Jean-Loup Dabadie Movies

In this comedy, veterinarian Henri Sauveur (Jean Rochefort) maintains his dignity and calm in the face of an incredible number of irritating or even genuinely upsetting encounters with inveterate pains-in-the-neck. He suffers from the rudeness (and worse) of Parisian drivers, his relatives, and friends and clients. All the same, he manages to convey an admirable appearance of insouciance and a devil-may-care attitude. That is, until he meets the redoubtable Louise Sherry (Miou-Miou). He is so smitten with her charms that his artfully maintained defenses crumble pitifully, and he is reduced to confiding his troubles to a bemused but sympathetic female chimpanzee. This fast-paced comedy features some of France's best-loved actors and comedians, including Claude Brasseur, Jean Yanne, and Jacques Villeret) in walk-on performances. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This melodrama, set in WW II during the French occupation, tells the story of the members of a Jewish family who flee the Germans and end up hiding in the country manse of two aristocrats. Unfortunately, the Gestapo finds them and they are sent to a concentration camp. The film then leaps ahead to 1985 where the daughter of the couple begins believing that her dead brother has been reincarnated as a famed pianist. She feels this is so because both of them love Rachmaninoff's "Concerto No. 2". ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The French My Other Husband (Attention! Une Femme Peut en Cacher une Autre) would eventually suffer the indignity of an American TV-movie remake, which will go unnamed here to protect the guilty. The original film is a sprightly vehicle for the delectable Miou-Miou. Thanks to her resourcefulness and spunk, Alice (Miou-Miou) manages to get two well-paying jobs in two separates cities. She also acquires two husbands, airline pilot Philippe (Roger Hanin) and school teacher Vincent (Eddy Mitchell), and three children unevenly distributed between them. Our Heroine is found out when Philippe's schedule is changed and he chances to meet Vincent. Both men accept the situation philosophically, but a frantic Alice feels an explanation is necessary. It is that explanation that provides the heart and soul of this irresistible little film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Martin (Jean Rochefort) is a coward who is swept up in the revolt by French students in May, 1968 in this Gallic comedy of errors. He helps the rioters destroy his own auto as his wife and children watch the proceedings in disbelief. Martin wakes up in a student commune and sees the beautiful Eva Catherine Deneuve, and the smitten coward follows her to Amsterdam where she secures a job as a cabaret singer. When her jealous boyfriend comes calling, Martin runs back to Paris. He pretends to have amnesia to get out of trouble at home, but he finds she has taken another lover in his absence. Martin races back to Amsterdam and brings Eva back to Paris in hopes of marriage after her boyfriend dies. After the ceremony, Eva reveals she is married to the American businessman Charlie (Robert Webber). Martin accepts a position as a chauffeur, content to be Eva's lover during Charlie's frequent business trips. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

This French comedy is the sequel to the well-regarded Pardon Mon Affaire. This version centers on the sexual fantasies of a quartet of four married, middle-class men attempting to deal with the onset of middle-age. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Violette (Isabelle Adjani) is fascinated with the shabby background and low-down ways of her boyfriend Francois (Jacques Dutronc), and despite her middle-class family's objections, she marries him. Unable to keep a job, and without any real skills, he has a hard time supporting them, especially after the birth of their baby. He turns to shoplifting, and she briefly leaves him when she discovers this. Sometime after they get back together, with money still in short supply, she takes a turn at shoplifting too, and gets a kick out of it. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In this film, a group of French kids face the difficult transition from childhood to adulthood as they struggle through their teenage years. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Marcello Mastrioanni stars as an aging actor whose career has dwindled to TV commercials. Seeking an anchor in his life, Mastrioanni attempts a reconciliation with his ex-wife. But in this, as in his professional life, Mastrioanni is doomed to disillusionment and failure. Salut L'Artiste should be required viewing for every college theatre class in the country, but we know that it won't be; who among us wants to admit that dreams don't always come true? Director Yves Robert, best known for his Marcel Pagnol adaptations, both produced and co-scripted Salut L'Artiste. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Claude Sautet's romantic drama César et Rosalie (Cesar and Rosalie) stars Romy Schneider as Rosalie, a beautiful young woman happily married to successful businessman Cesar (Yves Montand). One day, Rosalie's former flame David (Sami Frey) appears and attempts to win her back. Cesar reacts with a jealous intensity never before seen by Rosalie, and because of that, she returns to David. She remains conflicted as to with whom she should be, but eventually, one of the men does something which resolves the situation. César et Rosalie contains one of the first screen appearances of French actress Isabelle Huppert. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Bernadette Lafont is as alluring as all get out in Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me (original title: Une Belle Fille Comme Moi). She plays a crafty murderess who uses her not inconsiderable charms to disarm her victims and trap unwitting males into helping her. Claude Brasseur plays the ingenuous criminology student to whom Lafont relates her steamy past. In the end, he is as "hooked" as any of the other men in the girl's life. Based on the novel by Henry Farrell (and more than a little inspired by such Hollywood "black widow" films as The File on Thelma Jordon), Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me is one of the most consistently enjoyable of Francois Truffault's films of the 1970s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

French filmmaker Nadine Trintignant writes and directs the 1971 drama Ça N'Arrive Qu'Aux Autres (It Only Happens to Others), based on her real-life experiences with actor husband Jean-Louis Trintignant. Catherine (Catherine Deneuve) and Marcello (Marcello Mastroianni) lose their baby daughter Camille to a deadly illness. In order to mourn their loss, they shut themselves off from the world by hiding in their apartment. After weeks of seclusion, Marcello decides to break their isolation. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Clerambard (Philippe Noiret) feeds his large family by killing cats and dogs. He also makes his family run hand looms with very little respite. His life forever changes when he sees Saint Francis. The Saint helps him prepare his horse as Clerambard suddenly goes out into the world to preach the gospel and reveal his newfound love of animals. This comedy is taken from the hit play by Marcel Ayme. Dany Carrel has an amusing role as the town prostitute. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide