Louis Jouvet

Quote:
Shanghai Drama was originally released in France in 1938 under the title Le Drame de Shanghai. Director G. W. Pabst, best known for the erotic classics Diary of a Lost Girl and Pandora’s Box, seems artistically subdued in this standard tale of pre-WW2 intrigue. The villains are the Japanese, who inveigle a group of exiled White Russians to aid in the subjugation of China. Trapped in the web of deceit is nightclub chanteuse Kay (Christine Mardayne), whose efforts to break away from a sinister Black Dragon-like society are doomed to failure. The film’s only ray of hope is manifested in the character of Kay’s daughter Vera (Suzanne Dempers), who is afforded the opportunity to start life anew with journalist Franchon (Raymond Rouleau). allmovie.comRead More »

In Southern Tunisia, Mattéo, a local who lives off the generosity of his listeners as he spends his time telling stories in the streets of Sfax, falls in love with a prostitute, Safia. She gives up her profession and they move, Matteo working at the port, in a house on the edge of the desert in which Mattéo’s father (the Maltese) live. But Safia being pregnant, Mattéo gets involved with a gang of gun smugglers, hoping to earn more money to provide for his family. But Matteo doesn’t come back and Safia belives him dead. Matteo’s father kicks her out of the house and she meets André, an archeologist who falls under her spell and she accepts to follow him to Paris. Three years later, out of jail, Matteo goes to Paris, hoping to find his beloved Safia and their child.Read More »

The story of how the people of Paris cope with the strains and struggles of war, from the siege of the city by the Prussians during the Franco-Prussian War of 1871 to the invasion by the Germans in World War II.Read More »

Quote:
A smooth criminal, who turns to be Manuel Ismora, and his gang successfully and peacefully pull off con after heist. Elsewhere a timid office worker, Gabriel Dupon, is pressured by his boss into making a sale. A chain of events causes him to get mixed up with the criminal, and get arrested. Lack of evidence ensures Dupon’s release, but brings him to the attention of the criminal who persuades him into cooperation. Ismora exploits the fact that Dupon looks so much like him that they could be – carbon copies.Read More »

Synopsis:
‘Whilst her husband, the engineer Pierre Moret, is engaged on construction projects, Denise occupies herself with charity work in the Chinese town that has become her home. Tempted into a gambling den, she soon loses a fortune. She has no recourse but to accept a gift of money from the wealthy Prince Hu-Long, who has fallen in love with her. Realising that she cannot accept such a gift, Denise returns the money to the prince, not realising that by taking the money she has become his property…’
– Films de FranceRead More »

Synopsis:
‘Isabelle dreams of becoming a great actress and so she is over the moon when she is accepted into the Conservatoire, France’s leading drama school. Her talents are immediately spotted by her drama instructor, Professor Lambertin, who is appalled to hear that Isabelle may have to abandon her studies so that she can earn her keep in her adopted parents’ laundrette. Isabelle’s guardians have a change of heart when Lambertin visits them in person and convinces them that his is a noble profession and that their ward has the makings of a fine actress. At the school, Isabelle falls in love with an older student, François, who has a reputation as a lady’s man. When François begins an affair with Isabelle, his former girlfriend Cécilia is consumed with anger and jealousy. She plans to use her theatrical training to inflict on her former lover a cruel and deadly revenge…’
– Films de FranceRead More »

Synopsis wrote:
Aged penniless actors are living in a old people’s home. They always talk about their past glory or failures. One day Raphael Saint-Clair comes; he has been a famous actor and had a lot of love affairs. Passions come back, and jealousies… A bitter film about aging, failure and the entertainment.Read More »

Caherine, 18, loved Jean, a young accountant, who loved her in return. And yet, one morning, two policemen find their dead bodies on a stretch of waste ground. The case is obvious: the two young people have killed themselves. But why? Chief Inspector Ernest Plonche, feeling upset, decides to investigate personally…Read More »

Synopsis
The first film made up of sketches made by different directors. All deal with the return of prisoners in their native France after WW2.Read More »