The tears of a clown give French tragicomedy Strange Gardens an unexpected power. For 15-year-old Lucien (Damien Jouillerot), there’s nothing more embarrassing than his father Jacques’ (Jacques Villeret) circus routine. Dressing up in funny feet, white makeup, and a bright red nose to entertain the village, he’s a hit with everyone except his own son. But, as Jacques’ best friend André (André Dussollier) explains, there’s a history to his act that goes beyond simple clowning and to his experiences in the Second World War.Read More »
Jacques Villeret
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Jean Becker – Effroyables jardins AKA Strange Gardens (2003)
Jean Becker2001-2010DramaFrance -
Yves Boisset – R.A.S. AKA Nothing to Report (1973)
1971-1980FrancePoliticsWarYves BoissetThree French conscripts with diverse political motives, are sent to a disciplinary battalion in the midst of the Algerian war. Major Lecoq is to build an elite unit with these wayward soldiers who are exposed to war, torture and death.Read More »
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Jean Becker – Les enfants du marais (1999)
1991-2000ComedyDramaFranceJean BeckerSummary
A chronicle of a group of friends in rural France in 1918. Garris and Riton live in Marais, a quiet region along the banks of Loire river. Riton is afflicted with a bad-tempered wife and three unruly children. Garris lives alone with his recollections of World War I trenches. Their daily life consists of seasonal work and visits from their two pals: Tane, the local train conductor and Amédée, a dreamer and voracious reader of classics. Meanwhile, Garris is overwhelmed by an unspoken love for a housemaid in the town, Marie…Read More » -
Jean-François Stévenin – Le passe-montagne (1978)
1971-1980ArthouseFranceJean-François StéveninWhen the car of Georges, a Parisian architect, breaks down on the motorway, he is helped by Serge, a mechanic and garage owner, who lives in a remote Jura hamlet. The two men, although they do not seem to have anything in common, develop an unexpected friendship…Read More »
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Jacques Rozier – Les naufragés de l’île de la tortue AKA The Castaways of Turtle Island (1976)
1971-1980AdventureComedyFranceJacques RozierQuote:
Bonaventure (Pierre Richard) is a semi-competent travel agent. One day, he teases his girlfriend’s jealousy by making a false mistress with a name which happens to be belong to a real girl… Having to make this lie true, his false mistress becomes also a true one and this is how adventure begins…Read More » -
Claude Sautet – Garçon ! AKA Waiter ! (1983)
1981-1990Claude SautetComedyDramaFranceSynopsis:
A middle-aged waiter has long harbored dreams of becoming a singer, and is also anxious to prove he’s as virile as he was when he started pushing plates. He gets a chance to rev up his sexual energy and his musical skills when an old flame reenters his life after 17 years.Read More » -
Jean Girault – La soupe aux choux AKA The Cabbage Soup (1981)
1981-1990ComedyFranceJean GiraultSci-FiSynopsis:
One evening, two old French farmers, Le Glaude (Louis de Funès) and Cicisse (Jean Carmet), start a farting contest which seems to provoke a lighting storm. What actually happens is that they send a signal to aliens and one (Jacques Villeret) arrives to change their lives.Read More » -
Jean-François Stévenin – Le Passe-montagne AKA Mountain Pass (1978)
1971-1980ArthouseFranceJean-François StéveninPLOT DESCRIPTION
This film marks the directorial debut of actor Jean-François Stevenin. Serge (Stevenin) is a dweller in the French provinces who happens upon Georges (Jacques Villeret), a Parisian motorist in distress. Serge arranges for the car to be taken to a nearby garage. Georges’ friends, who were with him in the car, have continued their journeys. Because of that, Serge takes Georges under his wings while he waits for his car to be repaired, and they tour the countryside and party with the local revelers. Nothing much is said between them, but it is clear that they have become friendsRead More »