Portraits trompeurs

Late 17th Century: Anne de Grandcamp and Lucie de Fontenelle, two little girls from Normandy, arrive at the Saint-Cyr school founded by Madame de Maintenon for educating the daughters of impoverished nobles ruined in wars and making them into free women. Madame de Maintenon is the secret wife of Louis XIV, and empowered by his support, she offers "her" two hundred fifty girls a playful and avant-garde education. Anne and Lucie, two inseparable friends, allow themselves to be carried away by the promise of a bright future. But Maintenon has arrived at the pinnacle of power through scheming and debasing herself and she now fears the fires of hell. She is counting on her model school to atone for her past sins.

Christine, 16 years old, has dreamt of John Travolta ever since seeing him in "Saturday Night Live". Nicolas, age 17, is a very quiet, wierd young guy "flipped out" by the writings of Rimbaud and Nietzsche. As a joke, Nicolas makes a bet with one of his friends. "To pick up a girl, all you have to do is want her", he says. When he meets Christine for the first time on a bus, Nicolas is obliged to try and pick her up. For him, she's just part of the game he's playing. But for her, it's love. Her first. They make plans for the following day. Untortunately, Christine finds herself stuck working behind the counter of her parents bakery. But she will travel great lengths to keep this date with Nicolas. At an iceskating rink where some kids are throwing a birthday party, Nicolas finds himself facing his passionate date, Christine. Not only is this his first meeting with "The One", but its also the first occasion where he finds himself confronted with who he really is.

Mazuy's first film, made while nannying in L.A. A lovers on the lam story. No longer in circulation, partly because of music rights issues with The Doors' "The End", which features prominently - although Ray Manzarek does get a special thanks, as does Agnès Varda.

Enraged by the sale of the vaulting horse that she'd been promised as hers to ride, Gracieuse, a talented rider, dumps her job at a stable. She starts again from zero by accepting work as a groom at a dressage stud farm adjacent to her father's property. The owner, Joséphine de Silène, exploits with an iron fist the international renown of a German trainer, Franz Mann. This former champion, now cynical and worn out, is sought out by female riders the world over, who fight each other for his knowledge - and for his attention. This microcosm of power and money has no time for Gracieuse, whose only assets are her talent, her fiercely stubborn character, and, most particularly, her determination to succeed. A high tension wire who's ready to stand up to Franz Mann and to face any obstacle, even if it means stepping outside the law, she pursues her sole obsession: to have horse to call her own that she will take to the top.

Basse Normandie is based on actual events. Protagonists Simon Reggiani and Patricia Mazuy are also husband and wife in real life. They filmed the creation of one of Simon’s plays, and then reenacted some of the events surrounding it. Simon prepares for a one-man show that he will perform largely on horseback, including dressage. The local government of the region hopes to use the play to improve its image; with government’s support, it’s decided that Simon will perform the play before an audience of over 1,700 farmers during an agricultural congress in Paris. The director of a large stud farm provides Simon with rehearsal space. What follows is the path that Reggiani had to take in order to create his performance — a path filled with obstacles ranging from uncooperative stable staff and a grumpy horse to vocal problems. An intriguing and occasionally absurd mixture of filmed theater, a making-of documentary, mockumentary and dressage lesson.

“Bowling Saturne” follows police officer Guillaume, who inherits his family’s bowling business following his father’s death. He decides to give it to his troubled half-brother, Armand, but Guillaume is later distracted from his work in investigating a series of murders by his sibling’s unusual management of the business along with a team of hunters and an environmental activist.

A 1992 documentary film directed by Patricia Mazuy.

The reappearance of notorious criminal Paul Sanchez becomes an obsession for a young police officer who will do anything to catch him.

This brooding, enigmatic story won the 1989 Prix George Sadoul at the Cannes Film Festival, in the category "Un Certain Regard," which focuses on "smaller" films. In the story, Gerard and his wife Annie have made a nice life for themselves on their farm. That life is disturbed by the arrival of Gerard's older brother Roland - a brother Annie never knew existed. It gradually becomes clear that both brothers had once negligently set fire to a barn while drunk, inadvertently causing the death of a sleeping wanderer. Roland took all the blame for causing the death, and spent ten years in prison for it. Now he wants Gerard to make those years up to him. Gerard, who up until then had succeeded in putting the incident out of his mind, is now consumed by guilt, and, since he loves both his brother and his wife, doesn't know what to do about those demands. Not only that, but he is a little bit afraid of Roland.