Édouard Molinaro

Pre-teen rascal Michel-Ange 'Mikey' is lovingly raised and spoiled by his artificial insemination-dad Robert 'Bob' de Lachenay and his gay partner Gaby, who run a thriving antiques shop. Mikey luckily bumped into two 'surrogate grand-parents', retired juvenile court judge Antoine and colonel's widow Blandine, whose children emigrated to Australia. A school gang presses Mikey to steal at home as 'hazing test'. Helping Mikey brings the lonely pair together. Things get complicated when Mikey stops at nothing to press the substitutes to present him to Bob's parents Bertrand and Marguerite, who own a castle but disowned their own son just for being gay.

In order to make a good impression on her new boss at a work party, Léa Faber, a young single woman devoted to her job, leads everyone to believe that she is married to Yann, the pianist at the party whom she has just met. He decides to play along.

Victim of a rape, Nadia Coupeau decides to keep the child despite her precarious personal situation. But her child is soon taken away from her and placed in public care. Desperate, but ready to do anything to get him back, she decides to join her friend Zoé in the capital... In this version freely inspired by Emile Zola's work, Nana's trajectory is a cross-section of contemporary society, from the jungle of the suburbs to the golden world of business.

Max, a teenager, is having a difficult time coming of age. At 16, he is constantly in conflict with his parents. His father, Yvon, a lock and alarm manufacturer, does not understand this rebellious son. Worried about his future, he drowns Max's ambitions in a clumsy speech. Himself a bit clumsy, he doesn't know how to show him his affection. A gap is growing. One day, Max goes out without his parents' permission to attend a party organized by a friend. There, he meets his first true love, Audrey. But the young man is also insolent and is soon expelled from his school. His father reacts violently, and the teenager decides to run away.

Beaumarchais the Scoundrel is a biopic film based on the life of the French playwright, financier and spy Pierre Beaumarchais depicting his activities during the American War of Independence and his authorship of the Figaro trilogy of plays.

Paris during the 1920s. Ever since her parents' separation, ten-year-old Maisie has been travelling to and fro between her father Beale Farange and her mother Ida. She spends half a year with each one alternately. But neither parent can provide Maisie with the warmth and affection she so desperately needs.

France, 1815. After his defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon heads for exile. Royalists occupy Paris and attempt to restore the monarchy. However, the battle doesn't seem to be over. On July 6, Talleyrand, a shrewd politician of flexible convictions, invites chief of police and zealous revolutionary Fouché to supper and tries to convince him to serve the king. Over the meal they insult each other, accuse each other, and, at first sight, look like mortal enemies. But they definitely have one thing in common: they are both power-hungry.

Tired of Parisian life, Louis de Nueil settles in a provincial village to rest from his hectic life. But he quickly gets bored. He then meets Fanny de Lussange, as beautiful as she is mysterious. The young man decides to court Fanny.

The 35-year-old ministry official Baron Leisenbohg had the stage career ten years ago as the cast of the "Queen of the Night", opera that promoted singer Klare Hell. Klare shows no gratitude however.

The story of revolutionary woman Manon Roland.

Yan is a successful artist. One day he is waiting for his date Florence to turn up at his apartment. As the doorbell rings, he finds another young woman in underwear on his doorstep: his neighbor Eva! She tells him she locked herself out of her apartment and insists that he helps her. Whilst Yan is trying to enter Eva's apartment via their adjoining balcony, his phone rings. It is Florence, and she is not impressed when a female voice answers the phone. At this point, Eva's rabidly jealous boyfriend Boris returns home. Seeing Yan in his apartment, he deduces that Eva has been having an affair behind his back. Florence then turns up and Yan tries in vain to explain the situation. By chance, Florence's husband suddenly puts in an appearance. After that, it all starts to get a bit complicated.

A lawyer hires a call girl after learning his wife has invited her lover to move in; the husband and wife separate and the two new couples live side-by-side without issue - until an ex-boyfriend shows up and things start to go wrong.

1944. Lucien, a fighter in the Free French Forces, is taken prisoner by the Germans. He is sent to a prison camp and then becomes a pianist in a palace.

Despite her success as a professional flute player and the constant attention of men around her, Susan Berlanger feels insecure because of her lame right leg. During a European tour, she decides to cover her leg with a cast to see how people will react to her as a nondisabled person.

After getting screwed over by life (again), two losers decide that enough is enough. Using stolen ski masks and stolen toy guns, they take hostages in their local bank, holding them for ransom. Things go well until the hostages learn what's going on, and demand a piece of the action for themselves.

In a move to make his partner, Renato, jealous, the flamboyant Albin waits in a local cafe - dressed as a woman - hoping to be picked up. But Albin gets more than he bargains for when the fly he catches in his web is actually a spy, who uses him as an unwitting courier of secret microfilm. Now on the run from ruthless agents, Albin and Renato flee to Italy where they attempt to hide out on a farm, with Albin posing as Renato's wife. Can Albin escape the deadly pursuit of these relentless spies or does he have to sustain this charade - as a woman - forever?

A sex comedy anthology containing four stories, each from a different country (England, France, USA and Italy). "An Englishman's Home" "The French Method" "Armando's Notebook" "Skippy"

Set in a garrison town in Austria before 1914, is the story of the unfortunate love between simple lieutenant Anton Hofmiller and Edith, the paralyzed daughter of the count, who is the richest man in the region.

François Perrin is a journalist who reads the news on RTL radio. Alone in life, his only "amusement" is his neighbor from Africa, who makes mildly fun of him from time to time. One evening, François is bored, and decides to call a random telephone number. He gets Christine on the line, a bit of an old school pharmacist, who hesitates to put down the phone, and plays the game of seduction with the charming "Mr X"...

Two gay men living in St. Tropez have their lives turned upside down when the son of one of the men announces he is getting married. They try to conceal their lifestyle and their ownership of the drag club downstairs when the fiancée and her parents come for dinner.

Art collector Pierre Niox rushes through life, lives a frantic life, does everything in full speed -- searching for and acquiring works of art or real estate, marrying or even dying -- and in total disregard for any kind of morality. His misdeeds finally turn on him and destroy him.

With angry villagers driving them away from their castle in Transylvania, Dracula and his son Ferdinand head abroad. Dracula ends up in London, England where he becomes a horror movie star exploiting his vampire status. His son, meanwhile, is ashamed of his roots and ends up a night watchman in Paris, France where he falls for a girl. Naturally, tensions arise when father and son are reunited and both take a liking to the same girl.

A small industrialist from Toulouse, goes to Paris to negotiate the buyout of his company from an American financial group. During his stay, the representative of the large firm calls on a luxury call girl to facilitate their "business".

A series of events beginning during the German occupation of France showing what might have happened if one thing had gone differently. The premise concerns the assassination of a German officer by a young member of the Resistance.

Ralf Milan, a hitman, arrives in Montpellier to kill an important witness. He checks in a hotel without knowing that his neighbour has become neurotic after his wife left him.

Barely out of the psychiatric hospital where he went to seek care, Gilbert Nodier commits several assaults to have some money.

Paris, seventies. In a hotel in the glittering Rue de Rivoli an English boy falls in love with the two young grandchildren of the owner. Based on the novel "La Mandarine" by Christine de Rivoyre.

A sunny seaside town... Jean and Catherine are in love. They are young, beautiful, and poor. One of Jean's friends suggests he rob the cash box of a traveling circus. But the plan goes wrong: a circus employee is seriously injured, and Jean is arrested. He chooses to proclaim his innocence. To force him to confess and denounce his accomplice, the two detectives in charge of the investigation devise a Machiavellian plan...

Paris, in the spring of 1968. Albin Cérès, 23, the son of a bourgeois couple on the verge of breakdown, seeks happiness in life. Disappointed by Laurent, the leader of a small group of revolutionary students ; disappointed by Paméla, a girl he half-heartedly makes love to ; refusing the friendship of Moss, a refined fifty-year-old who is secretly in love with him, Albin returns to his parents'home for a while. Shortly afterward he meets Lore, a lovely young lady, who dreams of revolution... A great love is born!

Benjamin is in love with Manette, the innkeeper's beautiful daughter, but she has no intention of giving in to the young doctor until she sees the marriage contract, and marriage does not fit in with Benjamin's spirit of independence. For the same reason he resists the efforts of his sister Bettine to marry him off to Arabelle, the daughter of old Dr. Minxit. Benjamin does agree to go and meet the girl. But that evening his sister finds him at the inn together with Manette, who is arrested by her father. So she decides to go with Benjamin herself. But as result of an incident with the fat Marquis puts paid to the expedition. Benjamin is subjected by the Marquis to a humiliating practical joke. Benjamin is determined to got his revenge. He succeeds thanks to the gorgeous Vicomte Hector de Pont-Cassé, who also helps Manette with her problems against her father. But Benjamin is now arrested by the Marquis...

Hubert de Tartas' life becomes a complete muddle when his wife's grandfather is unearthed after having spent 65 years in frozen hibernation in the polar circle. After being de-frosted, the Hibernating Man believes it is still the beginning of the century. Nothing is spared to keep that illusion alive. At the end of his rope, Hubert blurts out the truth and takes the man from Edwardian times on a crazy spree through an ultramodern Twentieth Century.

This film originated as a play in Paris. The story focuses on the one-day adventures of Bertrand Barnier played with a genius of French cinema, Louis de Funes. In the same morning he learns that his daughter is pregnant, an employee stole a large amount of money from his company, his maid is about to resign in order to marry a wealthy neighbor and his body builder is interested in marrying his daughter. The seemingly complicated story-line is full of comedy or errors and some of the most hilarious mime scenes of the French cinema.

A writer gets wrapped up in espionage.

Arsène Baudu and Hyacinthe, a pair of small-time crooks, fall prey to Alexandre Larsan-Bellac, who involves them (against their will) in high-profile swindling, but their success is quite limited. For starters they are deceived by Mrs. Paterson, a charming widow. Later on, Ribeiro, a Portuguese contractor and former victim of the two crooks, traces them and forces them to work on one of his building sites for damages. Just then, Larsan-Bellac resurfaces with plans to lure Ribeiro once again. —Guy Bellinger

A few stories about marriage and its problems. Antoine is about to marry Gisèle. His friend Julien, an established bachelor, desperately tries to convince him not to do it, recounting his own painful experiences.

A Russian spy is assigned to steal sensitive information from NATO about military mobilisation. Without much intelligence of his own, the distrusted Soviet intelligence agent needs all the help he can get from his 'talented' partner Penelope Lightfeather as they scatter around the French countryside for secret rendezvous while trying to avoid being caught by counterintelligence agents and distrustful communist operatives.

The French Secret Services are out to recover some secret documents stolen from a Russian cultural attaché, while he struggles to prove his innocence. That is, if he is innocent.

André Laroche, an industrialist, has just passed away. Face to his grave, as he is being buried, Anne de Vierne, the wife of a magistrate, confesses to her son François that Laroche was in fact Lupin and that he is his natural child. But he is not the gentleman thief's only offspring! Lupin had indeed another son by a housemaid, Gérard Dagmar, a dancer, magician and - occasionally - burglar. Which complicates the task of François who, to respect the last wishes of the testator, has gone in search of the treasure of Poldavia. For he keeps finding Gérard on his way and his efforts are constantly thwarted by his half-brother. Will Gérard prevent François from becoming the worthy successor to their father or will the two young men decide to join forces? That is the question.

Seven directors each dramatize one of the seven deadly sins in a short film. In "Anger," a domestic argument over a fly in the Sunday soup escalates into nuclear war. In "Sloth," a movie star would rather pay someone to tie his shoe than bend over to do it himself, and he can't be bothered to accept a starlet's sexual favors. In "Gluttony," a peasant family on its way to the funeral of a relative who died from indigestion stops regularly to eat and drink en route, arriving in time to eat some more. In "Greed," a high-class prostitute refunds the price of a cadet's lottery ticket. In "Pride," an unfaithful wife finds reason to reform. And so on through lust and envy.

Envious of a movie star who is staying at the hotel where she works, the waitress Rosette does everything she can to seduce the actress's lover. Some time later, after having realized her ambition, she returns to the hotel as a client. (Segment of "Les sept pêches capitaux")

Stéphane Blanchon lives a quiet life in Switzerland with his wife, Christine, until a young American boarder named Belle, who was living with them, is found murdered. Despite Stéphane's innocence, the evidence points to him, and he learns that Belle harbored romantic feelings for him. Suspicions mount against him; even Christine thinks he is the culprit. Stéphane's sanity begins to crumble, and he lashes out in unprecedented ways.

Philippe, a little known artist, has a mistress, Viviane, a woman he does not love. When he learns the bailiffs are about to seize his paintings, Philippe decides to leave alone for the French Riviera and spend, as he regularly does, comfortable and carefree holidays in the luxurious villa of his friend Paule. But, on his way, he meets Manette, a beautiful but poor girl to whom he offers to become his companion for the Summer. Manette accepts the strange deal in exchange for bed and board. As Philippe always comes in the company of his mistress of the time, the presence of Manette does not pose a problem. But the young woman soon feels ill-at-ease in such a dubious environment. moreover, she realizes that she is falling in love with Philippe, who might not be so cynical as he wants to appear.

Industrialist Pierre Verdier kills his mistress Jeanne Ancelin by throwing her off a train. Her husband, Ancelin, decides to take revenge on his wife's murderer, who has been acquitted by justice.

Pierre Rossi and Béatrice live in the same block of flats in Marseille and love each other. One night, Béatrice leaves her apartment. Pierre knows that his fiancée goes to a rendezvous, but she would not tell him more than just that. Worried, Pierre follows her but he is attacked and stolen his identity papers by two men, Tom and Nasol, on the payroll of Quaglio, one of the city's bosses. Later on, Quaglio kills Nasol and deposits the body in a garage, leaving Pierre's papers nearby. As for Pierre, he manages to follow Tom to a villa where several young women have been invited. Pierre, horrified, realizes that this place is the headquarters for the white slave trade. - Written by Guy Bellinger

Rich industrialist Jacques Decret learns his wife Gloria is having an affair with a young actor. For revenge, he bombards her with anonymous letters, convincing her that her lover is the culprit while Gloria desperately seeks a way out.

Documentary on France's industrial chemistry.

Chemins d'avril is a French short film directed by Édouard Molinaro, released in 1953.It is about a young boy on his way to school. He finds a rabbit in a trap.