Pierre Laroche

On the eve of World War II four Parisians cope with the impending invasion of their city by German forces. While the French government braces for impact, the intersected lives of a young writer, a vain movie star, a French politician and a young scientist are examined as they attempt to deal with war and evade German spies.

Fashion executive Dominique's obsession for Quentin, a young bisexual hustler, fills her desire for physical love but leaves her taxed emotionally. Twists and turns in the relationship, along with the man's violent and abusive nature, force Dominique to reconcile the conflicts created by her passion. In this quest, Dominique is aided, and sometimes hindered, by friends, clients, and Quentin's former and current acquaintances.

Jean-Pierre, a twenty-three-year-old Belgian theater actor, is engaged to a charming seamstress, Anne Jacquemin, who dreams of nothing else but a quiet married life with children. Belonging to a Brussels company, Jean-Pierre wants to experience more and decides to join a stock company that performs in the South of France. There he meets Juliette Allard, a young dancer who is the lookalike of Anne. As beautiful as her, she is more mysterious and fascinating than Anne. Jean-Pierre loves both: will he be able to choose between these two equally appealing women?

Loudun, October 1947. Leon Besnard and Marie celebrate their eighteenth wedding anniversary with friends and Ady, a former German prisoner they have "adopted". A few days later, Leon dies. Louise, a friend of the couple's and probably Leon's mistress claims that, on his deathbed, the deceased told her that Marie was poisoning him. The whole town soon condemns Marie and she is arrested and sent to jail. Did she really kill Léon as well as twelve other members of her family as she finds herself charged with?

Renée is Laurence's grandmother and she intends to show her how to make rich men fall in love with her, in order to get their life insurance's money. Both women will meet several men in the course of the movie. Even the cynical Renée will fall deeply in love again. But even after getting married, Laurence and Renée don't seem to be able to love their husband for a long time. Will they manage to get rid of their rich, loving but irritating husbands? Will their husbands survive the experience? Or will true love triumph at the end?

Maria Garcia (Carmen Maura) is a television journalist and she's about to be a single mother. Her career foremost in her mind, she doesn't slow down even for a minute, despite her pregnancy. She is, however, taking Lamaze classes and is quite competently coping with the romantic attentions of a man she's not very interested in. It's not at all irrelevant that her news beat includes stories on terrorism, the greenhouse effect, pollution and genetic engineering, because when her baby's due date comes and goes, she starts hearing from her infant from in the womb. It is telling her that it and many other babies are refusing to be born into such a horrible world. She learns that this is true, and that the children born through induced labor are dying.

Jack and Julie live in a bare Parisian flat. By day, they make love; by night, Jack is a taxi driver while Julie wanders the city. One day, Julie meets Joseph, the daytime cabbie, and soon Julie spends her nights with Joseph and her days with Jack.

Not All Dads Pee Standing Up is about Zoe and Dan who love one another. They live cheerfully with Simon, their multi year old child, close to Bruges.

Victor, an eight-year-old boy, finds himself at the head of a large fortune after the death of his father, Philippe. Hélène, his mother, is courted by Roland, a distant cousin who is trying to rekindle a passion from ten years earlier. Victor is worried, especially since Roland has brought Sandrine, a pretty brunette, with him, and the boy discovers her affair with Roland. When Roland takes over the family business that Philippe used to run, Victor becomes frightened.

The 2nd short film as part of the Magica series dealing with pre-cinema. In the 18th and 19th centuries, optical views were shown in optical boxes with magnifying lenses. The showmen organised a real spectacle, with a barker, music and sound effects. The views played with light (transparencies, perforations). A series of engravings shows the public's enthusiasm for these shows. The second part of the film is a reconstruction of such a show. First, there are views of Paris, Venice, Constantinople and Versailles, followed by various disasters: plague, floods, fires and shipwrecks.