The action takes place at the turn of the 19th Century. Adolphe (Stanislas Merhar) is a carefree, somewhat jaded 22-year-old, scion of a preeminent aristocratic family, with a very ... See full synopsis »
Director:
Benoît Jacquot
Stars:
Isabelle Adjani,
Stanislas Merhar,
Jean Yanne
When an indistinct woman named Charlotte leaves a train station in hopes of changing her life forever, she's followed by a mysterious stranger with ill intentions.
Victor Valance, an absent father who likes to gamble, returns home in order to take money from his family and gamble with it. His daughter is suspicious of her father's activities and ... See full summary »
A Christmas story. When boy-friend Georges dumps would-be writer and hypochondriac Pénélope, she goes through two days of horrible, self- centered pain: she asks her friend Sophie to help, ... See full summary »
Based on the Nobel Prize Winner's novel, the Egyptian Naguib Mahfouz. The story, translated from El Cairo to Mexico City's downtown, narrates the life of the members of the neighbourhood ... See full summary »
Director:
Jorge Fons
Stars:
Ernesto Gómez Cruz,
María Rojo,
Salma Hayek
At a football match, an unscrupulous photographer, Michel Verdier, takes pictures of a celebrity couple. Magazine editors go with the photos even though the dominant figure in them is a ... See full summary »
Director:
Alain Berbérian
Stars:
Patrick Timsit,
Vincent Lindon,
Catherine Frot
At the start of World War II, the fate of the free world hangs in the balance at the posh Hotel Splendide in Bordeaux. Cabinet members, journalists, physicists, and spies of all persuasions gather in order to escape the Nazi occupation of Paris. High society socialites hobnob with jailbirds. Murderous intrigues, scientific secrets and love affairs flourish.Written by
Sujit R. Varma
This movie was unique in the fact that it took place in the few months prior to and during the Nazi invasion of WWII. This gave the film a hectic atmosphere, as the French government and those surrounding it are in constant chaos while fleeing the approaching Blitzkrieg. For once we see the great disruption that war causes to millions of innocents, not just the horrors that occur on the front. However I don't agree with he genre characterization that it is a comedy- as it is a very entertaining blend of mystery, double-crossing and drama, as well as a few funny moments. Gerard Depardieu didn't have a overbearing role in the film, but played just one of the many interesting characters that are introduced. I was also surprised by Peter Coyote's French and German language skills - and I think it's worth commenting that an American was included in a French film - and I'm glad to say he held his own. Of course Ms. Adjani and Virginie Ledoyen play excellent roles- there's just something about those French ladies...
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
| Report this
This movie was unique in the fact that it took place in the few months prior to and during the Nazi invasion of WWII. This gave the film a hectic atmosphere, as the French government and those surrounding it are in constant chaos while fleeing the approaching Blitzkrieg. For once we see the great disruption that war causes to millions of innocents, not just the horrors that occur on the front. However I don't agree with he genre characterization that it is a comedy- as it is a very entertaining blend of mystery, double-crossing and drama, as well as a few funny moments. Gerard Depardieu didn't have a overbearing role in the film, but played just one of the many interesting characters that are introduced. I was also surprised by Peter Coyote's French and German language skills - and I think it's worth commenting that an American was included in a French film - and I'm glad to say he held his own. Of course Ms. Adjani and Virginie Ledoyen play excellent roles- there's just something about those French ladies...