French Connection Films

How did Marilyn Monroe become one of the greatest sex symbols of all time? What drove a prudish little Californian girl, who was not especially pretty nor exceptionally talented, to become this incredibly striking platinum blonde superstar? How did she become the icon capable of balancing innocence with raw sensuality, whilst continuing to captivate the masses to this day? How did she achieve this? And what price did she pay?

Tony Curtis, the man who influenced Elvis Presley and James Dean. A sex symbol, a matinee idol, a powerful and magnetic actor, Tony Curtis was the original movie star.

Since the early days, Jerry Lewis—in the line of Chaplin, Keaton and Laurel—had the masses laughing with his visual gags, pantomime sketches and signature slapstick humor. Yet Lewis was far more than just a clown. He was also a groundbreaking filmmaker whose unquenchable curiosity led him to write, produce, stage and direct many of the films he appeared in, resulting in such adored classics as The Bellboy, The Ladies Man, The Errand Boy, and The Nutty Professor.

From the very beginning, actor Paul Newman captivated the cinema audience with his exceptional azure eyes. The reserved Newman himself finds it trivial and even disturbing that everyone is so taken with his appearance. The actor and director - who has played in more than sixty films and directed twelve of them - prefers to focus on his work and family. And, at least as important, on his philanthropic ventures and political activism.

A portrait of New York artist Keith Haring. The film looks to Haring as an artistic role model for his preternatural talent, of course, but also for his infectious lust for life that had him as committed to social activism and teaching children as to his latest painting.

Tarzan: the super hero who never goes out of fashion. The son of British Royalty, he is raised by apes in the African jungle and finds his true love, Jane. Swinging through trees, communicating with wild animals, he is exotic, entertaining and accessible. This film recounts the birth of the character in the mind of Edgar Rice Burroughs and how each generation has reinvented and reinterpreted him.

A legend of the Hollywood Golden Age, Gregory Peck (1916-2003) had an exemplary career, working under some of the greatest directors: Alfred Hitchcock, Elia Kazan, Raoul Walsh, Vincente Minnelli... Portrait of an actor with irresistible charm and strong political commitments.

Anthony Perkins’ face and name remain familiar to a younger 21st century audience, fond of giallo and slashers. But he has long struggled in the shadow of his most famous character, Norman Bates – the young man in Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece, “Psycho". We also discover that he was an amazing crooner. His greatest success, “Moonlight Swim”, will be taken up by Elvis Presley. He even directed “Psycho III” – proof of his reconciliation with his favorite bogeyman.