Charles Aznavour Movies

A lightweight, sentimental story, a middle-aged French couple remember their courtship and the beginnings of their romance. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

In Volker Schlöndorff's award-winning adaptation of Nobel Prize winner Günter Grass' allegorical novel, David Bennent plays Oskar, the young son of a German rural family, circa 1925. On his third birthday, Oskar receives a shiny new tin drum. At this point, rather than mature into one of the miserable specimens of grown-up humanity that he sees around him, he vows never to get any older or any bigger. Whenever the world around him becomes too much to bear, the boy begins to hammer on his drum; should anyone try to take the toy away from him, he emits an ear-piercing scream that literally shatters glass. As Germany goes to hell during the 1930s and '40s, the never-aging Oskar continues savagely beating his drum, serving as the angry conscience of a world gone mad. The intense and visceral Tin Drum was one of the most financially successful German films of the 1970s and won the 1979 Oscar for Best Foreign Film and the 1979 Golden Palm (which it shared with Apocalypse Now). In the late '90s, the film became the center of a censorship controversy when some U.S. videotapes were confiscated because of the film's supposed violation of a child pornography statute. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A music biography video of Edith Piaf, with clips from concerts and interviews. ~ All Movie Guide

In Sky Riders, the off-camera tale behind the film cast a more interesting story than the film itself: when a Greek electrician died during an explosion, the film's producer, Terry Morse Jr., was arrested by the Greek government, and executive producer Sandy Howard was detained in Greece for several weeks. Finally, an out-of-court settlement was reached with the Greek government to release the film producer. The plot of the actual film has nothing to do with international incidents, although it does deal, on a comic-book level, with terrorism. The wife, Ellen (Susannah York), of an international industrialist (Robert Culp) and her two children are kidnapped from their Athens home by a terrorist group and taken to an abandoned monastery on an imposing, needle-shaped crag. The police immediately snap into action. Inspector Nikolidis (Charles Aznavour) attempts to free them, but the police force fails. Coming into the picture is Ellen's ex-husband, Jim McCabe (James Coburn). Pondering the situation, he notices a couple of crows in flight and gets a brainstorm. McCabe tracks down a flying circus of hang-gliding riders and requisitions them for the rescue. The hang gliders teach McCabe to fly, and McCabe teaches them to fight. Then, on the night of a full moon, the group glides off to the monastery to save Ellen. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

An Italian-French-Spanish version of the much-filmed Agatha Christie story, this film is strangely set in Iran, not Great Britain. Ten guests are invited to a remote desert inn and informed that the mysterious host has described in a nursery rhyme how they will all die during the gathering. One by one, the characters, played by such Continental stars such as Elke Sommer and singer Charles Aznavour as well as Britons Oliver Reed and Richard Attenborough, dwindle in number, each in accordance with a verse of the nursery rhyme, until only a few remain. The final characters then plot to ensnare the criminal mastermind behind the weekend of mayhem. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

Set during World War 2, The Blockhouse takes place virtually in its entirety in an underground German blockhouse. Six men of wildly varying nationalities and walks of life are trapped in the blockhouse-and remain so for over six years. Though their prison is well stocked with food and beverages, the mortality rate is appalling, the victims dying more from loneliness and fear than anything else. Intriguingly, Peter Sellers is cast as a Frenchman, while French singer/actor Charles Aznavour plays an Italian! The Blockhouse was based on a novel by Jean Paul Ciebert-which, incredibly, was inspired by a true story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Parisian police commissioner Coleman (Alain Delon) is not a happy man, but he does what he can to get through each day. He has recently started having an affair with Cathy (Catherine Deneuve), and that helps a little. Cathy is also Simon's girlfriend and Simon (Richard Crenna) is Coleman's friend. Unfortunately, Simon is also the head of a gang of criminals. When Coleman's investigation of a drug-smuggling ring closes in, their rivalry comes to a head. One of the highlights of this film is a stunt involving a helicopter and a moving train. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This crime melodrama features a dramatic performance by singer Charles Aznavour. In the film, he plays a doctor whose summer home is invaded by two violent criminals. They hold his wife and daughter hostage while the doctor is forced to clean out his bank account to pay for their ransom. In a variety of ways the criminals torment the doctor and his family until his patience is completely exhausted. This movie shows once again that it is not wise to push mild-mannered men beyond the limit of their patience. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Helmut Berger is Alain, a real sicko, who may be so because his mother was a prostitute. He can only make love with a "decent" woman when she is drugged senseless, though he can manage one-time encounters with prostitutes and also gladly suffers the abuse of his boyfriends. He seems to have deliberately driven his first wife to suicide, and now he has married Nathalie (Virna Lisi). A police inspector (Charles Aznavour) has gotten wind of these doings, and attempts to intervene before a second tragedy can occur, but his superiors will not allow him to. This is a French language film, with no dubbing or subtitles. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Not to be confused with the 1966 Diabolique rip-off Games, 1970's The Games is set during the Rome Olympics. The film zeroes in on four contestants in the 26-mile marathon race: Briton Michael Crawford, American Ryan O'Neal, Czech Charles Aznavour and Australian Athol Compton. Scenes of the grueling training sessions are placed in context with the personal dramas of the four men. Crawford is being driven to the breaking point by trainer Stanley Baker, O'Neal is suffering from a dangerous heart condition, Aznavour is past forty but obliged to compete by his government, and Compton is an Aborigine fighting a lifelong battle against prejudice. Eric Segal, himself an avid runner adapted the screenplay of The Games from the novel by Hugh Atkinson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A newly married couple has one night to spend for their honeymoon before both have to work in the morning. The passage of time seems dim the love light of the duo who are beset by financial difficulties and a newborn baby. The husband takes temporary refuge in a mistress before returning to work out their marital problems. He soon receives a raise when he comes up with a new invention, endearing himself to his boss and making life a little easier for the young couple. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide