lovers. The supporting cast includes Marie-France Pisier and Jean-Claude Brialy. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Isabelle Adjani, Gérard Depardieu, (more)
- 1976
After a computer-tested set of features is found to be the face most likely to win the confidence of the French people, Marcel (Jean Carmot), who recently turned down a promotion at his bank in order to spend time with his wife, finds himself swept up into the schemes and shenanigans of the President of France (Michel Lonsdale) to regain the confidence of the French. After being manipulated, used, and worked to the bone, he manages to get a little revenge on the politicians. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean Carmet, Jean-Claude Brialy, (more)
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, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean Gabin, Danielle Darrieux, (more)
- 1975
- R
Jane Birkin stars in this sex farce as a young British prostitute in Paris who, after her soft-core business fails, decides to go big-time and incorporate herself, selling stock to four disparate investors. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jane Birkin, Patrick Dewaere, (more)
- 1975
Le Juge et L'Assassin probes a curious relationship between condemner and condemnee. Philippe Noiret plays Rousseau, a French judge who holds the fate of convicted child killer Bouvier (Michel Galabru) in his hands. Should Rousseau decide that Bouvier is insane, the killer will not go prison. As they come to know each other better, both are given the rare opportunity of exploring the vagaries of the human mind. The previously unbendable judge alters several long-held opinions concerning criminals, while Bouvier is for the first time in his life able to articulate the thought processes which motivate his actions. It is clear at times that much of the dialogue in Judge and the Assassin stems from Bertrand Tavernier's own lifelong feelings of loneliness and isolation. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Philippe Noiret, Michel Galabru, (more)
- 1974
Elizabeth (Romy Schneider) and her daughter (Benedicte Bucher) take a holiday together, and each of them has a brief romance: the mother has an affair with a suitably mysterious Italian (Nino Castelnuovo) and the girl has a satisfying flirtation with a boy her own age (Alain David). ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Romy Schneider, Nino Castelnuovo, (more)
One of Luis Buñuel's most episodic films, The Phantom of Liberty focuses on no one particular narrative. In the beginning, a man sells postcards of French tourist attractions, calling them "pornographic." A sniper in Montparnasse is hailed as a hero for killing passersby. A "missing" child helps the police fill out the report on her. A group of monks play poker, using religious medallions as chips, and in the most infamous sequence, a formally dressed social group gathers at toilets around a table, occasionally excusing themselves to go into little stalls in a private room to eat. ~ John Voorhees, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Brialy, Monica Vitti, (more)
- 1974
When Joelle (Nathalie Courval) notices that the "one of a kind" watch given to her by her lover Norbert (Jean-Claude Brialy) is also being worn by Olivia (Marcha Grant), she and the other woman strike up an acquaintance. They discover that they had been told the same lie by the same man; not only is he being unfaithful to his wife with a mistress, he is being unfaithful to one mistress with yet another! The two watch-wearing mistresses put their heads together to think up an appropriate punishment. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Brialy, Nathalie Courval, (more)
- 1973
This French comedy journeys with Armand (Jean-Claude Brialy), a valet, as he tries to find an appropriate employer for his specialized skills. Alas, the rich are not what they used to be. His first employer's husband is jailed for embezzlement and she can no longer afford him; his second employer obsesses about her days as a leading opera star; his third is a nymphomaniac who is a little too interested in him; and the fourth is a government minister who works much too hard. Perhaps the renowned poet (Pierre Bertin), who wants to remain at home with his cats, will properly appreciate a good valet. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Brialy, Micheline Presle, (more)
- 1972
Thomas (Jacques Charrier) is a sailor who has deserted from the Navy in this gentle French drama. He has found refuge in a seaside bordello. Romantic difficulties blossom as he and Flora (Catherine Rouvert), one of the house's prostitutes, fall in love with each other. When he hurts her, however, the denizens of the house agree that he must leave ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marie Bell, Jacques Charrier, (more)
- 1972
In this French suspense drama, Paul (Jean-Claude Brialy) is a decent man in an ugly situation. His wife (Stephane Audran), who was crippled in their second year of marriage, has become a bitter and unpleasant virago. Though he keeps company with a lovely mistress (Catherine Spaak), the wife is still a considerable burden. When she dies in an automobile accident, he is relieved. That relief is short-lived, however, because his sister-in-law (Stephane Audran, again) comes to live with him immediately. For reasons of her own, she re-creates his wife's shrewish persona and even uses her wheelchair. At the same time, someone tries to blackmail him by suggesting that he killed his wife. Naturally, when the blackmailer (Robert Hossein) is found dead, he is the chief suspect. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michel Serrault, Catherine Spaak, (more)
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