Carlo Rim Movies
- 1958
This uneven comedy was the last feature film by director and writer Carlo Rim, and it features French comic Darry Cowl in a series of humorous sketches. These episodic divisions portray the personal lives of two different professors afflicted with stuttering and a stereotyped academic mien (eyeglasses included). Some of the sketches are better than others, but in general the jokes and the story skim the surface. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Darry Cowl, Beatrice Altariba, (more)
- 1957
The title of this French seriocomedy translates to This Pretty World. Yves Denaud plays a gangster boss who decides to infiltrate High Society, the better to become reacquainted with the son he hasn't seen for 25 years. Much to Denaud's chagrin, Sonny Boy (played by comic actor Darry Cowl) is as prudish and moralistic as his dad is not. This personality conflict pays off in some big laughs, though not all the humor is in the best of taste. The ever-increasing popularity of Darry Cowl enabled Ce Joil Monde to attain excellent bookings throughout France. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yves Deniaud, Darry Cowl, (more)
- 1956
Eddie Constantine found a little time between his "Lemmy Caution" actioners to star in the tongue-in-cheek meller Les Truands (The Thieves). In flashback, the audience learns why 104-year-old Amedee (Yves Robert) steals the watch belonging to the town mayor just before expiring. The film develops into a history of the watch-thievery business, told in anecdotal fashion. Constantine plays a Wild West timepiece-rustler who develops a sense of morality which puts him out of business; others in the cast include Noel-Noel as a bemused burglar and Jean Richard as an amorous crook. Les Truands was directed by Carlo-Rim with the same breeziness that he invested in his Fernandel comedies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Constantine, Noël-Noël, (more)
- 1954
This film is comprised of three vignettes focusing upon women and war. The first episode, set in WW II, chronicles the sad journey of an American woman who goes to Italy to bring her husband's body home. In Italy she makes a heart-wrenching discovery: he had been living with an Italian family and had impregnated their daughter and sees the child. The second story chronicles the abandonment of Joan of Arc, by her king and her soldiers. The third episode is a humorous adaptation of "Lysistrata," the Greek play where Athenian wives refused to sleep with their husbands until they stopped making war. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1954
Escalier de Service (Service Entrance) charts the misadventures of gorgeous maidservant Marie-Lou (Etchika Choreau). After fainting in public, Marie-Lou is allowed to convalesce in the apartment of a handsome photographer. Feeling a bit frisky one morning, our heroine begins to recall isolated incidents in her past, which are then enacted by an all-star supporting cast. Mischa Auer, Robert Lamoreaux, Danielle Darieaux and Jacques Morel are among those who have had the benefit (in more ways than one) of Marie-Lou's services. Escalier de Service was directed by Carlo Rim, best known for his work on the Fernandel comedies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danielle Darrieux, Robert Lamoureux, (more)
- 1952
The Seven Deadly Sins is a portmanteau film (a la Quartet and O. Henry's Full House) assembled by some of the biggest talents in the Italian and French film industry. The film's six sections (one containing two sins) are designed by separate titles, which should be self-explanatory. "Avarice and Anger" stars its director, Eduardo DeFilippo, as a miser who comes to grief. "Lust," directed by Yves Allegret, contrasts minor flirtation with major sexual passion. "Pride," directed by Claude Autant-Lara, details the fall from grace of a snooty mother and daughter. The other episodes include "Sloth," directed by Jean Dreville; "Envy," directed by Roberto Rosselini; and "Gluttony," directed by Carlo Rim. An eighth sin, directed by Georges Lacombe and starring Gerard Philipe, is thrown in as a comic bonus. Seven Deadly Sins is a lot of fun, though each of the individual episodes could use a little work in the continuity department. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Philipe, Viviane Romance, (more)
- 1951
Set in fin de siecle Paris, La Maison Bonnadieu stars Bernard Blier as a middle-aged bourgeois husband named Felix. Much to his discomfort, Felix learns that his wife Gabrielle (Danielle Darrieux) is carrying on with a young man--a very young man. Rather than express outrage, Felix decides that there's something lacking in him. He spends the rest of the picture trying to keep his wife by altering his own personality and outlook. La Maison Bonnadieu managed to secure good American bookings on the strength of Danielle Darrieux's star appeal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danielle Darrieux, Bernard Blier, (more)
