1960s

  • Georges Lautner – Les tontons flingueurs AKA Monsieur Gangster AKA Crooks In Clover (1963)

    1961-1970ComedyCrimeFranceGeorges Lautner

    In this action-packed slapstick comedy – a dying mob boss nicknamed “The Mexican” asks his old friend and ex-gangster, Fernand Naudin (Lino Ventura), to come out of retirement to take over the family businesses and protect his soon to be married daughter. The rival families take an exception to this and unleash their henchmen to take care of Naudin, but they get much more than they bargained for. After surviving their first onslaught, he declares war on the other families and their shady operations. The stellar cast includes Bernard Blier and Francis Blanche with great direction by Georges Lautner and writing by Michel Audiard. The writer, director and three leads reappeared the following year in the even more successful Spy vs. Spy comedy, The Great Spy Chase (Les Barbouzes).Read More »

  • Ubaldo Ragona & Sidney Salkow – The Last Man on Earth (1964)

    USA1961-1970HorrorSci-FiSidney SalkowUbaldo Ragona

    Synopsis:
    When a plague devastated life on Earth, the population died or became a sort of zombie living in the dark. Dr. Robert Morgan is the unique healthy survivor on the planet, having a routine life for his own survival: he kills the night creatures along the day and maintains the safety of his house, to be protected along the night. He misses his beloved wife and daughter, consumed by the outbreak, and he fights against his loneliness to maintain mentally sane. When Dr. Morgan finds the contaminated Ruth Collins, he uses his blood to heal her and he becomes the last hope on Earth to help the other contaminated survivors. But the order of this new society is scary.Read More »

  • Jean-Luc Godard – À bout de souffle AKA Breathless (1960) (HD)

    1951-1960ArthouseClassicsFranceJean-Luc Godard

    SYNOPSIS:
    Petty thug Michel panics and impulsively kills a policeman while driving a stolen car. On the lam, he turns to his aspiring journalist girlfriend Patricia, hiding out in her Paris apartment. When Patricia learns that Michel is being investigated for murder, she begins to question her loyalties.Read More »

  • André Hunebelle – Fantomas (1964)

    1961-1970André HunebelleComedyCrimeFrance

    A 1964 film starring Jean Marais as the arch villain with the same name opposite Louis de Funès as the earnest but outclassed commissaire Paul Juve. In the film Juve teams up with journalist Fandor, also played by Marais, trying to catch Fantômas but never quite succeeding. It was France’s answer, in 1964, to the James Bond phenomenon that swept the world at around the same time. It is the first ever of a trilogy film, that Fantômas became extremely successful in Europe, Soviet Union and Japan, it found also success even in the United States where fan websites exist to this day. Mylène Demongeot plays Hélène. Hélène Gurn is the girlfriend of Jérôme Fandor, Fantômas’ arch enemy.Read More »

  • Fatin Abdulwahhab – Ah min hawaa AKA Beware of Eve (1962)

    1961-1970ClassicsComedyEgyptFatin Abdulwahhab

    In a modern adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, the handsome vet (Rushdy Abaza) finds himself obliged to tame the beautiful but wild (Lobna Abdel Aziz) with the suport of her family who is suffering from her tantrums and her tyranny in this light comedy presented by a group of the most prominent Egyptian film stars. Will love defeat tyranny and will the doctor succeed in his mission?Read More »

  • André Hunebelle – Furia à Bahia pour OSS 117 AKA OSS 117: Mission for a Killer (1965)

    1961-1970ActionAndré HunebelleFranceThriller

    Synopsis:
    O.S.S 117 (Frederick Stafford) is an American CIA operative who is sent to South America to thwart the attempt of a group of underground subversives who want to take over the world. Although classified as a Bond-style spy feature, it lacks the humor and gloss of other films of the genre. Location shots from Brazil are impressive as the sight of routine gun battles.Read More »

  • Luigi Comencini – Incompreso (Vita col figlio) AKA Misunderstood (1967)

    1961-1970DramaItalyLuigi Comencini

    Duncombe is the UK Consul General in Florence, Italy. He becomes a widower when his two sons, Andrew and Miles, are still young kids. Andrew, the eldest, apparently reacts with adult maturity to the loss of his mother, looking after little Miles, an attempt to find a way out of such premature heart-crushing loss. Andrew gets constantly blamed for Miles’ mischievous behavior, but he valiantly takes said blame as his personality is that of a grown up, or at least that is what he tries to be. The father, given his mandate, is often absent, both physically and emotionally, especially toward Andrew. It will be at the end that Duncombe will acknowledge his mistakes, finding himself at a father’s point of no return.Read More »

  • Paul Vecchiali – Les roses de la vie (1962)

    1961-1970DramaFrancePaul VecchialiShort Film

    Short film by Paul Vecchiali; starring Germaine de France.

    The chauffeur is played by the legendary director Jean Eustache.Read More »

  • André Hunebelle & Haroun Tazieff – Fantômas se déchaîne AKA Fantomas Strikes Back AKA Fantomas Unleashed (1965)

    1961-1970André HunebelleComedyCrimeFranceHaroun Tazieff

    In the second installment of the parodic Fantomas series, the title arch criminal and master of disguise kidnaps prominent scientist Prof. Marchand in order to develop a new powerful weapon to threaten the world. Fantomas is also planning to kidnap another scientist, Prof. Lefebvre. Journalist Fandor (Jean Marais, who also plays Fantomas and Prof. Lefebvre) decides to set a trap for the elusive villain. He disguises himself as Lefebvre and attends a scientific conference in Rome expecting Fantomas to kidnap him. As always, Fandor’s ingenious plan backfires due to the interference of the bumbling police commissioner Juve (Louis de Funès).Read More »

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