Marie-Christine Barrault Movies

A suicidal police detective travels from La Havre to Deauville at the behest of a mysterious femme fatale in the suspenseful sophomore feature from actress-turned-director Sophie Marceau. For Lt. Jacques Renard (Christopher Lambert), every night is a struggle. Rendered sleepless following the untimely death of his beloved wife, Lt. Renard finds his curiosity taking over after he is approached by an enigmatic beauty (Marceau) and implored to visit room 401 of the extravagant Hotel Riviera. Upon arriving at the hotel Lt. Renard discovers that Antoine Berangere (Robert Hossein), who has been the director of the establishment at the Riviera for nearly four decades, vanished forty-eight hours ago under suspicious circumstances. In his father's absence, Antoine's thirty-nine year old son Camille (Nicolas Briancon) has assumed control of the hotel. While Camille insists that the Hotel Riviera has no room 401, the suspicious actions of Antoine's wheelchair-bound second wife (Marie-Christine Barrault) leads Lt. Renard to suspect that foul play is afoot. Shortly after Lt. Renard discovers that Camille's famous mother Victoria (again Marceau) died precisely thirty-six years ago, a mangled body presumed to be that of Antoine Berangere turns up in the city morgue. While his loyal partner Pierre (Simon Abkarian) is convinced that this is an open and shut case, Lt. Renard himself discovers a series of well-concealed clues that lead him to believe that something far more sinister is afoot. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Eric Rohmer is one of the best-respected filmmakers in the history of the French cinema, as well as among the most elusive. Notoriously reluctant to talk about his own work, Rohmer rarely sits for filmed interviews, but documentary filmmaker Marie Binet has taken another route to gain a perspective on the director's working methods in this feature. Les Contes Secrets ou les Rohmeriens features interviews with 16 actors who have appeared in Rohmer's films, and they talk on camera about his unusual working methods, his personality, and his spare but evocative signature style. Among the thespians who share their memories are Jean-Louis Trinitignant, Marie-Christine Barrault, Zouzou, Jean-Claude Brialy, Béatrice Romand, Françoise Fabian, and Andre Dussolier; the film also includes rare footage of Rohmer himself at work on the set of his 1978 effort Perceval. Les Contes Secrets ou les Rohmeriens received its North American premiere at the 2005 New Montreal Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In the offbeat comedy La Dilettante, Pierette (Catherine Frot) is a woman who describes herself as having "opted for the temporary on a permanent basis." After 15 years of living the good life in Switzerland, Pierette one day packs her bags full of fashionable outfits and returns to her native Paris with no idea of what she'll do. Pierette, however, leads a charmed life; while her son is forced to work the graveyard shift at a factory due to poor job prospects, she's able to find a job right away at a high school. Pierette soon reintroduces herself to her 23-year-old daughter (Barbara Schulz) and one-time best friend (Nathalie Lafaurie), trying to use her charm to skate over years of neglect. She just as suddenly finds a new beau, Ackerman (Bernard Verley), and starts helping him out with his antique business. However, what would seem like a simple matter -- buying a clock from an elderly woman -- soon turns out to be very complicated and fraught with consequence. The first directorial effort in eight years from Pascal Thomas, La Dilettante was shown as part of the 1999 Moscow Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In order to solve a family mystery, John, a stonemason from Zimbabwe, travels to Berlin to search for 1928 footage of a tightrope walker at Niagara Falls. While there, he becomes romantically obsessed with Miriam, a French rock musician in an all-girl band. Unfortunately, Miriam is totally in love with her boyfriend Pierre, a talented scientist. Running parallel to the main plot is that of Jacob, a Jewish tailor who in the film's early scenes is caught shoplifting, an act that will have troubling ramifications for John, who gets caught in the middle of Jacob's attempt to flee the crime scene. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Despite being busy with his profession of soldiery, Brantome (Richard Bohringer) manages to find much more time for amorous dalliances with the ladies of the 16th-century French court than for battles. Unfortunately for him, his true love, Victoire (Isabella Rossellini), is beyond his reach most of the time. He more than compensates for this in the arms of others. Reviewers found little merit in this uninspired drama, except for the gorgeous period settings and costumes. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

It is the summer of 1944, and Laurance (Judith Godreche) and her cousin Louis (Stanislaus Carre de Malberg) have always been fond of each other. Now, Louis has developed a crush on Laurance, and it appears that she is responding similarly. It seems that their relationship has every chance of thriving, until another man comes on the scene. Jack (Murray Head), is a dashing Englishman who has come to stay at Laurance's house to help organize the local resistance. Louis, smitten and jealous, is enraged when he discovers that his cousin has made love to the foreigner, and rushes off to denounce him to the authorities. He is immediately stricken with remorse and tries to undo what he has done, but the Jack's fate is sealed. Eventually he learns that his act of revenge was not the cause of the Englishman's death, but this does nothing to assuage his sense of guilt. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Nicole (Agnes Soral) is sent up the river for infanticide in this routine woman-in-prison feature. There she meets Marthe (Annie Girardot), a fellow murderess who receives special treatment from the warden Dessombes (Marie-Christine Barrault). The warden frames Nelly (Bernadette Lafont) for drug possession and has her thrown into solitary confinement. Sabien (Corinne Touzet) is a newcomer convicted of armed robbery who latches on to the lesbian Lucie (Milva), a longtime prisoner slated for release. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

This quietly provocative drama makes a realistic exploration of the relationships between three generations of European women. One woman is an author in her 60s who survived a Nazi concentration camp. Another is her 40-year-old assistant, who also works as a theatrical costume designer. Finally there is the latter's 23-year-old lover. The writer's experiences in the camp have scarred her physically (the Nazis experimented on her leg) and emotionally. Simple survival for her is a struggle and her only real friend is the costume designer. The friendship becomes strained when the young woman becomes lovers with the designer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Two quarreling lovers from opposite sides of the economic scale take central stage in this well-executed drama about Veronique (Sandrine Bonnaire) and Adrien (Jacques Bonnafe). Veronique is wealthy and from the provinces, Adrien is impoverished and his ancestors come from Brittany. In spite of their different backgrounds, the two fall in love, marry, and eventually have a baby girl. At just about that time, Veronique decides to go back to school, and Adrien becomes both mother and father to their baby. Unable to cope with Veronique's new-found intellectual friends and different lifestyle, Adrien clashes with her, and their arguments lead to a separation for awhile. The two then get back together again, but not for long. It is on a return trip from visiting his mother in Brittany that Adrien's life undergoes a dramatic change, and his story takes an equally unexpected turn. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In a befuddling look at the nature of evil (apparently linked with how much money one has), a young idealist finds himself in hot water by sticking with his beliefs. Hubert (Benjamin Voelz) is studying theology supported by a grant from a weapons manufacturer (Vittorio Gassman) -- the first crack in the student's ideals. Next, after he saves his sponsor's wife Sylvie (Marie-Christine Barrault) from suicide, the two start an illicit affair -- the second crack. Finally, Sylvie gets pregnant and convinces Hubert to face her husband with the truth. Her secret motivation is to cause her husband's weak heart to give out so she can inherit his fortune. It does, and lo and behold, it is Hubert who inherits the fortune. Sylvie manages to connive a solution to her dilemma that eventually helps Hubert heal those cracks in his virtue but leaves him as penniless as the day is long. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide