Michèle Morgan Movies

New Jersey Drive opens with Jason (Gabriel Casseus) heading off to juvenile detention then unfolds in flashback as, chronologically, the incidents leading to his arrest surface one by one. First the audience sees his violence and poverty-ridden project; next his go-nowhere delinquent friends are introduced, as is their hobby: joy riding. Soon some of the teens, including Jason, begin to convert their hobby into a part-time job as they steal cars and sell them to a sleazy chop-shop owner for pennies on the dollar. Eventually, luck runs out when they are caught in a police sting; one boy is shot to death by the crooked Officer Roscoe (Saul Stein), who then warns Jason not to tell a soul; however, they continue stealing cars. Meanwhile, Jason beats up a neighborhood acquaintance on the playground for a slight to his sister and finds himself the target of the boy's murder attempts. The action draws to a head as both Roscoe and the vengeful boy close in. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi

A detective is on a case of homicide and he gets more involved than his police department may have intended in this French mystery. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

In this wartime melodrama, Lieutenant Colonel Raspeguy (Anthony Quinn) is a French peasant who has worked his way up the military ladder during the French involvement in Indochina. Sent to Algeria, Raspeguy must mold a group of raw recruits into a competent fighting unit. He calls on Esclavier (Alain Delon), his sensitive assistant who eventually deserts the military out of frustration over the pointlessness of war. Raspeguy's other assistant is Boisfeuras (Maurice Ronet), the affable officer whose outside demeanor hides the heart of a vicious killer who loves the bloodlust of battle. Raspeguy takes up with Countess De Clairefons (Michele Morgan), the widow of a respected general. She promises Raspeguy she will marry him if he comes back from the conflict as a general. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

French film star Michele Morgan plays a reclusive Parisian music teacher. She gets her jollies by peeking through her window and witnessing the romantic liaisons of her female neighbor. When the girl is strangled by one of her lovers, the killer (Simon Andreau) hides out in Michele's apartment. The widow is turned on by the dangerous eroticism of the situation, and soon becomes the murderer's lover. A blackmailer (Claud Rich) extracts a great deal of money from the errant Morgan, whereupon it is revealed that the "murder victim" (Dany Saval) is very much alive and part of the extortion scheme. Morgan's vengeance is delicious to behold--and this being a foreign film, she actually gets away with it. Jean-Pierre Ferriere adapted his own novel for the screenplay of Web of Fear, which was originally issued in France as Constance aux Enfers and simultaneously in Spain as Un Balcon Sobre el Infierno. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This light comedy finds a troubled attorney the focus of a woman's murder plot. He answers newspaper ads of women seeking companionship only to meet up with a wife who is willing to have her husband murdered for his infidelities. When the attorney poses as a millionaire, he finds more than his share of trouble, as a rush of female suitors play up to him in an attempt to kill him to get their hands on his money. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

In this Italian drama set during the 1500s, an impoverished youth becomes embroiled in politics when he is falsely accused of killing a Venetian nobleman. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Gentle Art of Murder is comprised of a trio of short crime tales: "The Spider's Web," "The Fenyrou Case" and "The Mask." An international all-star cast appears in these filmed playlets, wherein each perfect murder turns out to be less than perfect. The stories are linked by "bookend" scenes in which an aspiring wife murderer goes to a movie house and watches the three cautionary tales unreel. Nearly three hours long, Gentle Art of Murder holds both the audience--and the would-be killer--in thrall. The film's original title was Crime Does Not Pay, though it bears no relation to the MGM short-subjects series of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Skimming the surface of characterization, this romance-tragedy by François Villiers is based on a novel by Jean-Jacques Gautier and concerns the relationship between Laurent (Jean-Claude Brialy), a painter, and Renée (Michele Morgan) and her daughter Daniele (Catherine Spaak). Just when Renée and Laurent are ready to make their love affair official, Renée's daughter shows up and there are immediate sparks of attraction that fly between her and the painter. Sure enough, the fickle artist drops the mom and marries the daughter -- and then they make the mistake of moving in with Renée. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Meant to be a psychological study of a dysfunctional couple and an equally unbalanced maid, this slow-paced, murky melodrama stars Michele Morgan and Robert Hossein (the director) as Thelma and Jess, two Americans who move into a down-at-the-heels Paris neighborhood. The couple is still suffering from the loss of their only son in an automobile accident that happened some time in the distant past. Thelma tends to drown her sorrows in alcohol, while Jess is introspected and morose. After they hire a maid to help out with the housework, she falls for the taciturn Jess. Her interest seems to be only a simple attraction, yet appearances, as it turns out, are deceiving. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Charles Boyer is Maxime in this seriocomic period romance. Maxime is an ageing roue who, partly out of boredom and partly because he needs a steady source of income, arranges the romantic assignations of his protégé, wealthy Hubert (Felix Marten). The old rake's current mission is to weaken the resolve of the lovely Jacqueline (Michele Morgan), who had previously told Hubert to get lost. As it turns out, Maxim falls in love with Jacqueline, especially after discovering that, despite her own impoverished state, Hubert's money means nothing to him. But when Hubert begins acting like a human being instead of a rich jerk, Jacqueline is at last attracted to him, leaving the philosophical Maxim to stand by philosophically, his rogueish smile hiding his broken heart. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Five romantic and funny vignettes comprise this Italian anthology that is set amidst the beauty and fun of the famed French coastline. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Retour de Manivelle (The Turn of the Handle) is an acceptable French approximation of Hollywood "film noir" techniques. Artist Peter Van Eyck rescues Daniel Gelin from drowning, takes the man home, and makes him his chauffeur. Gelin does his job well, even managing to fend off the romantic advances of Van Eyck's wife Michele Morgan (after all, he's got a good thing going with housemaid Michele Mercier). When the artist commits suicide, Morgan inveigles Gelin into rearranging the evidence so that the death will appear to be murder, lest she lose out on her husband's insurance money. The faithful Gelin agrees--a decision he lives to regret. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi