Francis Huster Movies
A romantic leading man who has had difficulty finding roles that really suit his talents, Francis Huster is one of French cinema's most recognizable faces. Possessing dark good looks and natural charisma, Huster is adept at drama and comedy alike, and he has essayed roles ranging from classic heroes to amiable sidekicks.Born in Neuilly-sur-Seine on December 8, 1947, Huster developed a passion for film with the aid of his grandmother, who began taking him to the cinema when he was a young boy. An excellent student, he decided at the age of 15 that he wanted to become a comedian, and he subsequently enrolled at a municipal conservatory for training. At the age of 20, Huster won a place at the prestigious national conservatory in Paris, where he studied with René Simon and Antoine Vitez. After leaving the conservatory in 1971, he joined the renowned Comédie Française, where he stayed for the next decade. While performing the works of such masters as Shakespeare, Molière, and Musset, Huster also began acting on the screen, making his debut as the titular priest in the religious drama La Faute de L'Abbé Mouret (1970).
Huster could subsequently be seen in starring roles in the works of a variety of directors ranging from Jeanne Moreau (Lumière, 1976; L'Adolescente, 1978) to Claude Lelouch (Un Autre Homme Une Autre Chance, 1977; Les Uns et les autres, 1981; and Edith et Marcel, 1983). In 1998, the actor was used to particularly winning effect in Francis Veber's Le Dîner de Cons (The Dinner Game), a witty comedy of errors that cast Huster as the friend and former rival of an arrogant publisher (Thierry Lhermitte) undone by the very man he intends to humiliate at his weekly "dinner of idiots." In 1986, Huster tried his hand at directing with On a volé Charlie Spencer, a comedy about an unassuming bank clerk who joins up with the group of thieves who have robbed his bank. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- 1976
Actress Jeanne Moreau made her directorial debut with this tale about a gathering of actresses who, over the course of an all-night conversation, come to reassess their careers and romantic lives. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francine Racette, Jeanne Moreau, (more)
- 1976
Imprisoned as an accessory to murder, Catherine (Catherine Deneuve) gives birth to a son she conceived in prison. Eighteen years later, her sentence served, she is reunited with the boy, Simon (Jean-Jacques Briot), who has remained in an orphanage the entire time. She is accompanied by toothsome prison buddy Sarah (Anouk Aimée), and gradually these people whose lives have been frozen in time "thaw" and get on with the business of living. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Deneuve, Anouk Aimée, (more)
- 1973
In this French historical epic/farce, Colinot (Francis Huster) has had a hard time. First, his fiancee was kidnapped by a group of woman-sellers, and after a very long and dangerous search through 15th-century France, during which he earns the name of "Skirt Puller Upper," he finally finds his intended. Alas, although he has remained chaste (and not without some difficulty), she has not, and she has also married and given her heart to a nobleman. The all-too innocent lad is heartbroken. Fortunately an older woman, Arabelle (Brigitte Bardot), takes pity on him, and teaches him the ways of life and love . ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Natalie Delon, Bernadette Lafont, (more)
- 1972
Faustine (Muriel Catala) suffers the wounds of first love in this gentle French film. During a summer when she is staying with her grandmother, she comes to know the nearby neighbors. Two brothers live in the large house. One is divorced and one has recently remarried, both of them live there with their teenaged and adult children. Though the boys of the household are drawn to Faustine, she grows ever more smitten with the divorced older man. During one visit she has to hide in his room to avoid the unwelcome attentions of his sons. As the summer draws to a close she has her first amorous kiss. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1970
A dedicated priest in frail health takes over a church attended by peasants who rejoice in the human love life has to offer them. Mouret (Francis Huster) is at odds with the wrathful rector (Andre Lacombe), who instills fear in the parishioners and takes exception to Mouret's embracing of the Virgin Mary. Mouret tries to mediate when the peasants fight over the belongings of a deceased woman. When he is taken ill and suffers short term memory loss, he is cared for at the house of his atheistic uncle and his servant girl. She cares for Mouret, who forgets his calling to God and falls for the young girl. She nurses him back to health and he returns to the church, but the rector drives the young girl from the parish and constantly reminds Mouret of his sin during his amnesia. When the young girl dies, Mouret buries her in consecrated ground despite the objections of the despotic rector. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francis Huster, Gillian Hills, (more)
