Francis Reusser

Directing

Francis Reusser

Born December 1, 1942 · Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland

Died April 10, 2020 · aged 77

Francis Reusser was a Swiss film director. He directed thirteen films since 1968. His film Derborence was entered into the 1985 Cannes Film Festival. Reusser died on 10 April 2020 after a long illness.

Known For

Return from AfricaReturn from Africa · 1973
Return from Africa
★ 6.31973
MovieDrama
A young Swiss couple, Vincent and Françoise, plan to leave Geneva and settle in Africa: a friend of theirs living in Algeria promises to give them a job there.
AloneAlone · 1981
Alone
★ 6.01981
MovieDrama
Jean, the lead character in this psychological journey is torn by a search for his lost childhood, the overwhelming need to love a woman of his dreams (someone he has invented), and a struggle with his latent bisexuality. Jean finds some photos inside an automatic photo station that look like his mother who died soon after he was born. He starts to fantasize about the woman, giving her a name and identity and waiting for her to appear. During this time, he meets Carole and has an affair with her, all the while pretending he has this other relationship with the woman in the photo. Significantly, the couple who introduce him to Carole is childless, and they eventually split up - perhaps a comment on the importance of childhood to the adult world. In the end, Carole discovers that Jean's "other woman" has no real existence, causing a crisis that finds a symbolic expression as the last scenes close on the story.
War in the HighlandsWar in the Highlands · 1998
War in the Highlands
★ 4.51998
MovieRomanceDrama
La Guerre Dans le Haut Pays is a period piece set in the winter of 1797-98, during the six days leading up to the fall of Bern and the victory of Napoleon's army, when the Bern government is faced with mixed loyalties from its subjects. The population of the lower valley is divided, but the upper region remains loyal, since they have been given special autonomy and a favorable system of taxation. David, a postman, works between the two regions. His father, who is a hard-line conservative, does not approve of his relationship with Julie, who is from the lower part of the valley. Julie's father, on the other hand, is more open to the new ideas of liberation. As a result of his work, David is exposed to new ideas and becomes a believer in equality and justice.
Charles, Dead or AliveCharles, Dead or Alive · 1970
Charles, Dead or Alive
★ 6.51970
MovieDrama
On the 100th anniversary of the founding of a watchmaking company in Geneva, Charles Dé the founder's 50-year-old grandson has had it: he speaks eccentrically to a reporter, recognizing his grandfather as a craftsman and his son as a businessman, but is evasive about himself. He gives his family the slip and moves in with a young couple he meets by chance, doing the cooking, reading, drinking, and engaging in philosophical discussions with them. The young couple comes to love Charles. In secret, he stays in touch with a daughter, and the rest of the family hires a private investigator to find him, setting in motion a business take-over that threatens his Bohemian happiness.
Ma nouvelle HéloïseMa nouvelle Héloïse · 2012
Ma nouvelle Héloïse
2012
MovieDrama
A wealthy Japanese patron, enamored with Rousseau, offers an atypical and versatile filmmaker the opportunity to freely adapt Jean-Jacques Rousseau's epistolary novel into a film. The filmmaker brings together three young actors in a deserted palace above Clarens and begins shooting. Rousseau's tragedy then reverberates through the contemporary characters.
Four of ThemFour of Them · 1968
Four of Them
★ 7.01968
MovieDrama
A bold cinematic project which tells the story of four Swiss women, aged 16, 22, 31 and 72: Sylvie, Patricia, Erika and Angèle, by blending fiction and documentary into four individual shorts assembled into a full-length feature film.
Voltaire et l'affaire CalasVoltaire et l'affaire Calas · 2007
Voltaire et l'affaire Calas
★ 5.72007
MovieHistoryTV Movie
A Protestant businessman, Jean Calas, is tortured to death for allegedly killing his son to stop him becoming a Catholic. Voltaire launches a Europe-wide campaign to win rehabilitation for Calas and compensation for his family.
The Big NightThe Big Night · 1976
The Big Night
★ 5.51976
MovieDrama
In Lausanne, Léon is involved by accident with a small Leninist group and gets to know Léa, a dedicated activist and the group leader's mistress. The police keep a close watch on them and trouble is bound to follow.

Filmography

Sort
AloneAlone · 1981
Alone
★ 6.01981
MovieDrama
Jean, the lead character in this psychological journey is torn by a search for his lost childhood, the overwhelming need to love a woman of his dreams (someone he has invented), and a struggle with his latent bisexuality. Jean finds some photos inside an automatic photo station that look like his mother who died soon after he was born. He starts to fantasize about the woman, giving her a name and identity and waiting for her to appear. During this time, he meets Carole and has an affair with her, all the while pretending he has this other relationship with the woman in the photo. Significantly, the couple who introduce him to Carole is childless, and they eventually split up - perhaps a comment on the importance of childhood to the adult world. In the end, Carole discovers that Jean's "other woman" has no real existence, causing a crisis that finds a symbolic expression as the last scenes close on the story.

Director

War in the HighlandsWar in the Highlands · 1998
War in the Highlands
★ 4.51998
MovieRomanceDrama
La Guerre Dans le Haut Pays is a period piece set in the winter of 1797-98, during the six days leading up to the fall of Bern and the victory of Napoleon's army, when the Bern government is faced with mixed loyalties from its subjects. The population of the lower valley is divided, but the upper region remains loyal, since they have been given special autonomy and a favorable system of taxation. David, a postman, works between the two regions. His father, who is a hard-line conservative, does not approve of his relationship with Julie, who is from the lower part of the valley. Julie's father, on the other hand, is more open to the new ideas of liberation. As a result of his work, David is exposed to new ideas and becomes a believer in equality and justice.

Director