Roland Toutain

A weekend at a marquis’ country château lays bare some ugly truths about a group of haut bourgeois acquaintances.

Hoping to scare wealthy young Bernard into getting married to his longtime fiancee Georgette, a phony fortune-teller is hired to inform Bernard that he is to die very soon. But thanks to a case of mistaken identity, the fortune-teller delivers this message to middle-aged gym instructor Étienne. Instead of heading towards the altar, however, Étienne decides to live his last few months on earth to the fullest -- and as a result becomes a millionaire at the gaming tables of Monte Carlo. Upon learning that he isn't going to kick the bucket after all, our hero pretends to be at death's door anyway, all for the purpose of patching up the rocky romance between Bernard and Georgette.

Before the Battle is the English-language title of this espionage melodrama. The first half of the film takes place aboard a French cruising ship, steaming through dangerous waters during WWI. Among the passengers is heroine Jeanne (Annabella), who was once in love with first-officer D'Artelles (Robert Vidalin) but he now seems strangely preoccupied. It turns out that the ship is on a secret mission, which ultimately dooms the vessel to a Lusitania-like death. After the sinking, Captain De Corlaix (Victor Francen) faces a court-martial, and it is at this point that the film clarifies several baffling plot points. Despite its complexity, the story is fairly believable, with the exception of the grafted-on romantic subplot.

Two women love the same man in a world of few prospects. In Budapest, Liliom is a "public figure," a rascal who's a carousel barker, loved by the experienced merry-go-round owner and by a young, innocent maid. The maid, Julie, loses her job after going out with Liliom; he's fired by his jealous employer for going out with Julie. The two lovers move in with Julie's aunt; unemployment emasculates him and a local weasel tempts him with crime. Julie, now wan, is true to Liliom even in his bad temper. Meanwhile, a stolid widower, a carpenter, wants to marry Julie. Is there any future on this earth for Julie and Liliom, whose love is passionate rather than ideal?

Documents relevant to National Defence have been concealed in a certain vase by a dangerous gang of robbers. To neutralize the criminals, a seasoned police commissioner and his clumsy assistant, young inspector César, join forces with a colorful trio of thieves nicknamed Le Pouce (Thumb), L'Index (Index Finger) and Le Majeur (Middle Finger)...

Out of love for an actress, Isabelle, the Baron de Sigognac joins a traveling troop en route to Paris. When an actor dies, he takes over his role: that of Captain Fracasse.

A penniless young musician seduces a millionaire American widow, lives with her in her hotel for an entire day, spends lavishly, ridicules the suitors and lands an exceptional deal that finally allows him to marry her.

Having fallen madly in love with the daughter of a prison guard, Guignolet climbs the wall to free her. He falls into this prison yard where he ends up being a prisoner in the heart of the delicious daughter of the guard.

When the war is over, a captain finds it very difficult to reintegrate into civilian life. Nothing happens, neither in journalism nor in insurance.

Madame Dupin is the most influential character in her village. She is at odds with her daughter because the latter married a showman.

The son of a naval commander faces his first heartbreak when he falls for the young American woman who is destined to become his father's new wife.

The son of an industrialist is in love with a saleswoman employed by his father. The latter coos with an ingenue from whom he hides the age of his son. A department manager involved in all this has his sentimental disappointments. A double marriage puts a happy ending to the plot.

Pierre loves Agnès who prefers Clément, an aviator. Out of desperation, he will commit suicide. Agnès then concludes a pact with him. During the three months that Clément will be absent, Pierre will be able to see her as much as he wants. She thinks that this time will be enough for the young man to realize that she is not the ideal woman for him.

Three happy reservists are doing a military period. One evening out and about, thinking they were going back to the barracks, they enter a boarding school for young girls. They exchange their uniforms for the dresses of three teachers, which launches them into a series of incredible adventures for a few days.

During a leave, three merry soldiers experience a series of incredible adventures.

Barnabé, an occasional flutist, goes to Mme Petit-Durand to organize her daughter's 20 years. But he is confused with the Count of Marengo whom Mme Petit-Durand wants to give as husband to her daughter, who has already made her choice.

Mathilde Strangerson, the daughter of an eminent scientist, narrowly escapes being murdered in her own bedroom by an unknown assailant. As the room was locked from the inside, no one can understand how the attacker managed to enter or leave the room. Reporter and amateur sleuth Joseph Rouletabille arrives on the scene to protect Mathilde and resolve the mystery of the yellow room.

The story takes place on the Riviera, where the title character may or may not be involved in various shades of skullduggery, including murder.

In Macao, where places of pleasure and arms trafficking are concentrated, a tragedy opposes an adventurer and his daughter whom he has brought up in ignorance of his profession. She is torn from her environment and saved from tragedy by a young journalist who loves her.

René, a bank employee, is suspected of theft and fired from his job. It borders on the worst by following in the footsteps of a misfit, Alexandre. A series of circumstances lead him to save little Gérard, the bank manager's grandson, from a fire. The child becomes attached to René, who manages to discover the real culprit of the theft.

A doctor passionate about research leaves an uncle with an inheritance to die, knowing that he is the legatee. His work succeeds, but overcome by remorse, the doctor tries to commit suicide. He is saved thanks to the understanding of his wife and they both leave for the East to do research on leprosy.

A fairground boss is ruined. He steals his aunt's jewelry, but being chased he gives the jewelry to a couple of dancers. They are mistaken for the Morton Sisters and perform in the Folies Parisiennes with the jewels, with enormous success.

Three screenwriters try to write a comedy about a young first man who must conquer a rich billionaire on a desert island.

Four young friends share the carefree, cheerfulness, laughter and dances of Bohemian life. Rodolphe the painter, Alexandre Chaunard the composer, Colline the philosopher, as well as Marcel and his friend Musette. Mimi, a romantic young girl, falls in love with Rodolphe.

In 1939, in a maternity ward, a young man visits his mistress who has just given birth to a little girl. He tells her that he is married and that for him the outcome of this adventure was not really planned. The mobilization separates them but the young man will end up divorcing and with the relentless help of a friend, will find his mistress and his child and will be able to marry her in spite of the chaos of the war.

An adventure between rival spies about documents concerning the process for extracting fuel from seawater. A love story that threatens to turn tragic, since the young woman enlisted by force in the network of doctor Morenius falls in love of her rival before returning, triumphant, to her fiancé.

When her fiancé breaks off their engagement, Danielle leaves London and returns to her mother, Jenny, in Paris. With her business partner Benoît, Jenny runs what appears to be a respectable nightclub – it is in fact a place where wealthy men can buy the favours of attractive young women. Oblivious to her mother's professional and personal life, Danielle meets a handsome young man named Lucien, and falls in love with him – not realising that he is Jenny's lover...

They have been living together for some time in a bohemian environment. The boy is attracted to a friend of his mistress and he frankly acknowledges his feeling. His companion favors meetings and even multiplies them: satiety, habituation, weariness set in very quickly. It is the shrewd mistress who will be married.

Darrac, a reporter for Paris-Inter, and Nicole, a journalist for Le Soir-Express, know each other, compete and end up falling in love over the three police investigations they follow for their newspapers.

A Canadian sailor becomes a fugitive for love after a night with a woman in Marseille.

Representing the French authority in Morocco, Captain Ardant is the target of the bloodthirsty rebel leader Malek. In order to appropriate himself in arms, he does not hesitate to take the captain's collaborator hostage and to do despicable blackmail.

Rouletabille interrupts his vacation in Hungary to fight a gang of air pirates with his boss Sainclair and the daughter of Budapest's chief of Police.

Paris, 1830. Fleur de Marie is rescued from poverty by the mysterious Rodolphe, who is in fact the Grand Duke of Gérolstein, who has gone incognito in search of an illegitimate child he once had. Which is not at all to the taste of Sarah Mac Gregor, her current mistress who kidnaps Fleur and has her locked up in Saint-Lazare prison.

Based on a novel by Maurice Dekobra, the film is set in Yoshiwara, the red-light district of Tokyo, in the nineteenth century. It depicts a love triangle between a high-class prostitute, a Russian naval officer, and a rickshaw man.

Three students from Saint-Cyr are sent to Syria to fight the rebels in the desert.

During the First World War, before joining a squadron at the front in 1918, Herbillon (Jean-Pierre Aumont) has a liaison with Helene (Annabella), a married woman. The young man discovers that his mistress is none other than the wife of Maury (Charles Vanel), an aviator friend.

A rich young man, Pierre Trévoux, has a desire for adventure and boasts of his courage. While he is staying with friends in the countryside, his hosts, to play a trick on him, organize a fake burglary, but he discovers the hoax. When he returns home, he finds his house broken into. Convinced that the game continues, he does not understand that he is dealing with real gangsters. His recklessness allows him to rout the criminals.

Alain, a doctor, has had his life turned upside down by a family tragedy. To forget, Alain joins the Foreign Legion. With the support of his captain, he wins the trust of the caïd Ben Hadj, heals and saves the latter's son, and falls in love with Kadidja, whom the caïd has entrusted to his care. Ben Hadj fights against the rebels, but sees his friend Alain die. Kadidja emerges to avenge him.

To protect him, Georges takes the place of his twin brother, Jacques, suspected of murdering an aircraft manufacturer and stealing the plans for a revolutionary engine. He sets out to compromise the police investigation and the actions of the document smugglers seeking to recover the plans.

A retelling of Tristan and Isolde set in 1940s France.

One of the subjects of the Prince of Slopoldavia, followed him to Paris, not out of love but to take revenge for the monarch's betrayal of one of his friends. Involuntary architect of a plot, she forces the prince to return to the throne and agrees to share the burdens of power with him.

Two twin brothers have joined the army, Paul by vocation is a lieutenant of spahis and Georges to escape the police is a sergeant in the Foreign Legion. A snitch having informed the police of Georges' presence at the Legion, he must leave. In Casablanca, Paul helps his brother escape the police by taking his identity to allow him to regain his honor.

The irresistible rise of a young provincial, Miquette, who, having risen to Paris, will experience success in the theater and love in Hollywood with a very attractive tennis player.

A burglar breaks into an apartment but cannot get out.

Nina Petrovna is a Russian beauty claimed by two Austrian officers.

Sylvie, a rich girl, learns at the same time the death and the ruin of her father. Forced to find work in Paris, she is given shelter by a medical student who soon falls for her. Another young man falls in love with her. When her benefactor gets ill and finally dies, Sylvie refuses to give the other man her heart out of faithfulness for the dearly departed. But youth commands and after a time love -but not oblivion - triumphs.

A Dakota plane is carrying a ton of gold bound for Brazzaville, but it is hijacked over the Camargue. On arrival, we find nails instead of gold!

Pierre and Georges both love Gretel who, in turn, is in love with Georges. Georges falls in love with another, Dolly, but the lover of the latter threatens to stop supporting him. Georges ends up finding Gretel, who forgives him, while Pierre steps aside to ensure their happiness.

When he is not conducting his orchestra, a talented young man invents a device to thwart car thieves. Associating himself with a rich Dutch baron, he falls in love with the baron's daughter.

The whimsical Riquet's has kidnapped and married a well-born young girl, Ralda. They travel around Spain performing their act in a circus but Ralda's beauty arouses the director's lust. Furious at being rejected, he opens a lion's cage during Ralda's act, leaving her seriously injured. With Ralda's family on their trail, the young people set off to find a better life elsewhere.