Georges Conchon Movies

Directed by Axel Corti and based on the German novel by Joseph Roth, Radetzkymarsch was a television miniseries originally broadcast in France. Taking place in Vienna, Austria, the story concerns the an aristocratic family right before the outbreak of WWI. Baron Franz Von Trotta (Max Von Sydow) is the son of a war hero who saved the Emperor's life. He was raised in royalty under the Emperor's care and not allowed to join the army himself, so he pressures his son, Carl Joseph (Tilman Günther), to join the military. Carl Joseph is weak and wants no part of the armed forces, but soon WWI breaks out and lessens his chance for escape. Also starring Gert Voss as Chojnicki, Claude Rich as Dr. Demant, and Charlotte Rampling as Valerie von Taussig. Features a score by Poland's leading contemporary film composer, Zbigniew Preisner. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

This parody of the detective-story genre merrily detours into spoofing French foibles as well, making it more of an exercise in verbal gymnastics than a narrative with a mission. Esther (Juliette Binoche) is a veterinarian who is certain that her sister has been murdered by her brother-in-law. She convinces two members of the Academie Francaise, the prestigious institution that protects the virginity of the French language, to investigate. Both men (Michel Serrault and Michel Piccoli) are enamored of the woman and are quite willing to enter into competition for her favors. As might be expected from academicians of any ilk, they are inept at digging into a murder mystery and bumble their way through one incident after another. Corpses continue to pile up (not in front of the camera, however) while the two men are sidetracked by their interest in language. Given their positions, they do not want that murdered either. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In this story, the ambitions of the get-rich-quick crowd come crashing down around their ears as they hitch a ride on a speculation bubble involving sugar-commodities pricing. Raoul (Gerard Depardieu) is a hot-shot commodities broker who sweet-talks Adrien (Jean Carmet), a quiet and unassuming man, into taking his wife's inheritance and using it to speculate on the recent rise in sugar prices. Raoul is able to pry more money away from Adrien when he shows him how much his first, more conservative speculations have made. Commodities speculators know that when the market is going their way, their earnings multiply many-fold. However, in the heat of the moment, they sometimes forget that when prices go the wrong way, their losses can also multiply. In this story, the con-man is taken in by his own con, for Raoul has also entered the sugar market, using every bit of money he can scrape together. When the market turns around, they both land in the soup together. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The inaugural film effort of French director Jean-Jacques Annaud, Black and White in Color is set during World War I. Upon the outbreak of hostilities, a French trading post in West Central Africa finds itself at odds with a formerly peaceful German post, for no other reason than their parent countries are at war. The newly xenophobic French traders attack the Germans, only to fail in their efforts. Socialist Jacques Spiesser is put in charge of the debilitated French contingent, utterly discarding his former high ideals in the process. Filmed on location on the Ivory Coast, the satirical Black and White in Color (originally La Victoire en Chantant) won the American Academy Award for Best Foreign Film of 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Antonin (Jacques Perrin) is a young French soldier who returns home from World War I to recover from his wounds. When he falls in love with a young widow (Macha Meril), Antonin questions his role in battle and contemplates desertion as he recalls the horrors of war. He is pressured by his patriotic father (Rene Dary) to honor his military commitment even if it means he will die. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi