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, All Movie Guide
- 1975
- R
Lynn Redgrave stars as New York madam Xaviera Hollander in this romp based on Hollander's rise to the top of the sex-for-hire industry. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lynn Redgrave, Jean-Pierre Aumont, (more)
- 1975
- R
Jane Birkin stars in this sex farce as a young British prostitute in Paris who, after her soft-core business fails, decides to go big-time and incorporate herself, selling stock to four disparate investors. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Birkin, Patrick Dewaere, (more)
Directed by Berry Gordy, Jr. as a vehicle for his star Diana Ross, Mahogany traces the life of a poor girl who makes it in the fashion world (first as a model, then designer) and deserts her boyfriend (Billy Dee Williams) in the meantime, hooking up instead with a photographer (Anthony Perkins). The song "Do You Know When You're Going To" (Gerry Goffin/Michael Masser) was Oscar-nominated. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, (more)
- 1974
Among the spice plantations of Columbia are to be found any number of abused peasant farmers. Normally, the great landlords expect the church to support them and at the same time keep the natives quiet. In this Italian family comedy, the ruthless spice masters are instead saddled with two of the most radical revolutionary priests imaginable, Padre G. (Terence Hill) and Padre Pedro (Bud Spencer), who straighten things out using little more than fisticuffs, righteousness, and more than a little slapstick. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
Known to English-speaking audiences as Day for Night, La nuit américaine was director François Truffaut's loving and humorous tribute to the communal insanity of making a movie. The film details the making of a family drama called "Meet Pamela" about the tragedy that follows when a young French man introduces his parents to his new British wife. Truffaut gently satirizes his own films with "Meet Pamela"'s overwrought storyline, but the real focus is on the chaos behind the scenes. One of the central actresses is continually drunk due to family problems, while the other is prone to emotional instability, and the male lead (Truffaut regular Jean-Pierre Leaud) starts to act erratically when his intermittent romance with the fickle script girl begins to fail. In addition to all this personal drama, the film is besieged by technical problems, from difficult tracking shots to stubborn animal actors. The inspiration for future satires of movie-making from Living in Oblivion to Irma Vep, La nuit américaine was considered slight by some critics in comparison to earlier Truffaut masterworks, but it went on to win the 1973 Oscar for Best Foreign Film. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacqueline Bisset, Valentina Cortese, (more)
- 1972
In this drama, a famed dying surgeon has his brain transplanted into the body of a race car driver who is dying of brain trauma. The operation is a success and the surgeon is happy--until he discovers that the racer's lover is his own daughter. Now what can he do? ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This decidedly different war movie follows Maj. Abraham Falconer (Burt Lancaster), a tired, one-eyed Army officer, as he leads eight men into Belgium where they hope to take a much-needed rest at a 10th century castle. The master of the house, Henri Tixier (Jean-Pierre Aumont), welcomes them with a surprising degree of enthusiasm. Tixier is married to his young niece, Therese (Astrid Heeren), and the couple would like to have a child, but since Tixier is impotent, he has been unable to father one. He encourages Falconer to see if he can have better luck with Therese. The men under Falconer's command have more than a few escapades of their own, as Sgt. Rossi (Peter Falk) seduces the wife of a local baker, an art historian among them tries to protect the treasures of the castle, and a car buff becomes fascinated by his first encounter with a Volkswagen. Amidst the surreal fun and games at the castle, the soldiers make the most of their well-deserved vacation until an invasion of German troops puts them back on the firing line. Directed by Sydney Pollack, Castle Keep was based on a novel by William Eastlake. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Lancaster, Patrick O'Neal, (more)
- 1967
Also known as Cauldron of Blood, Blind Man's Bluff is a Spanish-made horror film long on gore but short on logic. Several beautiful models have disappeared, and the prime suspect is blind sculptor Boris Karloff, a surly and secretive sort who produces skeletal statues. Lovely model Rosanda Monteros tries to get to the bottom of the mystery, and of course nearly winds up a victim herself. The killer is not Karloff but his wife Viveca Lindfors, who hopes to sustain her husband's reputation by providing fresh skeletons for his artwork. Lindfors ends up hoisted on her own petard when she accidentally dips her arm in a vat of acid. Yeccch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
In this thriller, a man confesses to the murder of his business partner's wife, his former lover, after her body is finally found. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Filmed on location in Paris, Disney's Horse Without a Head stars Jean-Pierre Aumont as police-inspector Sinet. The inspector's well-ordered existence is turned upside down by a group of youngsters who insist upon racing their headless toy horse up and down the streets of Paris. Villainous Herbert Lom decides to take advantage of the kids' innocent faces by hiding a key in the headless horse--a key to a deserted factory, where he has squirreled away 10 million stolen francs. Among the child actors in this breezy adventure is a young Pamela Franklin. Released theatrically in Europe, A Horse Without a Head was originally telecast in two parts on September 29, 1963 and Oct 6, 1963 as the third-season opener of Disney's Wonderful World of Color TV anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
In this offbeat ensemble comedy from French New Wave director Pierre Kast, Françoise Arnoul and Michel Auclair star as Mathilde and Michel, a couple who rents a chateau for the weekend. To liven things up, Mathilde invites a diverse group of guests to enjoy the scenic retreat. Among the eclectic bunch is a former Marxist, a scientist, an author, an estranged couple, and a 17-year-old girl ready for love. In no time, the guests are pairing off together for a series of ephemeral trysts. Also starring Catherine Deneuve in one of her earliest film roles, Vacances portugaises was released in the U.S. under it's English-translated title, Portuguese Vacation. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Françoise Arnoul, Michel Auclair, (more)
- 1962
The seven major sins receive treatment from some of France's greatest directors in this lively portmanteau. "Anger" by Dhomme, chronicles a single horrific day when every bowl of soup in France is found to contain a fly. This causes a devastating nationwide revolt. "Envy" by Molinaro tells the story of a chambermaid whose dream of sleeping with a millionaire comes true. Unfortunately, she goes back to work and finds herself still consumed with jealousy. De Broca's "Gluttony" provides one of the film's most enjoyable episodes as it follows the exploits of a voracious family heading off for a funeral. "Lust" by Demy is set at a Parisian sidewalk cafe and eavesdrops upon the lusty conversation between two young men, one of whom has x-ray eyes that enable him to see through women's clothing. "Laziness" by Godard features real life matinee idol Constantine as a movie star who finds himself too sluggish to respond to the starlet trying so hard to seduce him. "Pride" by Roger Vadim tells the satirical tale of a philandering wife who changes her mind and stays with her husband after learning that her happy home is being threatened by another woman. Finally in Chabrol's "Greed," young men who have pooled their meager resources to buy a prostitute, fight for the chance to be with her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacques Charrier, Marie-José Nat, (more)
- 1962
- NR
This tragic and suspenseful tale of domestic abuse concerns a couple who have drifted far from the intent of their marriage vows. Bob (Anthony Perkins) is a former soldier who met Lisa (Sophia Loren) when she was a poor girl living in Italy. After they marry, they take up residence in Paris where Lisa holds down a job and Bob is always going to the next job interview -- that ultimately yields nothing. The sniveling weasel slaps his wife around, endearing himself to no one. As he is leaving for an interview, Lisa tells him at the airport that she's had enough and it's over. The plane crashes, but bad-boy Bob is the lone survivor and returns to his long-suffering wife. He promises he will leave her for good once the life-insurance claim is processed. Her slap-happy spouse then decides when the money comes in, he will have her arrested and charged with insurance fraud. Meanwhile, Lisa has fallen for David (Gig Young). When Bob forces her to drive him out of the country, Lisa plans to drive Bob out of her life for good. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sophia Loren, Anthony Perkins, (more)
- 1962
A light frolic at the beach with sun and sex both foremost on the scene, this standard comedy by director Giulio Petroni is that much better for the comic work of Ugo Tognazzi and Raimondo Vianello as Benito and Adolfo, two undertakers who enjoy a bit of fun at the beach before they have to go in and punch the clock. Also along for the ride are Jean-Pierre Aumont as Valerio and some very attractive women, involved in a series of episodic vignettes about classic situations -- such as mistaken identity. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Maria Ferrero, Eddie Bracken, (more)
Spencer Tracy plays an American priest tending to the natives of a South Sea island. A plane carrying three convicts -- Harry (Frank Sinatra), Marcel Gregoire Aslan and Charlie Bernie Hamilton) -- lands on the island; Father Doonan (Tracy) manages to enlist their (reluctant) aid in working at a children's hospital. When the island falls victim to a series of earthquakes, Father Doonan and the convicts work together to evacuate the hospital staff and the children. Harry, the least cooperative of the prisoners, becomes a hero during a volcanic eruption by going back to rescue the priest, who with convict Charlie has been holding a bridge in order to allow the others to escape. Father Doonan and the two convicts are killed, but all the children are rescued. Blighted by bad special effects and ponderous direction, Devil at Four O'Clock is less interesting than the behind-the-scenes rumors concerning the friction between Spencer Tracy and Frank Sinatra. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Spencer Tracy, Frank Sinatra, (more)
- 1960
A routine wartime tale of double-crossing spies and Nazi evils, The Enemy General is about the stereotypical, not exceedingly brilliant, and crass fascist Gen. Bruger (John Van Dreelen) who is one of the targets of the French Resistance movement. When Lemaire (Van Johnson) gets the unwanted assignment of safely escorting the evil general to England, he is especially torn up about the job. Gen. Bruger was responsible for killing a dozen hostages, among them Lemaire's fiancée. As he sets off with the general, Lemaire has been told that the man has valuable information to give to the British, and that is why he needs to get him safely to England. On the other hand, Lemaire begins to piece things together and eventually realizes that the general is as Nazi as ever and has every intention of betraying British secrets to the German high command. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Van Johnson, Jean-Pierre Aumont, (more)
- 1959
Robert Stack stars in this sea-faring historical epic as John Paul Jones, the first great hero of the American Navy. While originally a loyal soldier of the King's army, Jones in time becomes a fervent supporter of the American Revolutionaries, and he volunteers to lead the colonists' ragtag fleet to impressive victories against the British Navy; during a battle against the British ship Serapis, Jones utters the deathless words "I have not yet begun to fight." While his brave and intelligent leadership helps win America its freedom, his appeals to Benjamin Franklin (Charles Coburn) and the other leaders of Congress to strengthen the United States Navy fall on deaf ears; Jones is eventually branded a troublemaker, and in time, he is ordered to Russia, where he is to help guide the fleet of Catherine The Great (Bette Davis). Jones leads the Russian Navy to stunning victories in the Black Sea, reestablishing his reputation as one of the great military minds of his day. John Paul Jones also features a rousing score by the great film composer Max Steiner. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Stack, Marisa Pavan, (more)
- 1957
A remake of The Painted Veil (which was itself based upon a novel by W. Somerset Maugham), The Seventh Sin stars Eleanor Parker as Carol Carwin, a cold, self-centered woman married to a caring, dedicated doctor (played by Bill Travers). Ignorant of what a fine man she is married to and eager for excitement, Carol has been having an affair with the more sensually appealing Paul Duvelle (Jean-Pierre Aumont). Dr. Carwin, about to leave on an expedition to Hong Kong to fight a terrible outbreak of cholera, confronts his wife about her infidelity. He gives her an ultimatum: she can either accompany him on his mission of mercy, or he will divorce her in a very public, very messy manner that will leave her a social outcast. Given this choice -- and given the fact that Duvelle would be appalled at the idea of such a scandal -- she goes with her husband. She is bored and angry in Hong Kong, amused only when in the company of the cynical Tim Waddington (George Sanders). Gradually, however, she comes to value her husband and her heart genuinely goes out to the victims of the epidemic, especially the children. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eleanor Parker, Bill Travers, (more)
- 1956
In this tearjerker, a woman, depressed with the course of her life after two failed marriages and a tepid career, decides to return to her hometown and find happiness with her ex-boyfriend. Unfortunately, his cruel and manipulative mother presents a formidable obstacle to their happiness. To prevent them from marrying, she at first fakes a heart attack, but then ends up dying of the real thing. The couple marries anyway, but the husband's happiness is marred by memories of his mother's death. The lonely wife then begins an affair with a French writer. When the husband finds them in a hotel room, the affair ends. It is not long before the despondent woman tries to take her life. Fortunately she fails, and things begin to improve when her husband releases his guilt and begins concentrating on their marriage. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Simmons, Guy Madison, (more)
Showing no signs of slowing down in his 70th year, Sacha Guitry served as director and writer of the lavish historical epic Napoleon, and also costarred as Talleyrand. It is now hard to assess the quality of the film, since most American prints are severely edited, and the color photography appallingly washed out. Reviewers in 1955 admired the effort that went into this $1,800,000 production, but complained that the viewer left the film with no deeper understanding of Napoleon Bonaparte than the viewer had had when coming in. Daniel Gelin poses impressively as the young Bonaparte, registering emotion only when things go wrong in his conquest of Europe, while Raymond Pellegrin is somewhat better as the older, more jaded Napoleon (the transition between the two actors is handled in a near-comic fashion). The Revolution is reduced to a few fleeting scenes, while the rest of the film is devoted to political infighting and betrayal. The huge supporting cast includes Michele Morgan as Josephine and Lana Marconi and Dany Robin, respectively, as Napoleon's mistresses Waleska and Desiree. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Raymond Pellegrin, Daniel Gélin, (more)
- 1954
Sacha Guitry's Si Versailles M'Etait Conte (If Versailles Were Told to Me) is best known by its American title Royal Affairs in Versailles. In addtion to writing and directed the film, Guitry reserves for himself the plum role of Louis XIV. Concentrating on the palace of Versailles over a period of 300 years, the storyline concentrates on the various amorous and political intrigues of three French kings. The plot manages to wend its way through the French revolution, coming to a halt in "the present". The star-studded supporting cast includes Jean Marais as Louis XV, Claudette Colbert as Mme. Montespan, Micheline Presle as Mme. Pompadour, and, best of all, Orson Welles as a gouty Ben Franklin. Most currently available prints of Si Versailles M'Etait Conte are severely edited, and fail to do justice to the rich Eastmancolor hues of the original version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sacha Guitry, Michel Auclair, (more)
- 1953
Three disparate male travellers quietly amuse themselves by fantasizing about the same beautiful blonde in this interesting, episodic comedy. A French bus driver sees her first and promptly imagines that she is a seductive photographer's model. In his fantasy, the two end up having a passionate affair on the French Riviera. In the next episode, a Yankee Army officer sees her on the ferry across the Channel and imagines that she is a cabaret chanteuse from Berlin. In the final episode, a British fellow sees her on the boat and imagines that she is a film star who needs his help to get away from the pesky press. Unfortunately, for the three, she proves to be a different sort of woman all together. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burgess Meredith, Jean-Pierre Aumont, (more)
