Michel Deville (1) (1931–2023)

Despite its merits, Michel Deville's previous foray into the Mystery genre, 'Eaux profondes' of Patricia Highsmith, had not exactly proved an unqualified success and could be accounted a 'near miss'. He has scored a palpable hit here, however , with this adaptation of 'Sur Terre comme au Ciel' by René Belletto which had won the Le Grand Prix for detective fiction. Belletto's narrative style is not to everyone's taste but he has created a gallery of intriguing, shadowy and morally ambiguous show more characters.
Nicole Garcia is the femme fatale who wastes no time in bedding Christophe Malavoy as the unsuspecting guitar teacher who has been been hired to tutor her daughter. Her husband is played by Michel Piccoli whose unpleasantness is concealed behind an apparent Bourgeois civility. Although a small role, where this brilliant actor is concerned no part is small. The two most fascinating characters are Edwige and Daniel played by Anémone and Richard Bohringer. She is a much too inquisitive neighbour whose facial disfigurement in the novel has been changed for filmic purposes to a pronounced limp. Anémone looks as if she has stepped straight out of an Almodóvar movie and gives a wonderfully quirky performance. Bohringer is a hit man whose attraction to Christophe is subtly depicted as being homosexual in nature. Physically the actor is a far cry from the Daniel of Belletto's imagining but his hoarse delivery and underlying menace are utterly mesmerising.
Plenty of twists and turns here and a surprise ending. Well it certainly surprised me! show less

La vita di un funzionario francese è spiata da un'imprecisata organizzazione che si avvale dei mezzi più sofisticati per scoprire ogni segreto. Lentamente viene fuori un presente (la moglie lo tradisce e lui non ne fa un dramma) e un passato (bastardo di nascita, stuprato durante la guerra d'Algeria) inquietante: per gli psicanalisti dell'organizzazione l'uomo è un omosessuale represso. Lo provocano per metterlo alla prova, ma l'uomo si ammazza. (fonte: Mymovies)

Quand Deville était léger : charmant avec des éclairs.

Il sarto ebreo Albert (Abkarian) e sua moglie Lea (Breitman) stanno ristabilendo i loro affari nel 1946 a Parigi. Albert assume sei persone, più del necessario per soddisfare l'attuale domanda della bassa stagione, e tutti tranne Jacqueline (Lubna Azabal) sono ebrei che in qualche modo sono sopravvissuti all'occupazione. A poco a poco, si conoscono a vicenda mentre tagliano, cuciono, comprimono e adattano abiti da uomo e da donna. Ma ognuno deve ristabilire la propria vita e le proprie show more relazioni tra parigini talvolta indifferenti o ostili. show less