Henry Lange Movies

Two young bohemians try to make a life together as the end of the century looms before them in this thoughtful comedy-drama. Coyote (Mitsou Gelinas) is an impetuous young woman who meets Chomi (Patrick Labbe), a moody young man studying filmmaking. Coyote and Chomi fall in love, bound by their shared fascination with the past and the city's crumbling geography as the end of the 1990s signals the dawn of a new era. Coyote and Chomi's romance is not always harmonious, and the couple find themselves frequently splitting up, only to quickly reunite. However, Coyote begins to look for more stability in their relationship when she discovers that she is pregnant. Coyote was the second feature directed by former cinematographer Richard Ciupka, though his first directorial effort, Curtains, was credited to Jonathan Stryker. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This production of Giuseppi Verdi's opera based on Macbeth, the famed play by William Shakespeare, is a musical succès d'estime but falls short in the cinematic arena. Shirley Verrett stars as the murderous and ambitious Lady Macbeth, Leo Nucci co-stars as her similarly ambitious but slightly more scrupulous husband, who has the good grace to feel some horror at his deeds before he does them. The entire opera was filmed inside a Belgian castle, and some of the smaller parts are obviously lip-synched to pre-recorded music. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In this erotic drama, Marcel (Ralph Michael) fantasizes about being with his daughter-in-law Simone (Beatie Edney) after the death of his wife. The woman pretends to be surprised over his attention but does nothing to discourage his advances. He promises to build her a swimming pool in order to further his fantasies. The story is taken from the novel by Junichiro Tamizaki. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Director Claude D'Anna has tried for epic proportions in this less-than-epic film about incest, murder, suicide, and insanity in an aristocratic Sicilian family living in the 1950s. Count Villafratti (Max Von Sydow) has sex one night with his nymphomaniac daughter because he thinks she is his wife, and his wife, who is an operatic diva, hears of this just before she goes on stage. Later on, she commits suicide over the heinous act. In the meantime, their plantation workers are on strike, the communists and Mafiosos are fighting -- and the family's whole inner story (seen through the eyes of a visiting Sicilian-American who has come to bury his father here) is reflected in this outer turmoil. Segments of Verdi and Puccini at the opera house cannot do much to keep the entire scenario from seeming like a parody of itself. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

A Trompe L'Oeil is something which fools the eye, a harmless illusion, something which clearly cannot be what it appears to be. This suspense drama is about a woman who has reason to be afraid and suspicious but cannot get anyone to take her fears seriously. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Le Rouge aux Levres is a stylish, fascinating, very erotic vampire film based on Sheridan le Fanu's Camilla, the classic tale of a lesbian vampire. A young married couple, Stefan (John Karlen) and Valerie (Daniele Ouimet), honeymoon at a deserted oceanside resort where they meet Countess Elisabeth Bathory (Delphine Seyrig) and her companion Ilona (Andrea Rau). Valerie has discovered that Stefan is a brutal sexual sadist and is drawn to the Countess because of her warmth and sensuality. Ilona attempts to seduce Stefan but is accidentally killed, and the Countess takes her revenge on his wife. Director Harry Kumel directs with stunning visual style and maintains the erotic intensity and tension between the characters with skill, getting a particularly good performance from the magnificent Delphine Seyrig, who resembles in both mood and looks the young Marlene Dietrich. Erotic, unusual and extremely violent, Le Rouge aux Levres, also released as Daughters of Darkness is one of the finest vampire films ever produced, making up with style and class what it might have lacked in budget. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi