Tag Archives: french

Le Plaisir (et ses petits tracas) (1998) Nicolas Boukhrief, Mathieu Kassovitz, Vincent Cassel, Julie Gayet, Drama

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“Pleasure (and its little inconveniences)” In Europe today, as chance, deceits and desires run their course, the army conscript meets the nurse, the nurse gets back together with the comedian, the comedian meets the married woman, the married woman gets back together with the VIP, the VIP meets the mad dog, the mad dog gets back together with his old friend Loulou and Loulou, naturally, meets Jack the Ripper…
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If these Walls could talk (1996) Cher, Nancy Savoca, Demi Moore, Shirley Knight, Catherine Keener, Drama, Thriller

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If These Walls Could Talk is a 1996 Golden Globe and Emmy Award-nominated made for television movie, broadcast on HBO. It follows the plights of three different women and their experiences with abortion. Each of the three stories takes place in the same house in three different years: 1952, 1974, and 1996. All three segments were co-written by Nancy Savoca. Savoca directed the first and second segment while Cher directed the third. The womens’ experiences in each vignette are designed to demonstrate the popular views of society on the issue in each of the given decades. The film became a surprise success, and was HBO’s highest rated movie ever.
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Le Diable et les dix commandements / The Devil and the Ten Commandments (1962) Julien Duvivier, Michel Simon, Lucien Baroux, Claude Nollier, Comedy, Drama

le-diable-et-les-dix-commandements-aka-the-devil-and-the-ten-commandments-1962
The ageing warden of a convent is berated by the Mother Superior for his bad language. To cure him of his affliction, the Bishop, an old friend of his, gives him a copy of the Bible and asks him to learn the Ten Commandments by heart. As the warden begins his task, the Devil leaps from the pages of the book in the form of a serpent and relishes in watching as one by one the Commandments are broken…
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De Mayerling à Sarajevo / From Mayerling to Sarajevo (1940) Max Ophüls, Edwige Feuillère, John Lodge, Aimé Clariond, Drama

De Mayerling a Sarajevo (1940)
In the late 1800’s, Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire, falls for Sophie Chotek, a Czech countess. He’s already a problem to the Crown because of his political ideas; this love affair with someone not of royal blood breeches protocol. The Crown allows the union only after the couple agrees to a morganatic marriage. The emperor further neutralizes Franz by making him inspector general of the army, sending him afield for months at a time. In June of 1914, fearing for his safety, Sophie seeks permission to accompany Franz to Sarajevo; protocol dictates that no army troops attend Franz while she is present. An assassin strikes. Their deaths spark World War I.
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Gibraltar / It Happened in Gibraltar (1938) Fyodor Otsep, Roger Duchesne, Erich von Stroheim, Viviane Romance, Drama, War

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In 1938, in Gibraltar to infiltrate terrorists who sabotage the boats with troups which should sail to Palestine, a British officer poses as a traitor… The pulpy Mercedes (Viviane Romance), a dancer in a seedy cabaret of Tangier “who draws men like light attracts butterflies…” is spying on behalf of the mysterious Marson interpreted masterfully by Erich Von Stroheim.
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Coeur fidèle / The Faithful Heart (1923) Jean Epstein, Léon Mathot, Gina Manès, Edmond Van Daële, Drama, Romance

coeur-fidele-aka-the-faithful-heart-1923
Marie wants to escape from her job and also from her lover, Paul, an unemployed drunk. She dreams of going off with Jean, a dockworker. The two men quarrel and fight over Marie on two occasions, but Paul retains a hold over her. Marie has a baby who falls ill and as time goes on Jean and a crippled neighbor try to help the child. Paul nearly causes the death of the child whilst in a drunken stupor and in a final struggle that occurs, the crippled woman seizes Paul’s gun and shoots him dead.
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Cousin cousine (1975) Jean-Charles Tacchella, Marie-Christine Barrault, Victor Lanoux, Marie-France Pisier, Comedy, Romance

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Two distant cousins meet for the first time at a wedding banquet for an elderly couple. They both decide that they should see more of each other, and over time, a friendship develops. However, their respective spouses begin to think that more than a friendship is blooming, and as more and more people being to think so as well, the idea starts to become appealing to them.
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Five Day Lover / L’amant de cinq jours (1961) Philippe de Broca, Jean Seberg, Micheline Presle, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Comedy, Drama

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During Madeleine’s fashion show Claire meets Antoine and becomes his mistress. Due to the fact that she’s married (to a wealthy man) she only spends a few days a week with him. Antoine is also rich, and often taken to meetings by his chauffeur, Marius. However things are more complicated: Antoine is Madeleine lover (Claire’s best friend) while George, Claire’s husband is quite rich and has a modest job. Everything works perfectly until Madeleine discovers the truth. She prepares her vengéance and organizes a celebration which she invites Antoine, Claire and George.
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Innocence (2004) Lucile Hadzihalilovic, Zoé Auclair, Lea Bridarolli, Bérangère Haubruge, Drama, Mystery

innocence-2004
Prepare yourself to be either infuriated or fascinated by this French film. There’s no in-between reaction available here.When people talk about seeing a really weird film where nothing happened and the end didn’t make any sense, this is the film they’re probably talking about. I’d call it fascinating, but I’m well aware that I’m probably in the minority.
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Deep End (1971) Jerzy Skolimowski, Jane Asher, John Moulder-Brown, Karl Michael Vogler, Comedy, Drama, Romance

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John Moulder-Brown plays a teen-aged London bathhouse attendant who forms a business alliance with female attendant Jane Asher. The object is to obtain better tips from their clients, but soon the impressionable Moulder-Brown falls in love with the older Asher. Brushed off by the girl in favor of a handsome swimming instructor, Moulder-Brown makes several halfhearted attempts at revenge. When the boy and girl finally do get together sexually, the event is motivated by lust and has tragic results…
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