Jean-Pierre Aumont Movies
Throughout his lengthy screen and stage career, French actor Jean-Pierre Aumont served as the very essence of sophistication, adding a touch of grace and class to even the least noteworthy production. Born Jean Pierre-Salomon in Paris on January 5, 1909, he was the product of a wealthy family, and his mother was an actress. At the age of 16, he began studying drama at the Paris Conservatory and made his professional debut on-stage in 1930. A year later, Aumont appeared in his first film, Jean de la Lune, but he did not shoot to fame prior to starring in Jean Cocteau's play La Machine Infernal in 1934. That same year, he co-starred with Jean Gabin in the Julien Duvivier feature Maria Chapdelaine, followed in 1936 by the Marcel Carné comedy Drôle de Drame. In 1938, Aumont reunited with Carné for Hotel du Nord, but his film career was to come to a five-year halt when he joined the Free French forces in Tunisia, Italy, and France, ultimately winning the Legion of Honor and the Croix de Guerre for his bravery in battle. Fleeing the Nazis' occupation of France, he relocated to California in 1942, landing a contract with MGM.The studio made the most of Aumont's background by assigning him a pair of 1943 war dramas, The Cross of Lorraine and Assignment in Brittany, both detailing the efforts of the French Resistance forces. The following year, Aumont starred in the war romance Three Hours, and in 1946 appeared in Heartbeat. Many of his postwar films, like 1947's Song of Scheherazade and 1948's Siren of Atlantis, lacked distinction, and by the early '50s he was primarily working in Europe, appearing in productions originating in Italy (Revenge of the Pirates), Britain (1953's The Gay Adventure), and, of course, France (Life Begins Tomorrow, made in 1949 but released internationally in 1952). However, because he enjoyed a fan following in America, Aumont occasionally returned to the U.S. to appear in films, on-stage, and on television, and in 1953, he co-starred in the acclaimed musical Lili. Never a major star, Aumont rarely appeared in films of consequence, although he did co-star in Francois Truffaut's 1973 Oscar-winner La Nuit Américaine. In the mid-'90s, he also appeared in Jefferson in Paris and The Proprietor, a pair of films from the well-regarded Merchant-Ivory team. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- 1997
This French family fantasy follows in the footsteps of the fine and funny Big (1988). Solemn French schoolteacher Albert Crastaing (Jean-Louis Richard) punishes a trio of 12-year-olds by having them write a Kafkaesque essay with a body-switching premise, cueing the film's storyline of kids transformed into their parents. Nouredine is a French-born Arab whose father (Zinedine Soualem) is an artist forced to drive a cab. Catholic Igor's father (François Morel) died from AIDS after a blood transfusion. Joseph is a Jew whose father (Pierre Arditi) is a cranky and irritable tailor. The trio encounters a prostitute, Yolande (Catherine Jacob). Elsewhere, the parents inhabit bodies of their children and experience problems kids face daily. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Pierre Arditi, François Morel, (more)
- 1996
- R
Noted producer Ismail Merchant stepped up to the director's chair for this drama. Adrienne Mark (Jeanne Moreau) is the most acclaimed French novelist of her generation, whose best known work, Je M'Appelle France, was an international best-seller made into an award-winning French film (and a disastrous Americanized remake). Adrienne is living in New York City when she learns that the flat in Paris where she grew up (as Adrienne Markowsky) is up for sale. Looking for a key to her past, she buys the apartment and discovers a cache of letters written by her late mother. Adrienne's mother died in a Nazi concentration camp during WWII, but while she's been led to believe that her mother was betrayed while working with the resistance, the letters suggest that the truth was far more troubling. Along the way, Adrienne is romantically pursued by a young fan, William O'Hara (Josh Hamilton), though he instead finds love with Virginia Kelly (Sean Young), an American film producer eager to work with the great writer. The Proprietor also features Sam Waterston, Nell Carter, and Austin Pendleton. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jeanne Moreau, Josh Hamilton, (more)
Best known for their historical epics that examine class and social issues in British life through a thick lens of tasteful production design and good manners, director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant set their sights on an American protagonist for a change with Jefferson in Paris. As the title suggests, Jefferson in Paris deals with the five years that Thomas Jefferson (Nick Nolte) spent as U.S. ambassador to France prior to the French Revolution; while Jefferson is sympathetic to the revolutionary forces in France, he's become well enough acquainted with the ruling aristocracy that he finds himself torn between the two sides of the issue. Jefferson, a recent widower, also becomes friends with Maria Cosway (Greta Scacchi), who is married to a foppish British artist; while it's obvious the two are in love, neither is in a position to do anything about their infatuation. And while Jefferson's daughter Patsy (Gwyneth Paltrow) loves her father, she's very upset with him when he sends her to a convent school. In this midst of this personal turmoil, Jefferson's younger daughter Polly (Estelle Eonnet) arrives in Paris, with her slave Sally Hemmings (Thandie Newton) in tow. Attractive and bright (if uneducated), Sally catches Jefferson's eye, and a friendship develops that grows into something deeper; in time, Sally becomes pregnant, and her family claims that Jefferson is the father. At the time Jefferson In Paris was released, the question of Sally Hemmings' relationship with Thomas Jefferson was a matter of lively historical debate; since then, genetic evidence has shown that, while Jefferson's paternity can't be proved beyond a doubt, it is likely that he did father children with Hemmings. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nick Nolte, Greta Scacchi, (more)
- 1994
This lush French melodrama set in post World War I Europe was filmed on location in remote areas of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The film is set in October 1918 and follows the return of Giorgino, a French lieutenant, as he searches a strange and spooky village for the retarded children he looked after before the war. The children have mysteriously disappeared and the only suspect is an enigmatic, but beautiful redhead. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jeff Dahlgren, Mylene Farmer, (more)
- 1992
- R
Danny Huston's Becoming Colette purports to be an account of the early formative years of French author Gabrielle Colette (Mathilda May) and her evolution from naive country bumpkin to a Parisian socialite in a George Sand suit. The film turns up the heat with Colette as a teen with a crush on her father. This desire is then transferred to the suave and cosmopolitan Villars (Klaus Maria Brandauer) -- a fatherly twenty-five years her senior. The two start their hanky-panky on her father's country estate, resulting in a whirlwind courtship and marriage. Their honeymoon night is a succession of passionate unbuttonings. Colette writes in detail about it the next day in her diary. Villars then takes Colette to the Moulin Rouge to meet his mistress, the bisexual Polaire (Virginia Madsen). Polaire and Colette hit it off and soon are taking it off in a lesbian embrace. Meanwhile, Villars has taken to publishing Colette's diaries and is making money hand over fist. But finally Colette catches on after realizing that while she is toiling away at home cranking out Claudine books, Villars is busy taking her earnings and spending the cash on a succession of frilly mistresses. Making her stand in pants, she decides to abandon Villars and go out on her own. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Klaus Maria Brandauer, Mathilda May, (more)
- 1989
The fourth presentation of Masterpiece Theatre's 1989-90 season, a four-part adaptation of Dickens' Tale of Two Cities, was so lavish an undertaking (especially for TV) that it ended up a Production of Two Cities. Part of the program was taped at London's Granada studios, while the remaining scenes were shot at the Dune Studios of France. Part One, telecast November 11, 1989, begins with the release of Dr. Manette (Jean-Pierre Aumont) from the Bastille in 1775. Five years later, dissipated attorney Sidney Carton (James Wilby) saves the life of Charles Darnay (Xavier DeLuc), the beloved of Dr. Manette's daughter Lucie (Serena Gordon). This expository installment ends with the observation that Carton and Darney closely resemble one another...and all of us who read Tale of Two Cities in high school know where this is going.
The second chapter of the four-part British/French TV adaptation of Tale of Two Cities was telecast November 18, 1989 on PBS' Masterpiece Theatre. We pick up the story with Lucie Manette (Serena Gordon) choosing to wed Charles Darnay (Xavier DeLuc). This leaves Sidney Carton (James Wilby) out in the cold, but also sets the stage for the "far far better thing" he'll do on Lucie's behalf in Part Four. Meanwhile, the seeds of the French Revolution are sown when Gaspard (Jean-Paul Tribout) avenges the death of his child at the hands of the callous nobles. Coming up in parts three and four: The storming of the Bastille, the fancy needlework of Madame DeFarge, and Sidney Carton's curtain speech at the guillotine. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The second chapter of the four-part British/French TV adaptation of Tale of Two Cities was telecast November 18, 1989 on PBS' Masterpiece Theatre. We pick up the story with Lucie Manette (Serena Gordon) choosing to wed Charles Darnay (Xavier DeLuc). This leaves Sidney Carton (James Wilby) out in the cold, but also sets the stage for the "far far better thing" he'll do on Lucie's behalf in Part Four. Meanwhile, the seeds of the French Revolution are sown when Gaspard (Jean-Paul Tribout) avenges the death of his child at the hands of the callous nobles. Coming up in parts three and four: The storming of the Bastille, the fancy needlework of Madame DeFarge, and Sidney Carton's curtain speech at the guillotine. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1988
Windmills of the Gods was adapted for television by John Gay from a best-selling novel by Sidney Sheldon. Jaclyn Smith plays an American college professor, appointed US ambassador to Romania. While attending a peace conference, Jaclyn's life is placed in jeopardy by an all-powerful secret organization. Whom can she trust: American president Michael Moriarty, Rumanian top dog Franco Nero, fellow scholar David Ackroyd, or confrence chairman Ian McKellan? Or none of the above? This wide-ranging romantic adventure was lensed in several exotic locales, from Bucharest to Chile. Originally presented in two parts, Windmills of the Gods debuted February 7, 1988, directly opposite the ratings-busting TV-movie Elvis and Me. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1988
In this lifeless black comedy, Hermoine (Jacqueline Maillan) and Catarina (Alida Valli) are shocked to learn their late husband Alexandre (Jean-Pierre Aumont) was a bigamist. They combine forces to search for the hidden loot in a rambling French mansion and fend off a school of slimy, money-hungry lawyers. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jacqueline Maillan, Alida Valli, (more)
- 1987
- R
The Chilean Revolution of 1973 provides the framework of this propaganda drama that chronicles the aftermath of the assassination of President Salvador Allende. Much of the story centers on the effects the revolution has upon an American couple who lived there during the tumult. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jane Alexander, John Cullum, (more)
- 1987
Johnny Monroe may be small in stature, but size is no measure of a person's capacity to enjoy life. In this touching buddy-picture, Monroe, a little person, befriends a young mute man after the lad saves him from a beating by some toughs. Johnny is actively involved in the criminal world but is very much of an outsider, confined to petty violations of the law. Johnny treats Ben, who lost his voice in a boyhood accident, to a view of life in a very different world than he has known, giving him his first encounter with a prostitute, the experience of a first (small) theft, and an elegant dinner at a very fancy restaurant. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Luc Orofino, Philippe Caroit, (more)
- 1986
Students of film history will appreciate the many tributes to famous films of yore which appear in this first-time feature directed and written by former drama teacher Francis Huster. In the story, a mild-mannered bank clerk has heroic dreams of being a real he-man. Given his diffident, shy nature, it comes as a bit of a surprise that not only does he actually have a girlfriend, but he has managed to get her pregnant. However, she doesn't fit his image of himself, and he can't bring himself to marry her. When the bank he works in is robbed by a daring group which includes a magnetically attractive woman, the clerk throws his lot in with them and becomes an outlaw. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Francis Huster, Béatrice Dalle, (more)
- 1984
Produced on behalf of the HBO cable service, The Blood of Others is a rare venture into English-language filmmaking by Claude Chabrol. Set during World War II, the film stars Jodie Foster and Michael Ontkean as a pair of French resistance fighters. If you can swallow that, then you'll accept New Zealand native Sam Neill as a German businessman. Chabrol's wife Stephane Audran costars as Gigi, while other prominent members of the cast include Alexandra Stewart, Jean-Pierre Aumont and Micheline Presle. Oh, yes, the plot: based on a novel by Simone de Beauvoir, The Blood of Others concerns Jodie Foster's confused loyalties: should she continue in her underground activities, or succumb to the charms of the seemingly civilized Neill? This French-Canadian coproduction was originally telecast August 23, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jodie Foster, Michael Ontkean, (more)
- 1983
Strict behavior codes and the struggle to eke out a living provide a backdrop to this romantic drama set at the turn of the 20th century in rural, northern Quebec. Maria Chapdelaine (Carole Laure) returns to the home of her parents in a remote village, and during the period of one year, has her heart-strings pulled in three different directions at once -- though only one of those directions is what she really wants. She had been promised in marriage to the shy neighboring farmer (Pierre Curzi), whom she has known since they were children, but a suave man-about-town wants to marry her (Donald Lautrec), and a handsome trapper (Nick Mancuso) has fallen in love with her. Maria fluctuates between the trapper and the urban aristocrat, and as events unfold, her indecision leads to tragic consequences. Also filmed by Julien Duvivier in 1934, this story first became popular when published as a novel (by Louis Hemon) in 1913. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Carole Laure, Nick Mancuso, (more)
- 1983
In this polemical look at a revolutionary released from prison and bent on getting back at the right-wing conservatives who got him into prison in the first place, director Romain Goupil uses a heavier hand than in his earlier, well-received film, Mourir a 30 Ans. There is a certain amount of stereotyping in the way the fascists and leftists look and act, something that may have worked against the director's portrayal of fascists in the police force, or idealized revolutionaries. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tchéky Karyo, France Camus, (more)
- 1982
Supposedly an adaptation of Emile Zola's novel, this movie is set in Paris in the 1880s. Remade three times after the original 1926 version, this is the story of a prostitute who takes Parisian society by storm. This is a classic tale of the rise and fall of one striving to climb the social ladder. Rife with heartbreak and desperation, the characters are somewhat stiff and even her fall from grace fails to involve the viewer. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Katya Berger, Jean-Pierre Aumont, (more)
Spanish director Carlo Ausino has crafted a nifty little ghost story about a cursed villa in Turin and the three relatives who inherit it. Two bickering brothers and their cousin Elisa Beba Loncar -- who haven't seen each other since childhood -- are brought together after the siblings' mother dies. They inherit her house under the condition that they live there together and never divide or sell the property. It's haunted, of course, and after many ghostly nightmares and a few greed-inspired murders, Elisa finds a diary in the attic, learning that she is the sole survivor of "the seventh damned generation." Being a virgin, Elisa is destined for "The Grand Union" by an incubus named Casati, who just happens to also be the caretaker in disguise. Despite a plot that smacks of contrivance, Ausino and his cast manage to create a chilling atmosphere, as the living inhabitants of the villa (especially brother Bruno) are scarier than the unseen ghosts, who mainly turn the living against each other rather than attacking anyone themselves. Quiet, sometimes confusing, but with its share of goosebumps, this chiller has some outstanding moments and a creepy score by Stelvio Cipriani. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- 1980
The Boy Soldier is set in the 1930s and is based on a novel by Yves Gibeau, a book that has the unusual distinction of being banned in military precincts in France. In the film, a young fellow, Simon Chalumet (Lucas Belvaux) is sent to a military school by his overbearing father, an ex-soldier who has little sympathy for his son's more gentle temperament, or for his interest in films. In spite of various forms of harassment meant to whip the young men into shape, Simon does survive the years of harsh treatment with his own interests and basic nature unscathed. Reality intrudes in the end, when Simon is sent to the front and faces war and combat for the first time. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lucas Belvaux, Jean Carmet, (more)
- 1980
This drama chronicles the real-life story of Native America's first declared saint, Elizabeth Bayley Seton. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi
- 1980
Donald A. Stanwood's original novel The Memory of Eva Ryker used the Titanic tragedy as its launching pad. This made-for-TV adaptation of Stanwood's book moved the action up some 27 years, motivating its plotline with the torpedoing of an Athenia-type luxury liner in 1939. The film flashes forward to 1961: millionaire Ralph Bellamy, who lost his wife when the ship went down, hires writer Robert Foxworth (a discredited ex-cop) to investigate the sinking. Bellamy's grown daughter Natalie Wood, who'd survived the ordeal, seems to hold the secret, but she's been in a near-lunatic state for over twenty years. When several other survivors of the sinking are murdered, it becomes all the more crucial to unlock Wood's pent-up memories. In the tradition of Brian De Palma's Obsession (75), Natalie Wood not only plays the title role of Eva Ryker, but also Eva's ill-fated mother. The Memory of Eva Ryker was produced by "master of disaster" Irwin Allen. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1979
Beggarman, Thief is the 4-hour sequel to the ratings-busting miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man; both productions were based on the works of novelist Irwin Shaw. For the purposes of the sequel, a new member of the Jordache clan is introduced: filmmaker Gretchen Jordache Burke, played by Jean Simmons. It is Gretchen's task to keep the family together after the murder of her brother Tom (played by Nick Nolte in Rich Man, Poor Man) and the recent disappearance of her other brother Rudy (Peter Strauss, re-creating his RMPM role). Originally presented in two parts, Beggarman, Thief was first telecast November 26 and 27, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean Simmons, Glenn Ford, (more)
The relationship between Madeleine Ross (Susan Sarandon), a journalist, and Harris Sloane (David Steinberg), an art theater owner is the focus of this standard love story. Neither protagonist is shown being very active in their respective careers, especially considering how active they are in thinking about and connecting to, or disconnecting from each other. Their relationship is anything but steady, so when Madeleine meets the famous French star Jean-Fidel Mileau (played by the famous French star Jean-Pierre Aumont), he is a potent diversion and catalyst for true love at the same time. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Susan Sarandon, David Steinberg, (more)
- 1978
This drama examines the tensions felt between French and English speaking Canadians after WW I as it tells the story of a town squire interested in promoting industry in his village. Unfortunately, his son betrays him and with the help of another, he reveals his father's true, antireligious motives. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Pierre Aumont, Stacy Keach, (more)
In this Canadian-made action thriller, four psychopaths, led by Christie (Robert Carradine) take over and vandalize a ritzy Manhattan apartment building during the New York power blackout. They move from apartment to apartment, victimizing the occupants until stopped by the police. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Mitchum, Robert Carradine, (more)
- 1976
A woman (Madeleine Renaud) whose son (Jean-Pierre Aumont) has been estranged from her for years travels to visit him in Paris. Despite offers of money and position, he would prefer to remain a petty thief, gigolo, and paid dancer rather than have anything to do with his mother. She has factories in Indochina which, despite political reverses, still run under her direction, and they could have been put under his control. The lad is happy enough to steal the jewels and money she has left lying around for just that purpose, knowing that he is too proud to accept gifts. His unhappy childhood in Indochina has left him too bitter to be approached. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Madeleine Renaud, Jean-Pierre Aumont, (more)
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