Jean Gruault — Playwright (15)
The Eighties (1983) [Movie] Douban WikiData IMDb TMDB
Les Années 80
director: 香特尔·阿克曼 actor: Aischa Bentebouche / Katherine Best
other title: 八十年代 / Les Années 80
All of the time and effort put forth to stage a musical is chronicled here in this bright and funny French outing. The story is set at a shopping mall where people audition for an upcoming show. Afterwards, they are seen going through the grueling routines of learning the music and rehearsing.
The Messiah (1976) [Movie] Douban WikiData IMDb TMDB
Il Messia
other title: 弥赛亚 / Il Messia
Dubbed "the most Catholic of all film directors" by one critic, I guess it was only a matter of time before Roberto Rossellini tackled the life of Christ on celluloid. Ironically, this he did in what proved to be his last feature film which was, in itself, a follow-up to his TV mini-series ACTS OF THE APOSTLES (1969). That earlier work was interesting for treating little-known passages from the New Testament but, with an unhurried pace and a generally unassuming tone, the end result was decidedly meandering. Conversely, THE MESSIAH presents all-too-familiar events – with the overall effect feeling lengthy still, yet distinctly more cinematic. That said, it starts off with the arrival of the Jews in the Promised Land and the appointment of their first king (Saul) before moving on to the life of Christ; actually, this is also one of the few films to show the famous incident in which Jesus is lost in the temple as a boy. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't stray much from the spirit – or word – of the Gospels: even so, in the throes of an agonizing death, Herod The Great (played by Vittorio Caprioli – though his trademark flustered demeanor is downplayed by having his voice dubbed) is seen planning the annihilation of his own subjects akin to the practice of ancient Egyptian rulers!
Incidentally, the rich and commanding voice of Christ himself is supplied by Enrico Maria Salerno – a superb actor in his own right who had actually already handled the very same task in THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW (1964) – which is effectively contrasted with the inconspicuous appearance of the young man who appears in the role (perhaps best approximating the Lothaire Bluteau of Jesus OF MONTREAL [1989]). This Messiah, then, is far removed from the striking good-looks of Jeffrey Hunter (KING OF KINGS [1961]) and Robert Powell (the Jesus OF NAZARETH [1977] TV mini-series) or the brooding power of Max von Sydow (THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD [1965]) and Willem Dafoe (THE LAST TEMPTATION OF Christ [1988])! Naturally, the bulk of the narrative is devoted to Christ's public life – though no overdue emphasis is placed on the miracles he performed (these are mentioned but rarely seen) – which also provides the film with its essential core…since the latter section, revolving around the more commonly-depicted events of Jesus' trial (where Jean Martin, the French Colonel in THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS [1966], nonetheless makes for a fine Pontius Pilate), crucifixion and eventual resurrection are curiously skimped here!
The subplot involving John The Baptist, however, is quite nicely handled; by the way, the only other recognizable face in the cast is that of Tina Aumont (even if her contribution amounts to no more than a few minutes of screen-time!) as the adulteress Christ famously pardons by denouncing her pursuers instead. The score is, once again, by Mario Nascimbene – though it's not as prominent as his work on ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. On the visual side, the film seems closest to the contemporaneous Jesus OF NAZARETH – yet the lyrical style and quiet dignity on display makes of THE MESSIAH a more than worthy companion piece to Pier Paolo Pasolini's aforementioned (and more renowned) THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. With this in mind, while perhaps not the definitive film on the subject, it certainly emerges as an underrated achievement – both among the myriad treatments (including those by such great directors as D. W. Griffith, Carl Theodor Dreyer, Cecil B. DeMille and Abel Gance) of Christ's life over the years and in Rossellini's own highly respected canon.
Australia (1989) [Movie] Douban
Australia
director: 让·雅克·安德里恩 actor: 芬妮·阿尔丹 / 杰瑞米·艾恩斯
other title: 澳大利亚
Australia is about Edouard Pierson, a Belgian-born wool dealer who emigrated to Australia after World War Two. The movie actual takes place in Belgium as he returns to his homeland to assist his family with their wool business. Edouard was left a single father after his girlfriend died and when he goes to moxia.cc Belgium he leaves behind this young girl, whom his family don't know about. He meets a beautiful woman, Jeanne, another single parent, and an intense relationship develops. Edouard's relationship with his family has its ups and downs and many secrets are revealed before the movie's conclusion ties everything together.
Two English Girls and the Continent (1971) [Movie] WikiData Douban IMDb TMDB
Les deux anglaises et le continent
7.3 (11 ratings) director: 弗朗索瓦·特吕弗 actor: 让-皮埃尔·利奥德 / 基卡·马卡姆
other title: 两个英国女孩与欧陆 / Les deux anglaises et le continent
At the beginning of the 20th century, Claude Roc, a young middle-class Frenchman, befriends Ann, an Englishwoman. While spending time in England with Ann’s family, Claude falls in love with her sister Muriel, but both families lay down a year-long separation without contact before they may marry.
Life Is a Bed of Roses (1983) [Movie] Douban
La vie est un roman
director: 阿伦·雷乃 actor: 维托里奥·加斯曼 / 鲁杰罗·雷蒙迪
other title: 生命是部小说 / La vie est un roman
法国大导阿伦雷乃1983年作品。本片用三个故事阐述他的观点,同时向法国电影史上三位巨人致敬:梅里爱、莱皮埃、侯麦。第一个故事发生在1914年,一个贵族建立了“幸福殿堂”,邀请一帮朋友,给他们一剂特殊的药,然后把他们放进巨大的摇篮,让他们重新回到“孩提时代”;第二个故事发生在当代,依然是那个宫殿,一群专家正在召开研讨会,讨论“想像力教育”。穿插在两个故事之间是一个古代魔幻故事,讲一群森林里的孩子梦幻一场坏国王和好骑士的战争。
The Taking of Power by Louis XIV (1966) [Movie] IMDb Douban TMDB WikiData
La prise de pouvoir par Louis XIV
7.3 (11 ratings) director: 罗伯托·罗西里尼 actor: Jean-Marie Patte / Raymond Jourdan
other title: 路易十四的崛起 / La prise de pouvoir par Louis XIV
Cardinal Mazarin dies, leaving a power vacuum in which the young Louis asserts his intention to govern as well as rule. Mazarin's fiscal advisor, Colbert, warns against Fouquet, the Superintendant who has been systematically looting the treasury and wants to be prime minister. Fouquet believes Louis will soon tire of exercizing power and overplays his hand by offering a bribe to Louis' mistress to be his ally. She reports this to the king who arrests Fouquet. Louis and Colbert design a brilliant strategy to keep merchants making money, nobles in debt, the urban poor working and fed, and peasants untaxed.
Love Unto Death (1984) [Movie] Douban TMDB WikiData IMDb
L'amour à mort
6.2 (5 ratings) director: 阿伦·雷乃 actor: 萨宾·阿泽玛 / 芬妮·阿尔丹
other title: 生死恋 / L'amour à mort
Elisabeth and Simon have been deeply in love for two months when Simon momentarily dies, but returns to life. Despite declining further medical tests, the couple are forced to grapple with the possibility of his death. Eventually, they tell their close friends Jérôme and Judith Martignac about the event. The Martignacs are both clerics, and Judith has just been giving a funeral service for a villager who committed suicide, though Jérôme would have nothing to do with suicide...
The Wild Child (1970) [Movie] IMDb Douban TMDB WikiData
L'enfant sauvage
7.4 (29 ratings) director: 弗朗索瓦·特吕弗 actor: 让-皮埃尔·卡戈尔 / 弗朗索瓦·特吕弗
other title: 野孩子 / L'enfant sauvage
In 1798, a feral boy is discovered outside the town of Aveyron, France. Diagnosed as mentally impaired, he is relegated to an asylum. A young doctor named Jean Itard becomes convinced that the boy has normal mental capacity, but that his development was hindered by lack of contact with society. He brings the boy home and begins an arduous attempt at education over several years.