Christian-Jaque
A man named Marcel Carné met a camera one day. From this unusual love were born some of the masterpieces of French cinema. Christian-Jaque reminds us of this, from "Drôle de drame" to "Les enfants du paradis" through "Le jour se lève", "Les portes de la nuit" or "Les visiteurs du soir". The past, present and future life of Marcel Carné is mixed with extracts from his main films.
Two young Parisians, Raoul de Gardefeu and Bobinet, are in love with Metella, a beautiful young woman aspiring to high society. Metella rejects them both in favour of a richer and older man.
Based on the title character, a World Health Organisation (WHO) doctor and martial arts expert who fights bad guys, created in 1970 by scriptwriter Jean Ollivier and artist Carlo Marcello for "Pif Gadget", a weekly kids' comic book magazine in France.
This French spy story presented in comic book style was broadcasted on TV on November 1974. It tells the adventures of Hubert de Pomarec (Henri Piégay), alias “Milord”, a retired spy called back into service to foil the abduction of the new army tank AMX 30 by a gang of crooks.
Outlaw sisters in the old West inherit a ranch and try to settle down and develop relationships with neighboring family of lots of brothers.
The Making of a Lady: The Story of Lady Hamilton is a 1968 historical drama film directed by Christian-Jaque and starring Michèle Mercier, Richard Johnson and John Mills.[1] It was based on the novel La San-Felice by Alexandre Dumas and depicts the love affair between Emma Hamilton and Horatio Nelson. It was a co-production between Italy, West Germany, France and the United States.
Le Saint prend l’affût is a French adventure film first released in 1966, directed by Christian-Jaque. The film stars Jean Marais, Raffaella Carrà, Jess Hahn, Jean Yanne and Danièle Evenou. It has also been released under the title: The Saint Lies in Wait.
An Embassy attache and a butterfly hunter become involved in a treasure hunt between two rival gangs.
Documentary about French playwright and film director Sacha Guitry.
A U.S. intelligence general (Robert Ryan) recalls three Cold War cases of Soviet (Henry Fonda), French and Italian (Vittorio Gassman) spies.
A diverse group of friends gather to celebrate a witless woman's birthday in this comedy drama set in France during World War II. The guests include an uncle who is a Nazi collaborator, a blind war veteran, a simpering physician, an arrogant educator, a patriotic girl, and the husband of the guest of honor. When some German soldiers are killed outside the house, the group is told by the Gestapo that they must choose among themselves two who will be shot if the killer is not caught. If two victims are not chosen, all seven at the party will be captured. Things sound pretty grim, but the black comedy begins when all seven try to save themselves by any means possible.
In 1789, when the Revolution went on, a bandit named "Black Tulip" held the surroundings of village Roussillon in fear. The poor people respected him as Robin Hood, who declare himself a revolutioner but Count Guillaume de Saint Preux "plays" this benefactor.
A lovely young nurse finds herself framed for the murder of a hospital patient who died after she administered an injection.
Catherine Hubscher, who washes the shirts of young Napoleon and other soldiers fighting the Revolution, falls in love with Sergeant Lefebvre. Circumstances bring Lefebvre a noble title and even more -- Napoleon decides to make him the local ruler over a large territorial fiefdom. But trouble brews when Madame Sans-Gene, now elevated to the nobility along with her man -- cannot keep her frank observations under control.
The seven stages in the life of the modern Frenchwomen are disclosed by seven directors in a witty way: 1 - Childhood, 2 - Adolescence, 3 - Virginity, 4 - Marriage, 5 - Adultery, 6 - Divorce, 7 - The Single Woman.
Comedy about a naive French country girl in London who helps the war effort by parachuting into German-occupied France to help kidnap an important German general. She bungles through to a heroic finish of plot and counter-plot.
Assola is an imaginary village on the border between Italy and France and the borderline crosses the village itself. The French customs agent Ferdinand is always trying to catch the Italian smuggler Giuseppe. Giuseppe discovers that Ferdinand was actually born in Italy and therefore he can't be a French customs agent.
A professor experimenting in suspended animation accidentally shrinks his dog and later, his female lab assistant, when she drinks the liquid by accident and shrinks to 3 inches tall. The professor keeps her in his pocket until he can find an antidote. Sometimes she's naked, too.
Three stories, very different in space and time. Lysistrata, a dancer from ancient times, Jeanne d'Arc, medieval warrior and Elisabeth, American war widow who comes on pilgrimage in Italy.
The daughter of a seamstress, Jeanne Bécu could hardly imagine she would later become one of the most influential women of the Kingdom of France...
In the early 16th century, Italy is ruled by the powerful Borgia family, led by César Borgia and his sister Lucrèce. In a ruthless power play, César plots to have his sister’s husband murdered. But without her brother’s knowledge, Lucrèce has taken a strong lover who will challenge the Borgias.
Fanfan is a young handsome peasant. He joins the army to escape marriage and because a gipsy girl predicted he will get glory and the king's daughter as a wife. But the gipsy girl was in fact Adeline, the daughter of the recruiting officer. Once he has discovered the stratagem, Fanfan refuses to forget this dream and decides to fulfill the destiny of the fake prediction. Fantastic swashbuckling adventures in a 18th century setting, with a light criticism of the war and the mighty.
Andre Noblet, a 21-year-old French artist falls madly in love with Christine, the mother of two children. He tells Chistine he will tell all to her husband and demand her freedom. Christine learns that her husband has been carrying on a romance of his own and they have a meeting.
Just before wowing international critics and moviegoers with his adventure romp Fanfan la Tulipe, director Christian-Jaque dashed off the lampoonish Barbe-Bleue. Ostensibly the story of the famed wife-killing potentate Bluebeard (Pierre Brasseur), this lighthearted costumer begins as the title character is poised to march down the matrimonial aisle for the eighth time. Barbe-Bleue's newest spouse Aline (Cécile Aubry) is kept in line by her husband's claims of murdering her predecessors. But when Aline opens the famous locked door to the equally famous hidden room, both she and the audience are in for quite a surprise. The frivolous nature of Barbe-Bleue is underlined by its pleasing utilization of the French Gezacolor process.
Set in medieval times about the cursed Moonshield family. The young knight Erland Moonshield fall in love with a gypsy enchantress, Singoalla, he meet in the forest.
This adaptation of Stendhal's timeless masterpiece of French literature tells the tale of Fabrice Del Dongo (Grard Philipe) a young archibishop who gives his heart and soul to romance rather than to the Church creating upheaval in the lives of evergone around him the Countess of Sanseverine (Maria Casares) is but one of the may women who love him. In turn she incurs jealous retributions from those in high places who desire her. For his crimes Fabrice is thrown in Prison where from Crimes Fabrice is thrown in prison where form his lonely window he falls in love with his jailer s daughter and plans a daring escape she however calls his plan insane and takes a vow to the Virgin Mary to never see him again ever if his escape succeeds the Charterhouse of Parma explodes with conflicting desires man s desire form God vs. his desire for romance.
"A Lover's Return" - A ballet producer returns to his native town and schemes to avenge himself on the family who tried to murder him 20 years before.
The story begins with the murder of a horse trader, which sets free a black stallion that roams through the snow and the village terrifying the people as it gallops.
Gohelle, escaped from prison, seeks to flee occupied France for Argentina. The captain of a cargo ship is willing to smuggle him out out France for a price but Gohelle has no money. His mistress, Marie-Angel tries to charm the money out of wealthy Alain Ginestier who seems the ideal pigeon but Marie-Angel falls in love with Ginestier.
The film is biographical, telling the story of the life and artistic struggles of the French composer Hector Berlioz. Berlioz is shown as a recalcitrant medical student in an anatomy class dreaming of becoming a composer; at a demonstration during a performance at the Paris Opéra conducted by Habeneck; at supper with other young artists (Hugo, Janin, Dumas, Mérimée, Delacroix); and chasing after his future wife Harriet Smithson, after a performance of Hamlet. Also depicted are his life in a garret, while suffering from an illness due to an abscess in the throat; a visit from his mother who curses him; and the composition of the Symphonie fantastique. The film then shows his marital breakdown, the premiere of his opera Benvenuto Cellini, his travels throughout Europe, his second marriage to Marie Recio (called "Marie Martin" in the film), public acceptance in old age and reconciliation with his son.
A village in the French Alps is rocked by a series of crimes, including the theft of a sacred ring and the murder of a man dressed as Père Noël (Father Christmas).
The owner of the place of Chamonix covets the inn, run by the Michel's uncle, whose business goes bad. Michel decides to participate in a ski competition to help uncle.
Modeste is a timid watchman at an automobile factory which is run with an iron hand by its owner, Roger Drapeau. One evening, Modeste leaves his post to visit a fairground, where he meets the attractive Aline. Having glimpsed his employer, Modeste makes a hasty return to the factory. When Monsieur Drapeau appears, Modeste explains that it must have been his twin brother that his boss saw at the fairground, a nasty piece of work named Raphaël. Not only does Drapeau fail to see through this unconvincing lie, but it gives him an idea to win a marathon car race. Modeste and Raphaël will take alternate turns in the stages of the race and, because they are so similar, no one will be any the wiser. Unable to admit that he has no brother but afraid of losing his job, Modeste allows himself to be coerced into taking part in the race...
In a college, three friends form a secret society. There objective - going to America. A night, after one of their secret meetings, one of them see a man coming out from a wall. Then the day after he talks about it, he disappears. Then the second one vanishes. Are they gone to their dreams? That's when the art teacher is murdered. Suspicions now are too high so the third one decides to investigate.
In South America anything can happen: the consul might give you as a snack to the sharks, you can wind up as a working man (slave) in a banana plantation or as a recruit in the governor's navy. And there's always a fire squad waiting for you so you 'd better start a revolution! It takes all Fernandel's talent to go through this eventful journey.
Mortal is ready to do anything to obtain a divorce from his wife Nadia. To compromise her, he needs to find her a lover. He thinks he has found the ideal candidate in the person of a manly private detective by the name of Robert Arnaud. But the experience gets out of Mortal's control as, on the one hand, Robert and Nadia fall in love for good, and, on the other hand, Robert, assisted by resourceful young Toto, manages to expose Mortal as the jewel thief he is.
The story of the seven pearls of the English Crown, from Henry VIII to 1937; three of them missing.
Léonce Vavin, an entomologist, marries Cecile Debienne, but the parents of the bride quickly realize that he's not just ugly but also a complete ignorant of all sexual matters.
Fernand Dubreuil wants to be a journalist and agreed to do an interview with promising star Clara Sergy. He's accompanied by the jerk photographer, Alfred.
The family Pont-Biquet is composed as follows: father, the judge, afflicted by deafness; authoritarian and irascible mother; funny son-in-law; an ingenious son who has a mistress.
Jerome has made his wife to believe that he's in prison in order to spend a few days with his girlfriend. But the deal goes bad when he found himself arrested, but this time for real.
The tamer Nikita marries the girl he had once recruited into the circus but she loves a trapeze artist.
While walking back home at night, an examining judge is robbed of his watch. Fortunately he offers resistance and, by roughing up the mugger, manages to recover his belonging. Imagine his surprise when he realizes his thief is none other than... the President of the Court of Justice! How will the poor man behave with him knowing what he knows?
The notary Tremplin wants to give his daughter to the young rich farmer Adhemar. He goes with both of them to Paris where Henriette meets a sleazy car salesman who is precisely the rich heir sought by her father.
Denise, an orphaned girl, moves to Paris where she hopes to find work at her uncle's store. But the glamorous department store 'Aux Bonheur des Dames' across the street crunches all the little businesses around. She finds a position there.
Story of a woman who thinks she prefers a life of glory on stage in Paris to life with her Scottish lord of a husband in his castle.
