Charles Aznavour
This year, Michel Audiard would have turned 100. To celebrate the life and work of the French screenwriter and director, Gaumont opens their vault and reveals some unknown information on the legendary witty dialogues writer.
In 1948, French singer Charles Aznavour (1924-2018) receives a Paillard Bolex, his first camera. Until 1982, he will shoot hours of footage, his filmed diary. Wherever he goes, he carries his camera with him. He films his life and lives as he films: places, moments, friends, loves, misfortunes…
French singing legend Charles Aznavour performs live at the Palais des Sports in Paris.
Monique, happy and about sixty, is at the head of a small meeting agency, specializing in the third age. Her friend Madeleine is a regular and does not hesitate to make her organize meetings with the gents that she finds to her taste, more out of curiosity than of desire to find the soul-mate. While, the meetings follow each other and are all different. Love does not, necessarily, knock where we expect it too !
A "Reformed Colonel" is found dead in Paris, a couple of decades after Algeria's struggle for independence was won from France. Lieutenant Galois is assigned the investigation of this murder. She receives the diary of Lieutenent Guy Rossi who served under The Colonel in Algeria in 1956, and has been reported as missing in action since 1957. The revelations found in Rossi's diary go far beyond The Colonel's actions in Algeria, and give an insight on how dirty Algeria's War for Independence really was.
When Regina Lambert returns from a vacation to Paris, she finds not only her apartment, but also her bank account completely empty. A visit to the police headquarters reveals that Charlie has been murdered and a lot of people are after his money. Regina now begins a dangerous search for the truth.
Following the 1974 French presidential campaign with Valery Gicard d'Estaing
Raised by an uncle in New York after his parents died in an attack orchestrated by the mafia, Thomas, now an adult, is sent to live in Italy. There, while his tortured past and the death of his parents come back to haunt him, he feels increasingly drawn to Thelma, his uncle's mysterious wife. Soon Thomas will learn the truth about the death of his parents and foment a vengeance of great heights.
It brought back fantastic memories of having had the privilege of seeing Monsieur Aznavour at Carnegie Hall in 1980. Each song on this DVD is a jewel. I enjoyed his brief introductions to explain or translate some of the lyrics, setting the mood. Notable among them is "Mon émouvant amour" during which he uses sign language. The selections offer us a broad spectrum of emotion and life - love (of course), frustration, lost opportunity, reflection, homosexuality, religion. The orchestra and backup vocalists are flawless. Although he's performed for decades, I got the feeling that he still loves to interact with his audience. Although in his early 70's when this concert was recorded, his passion, supreme musicality, stamina, and professionalism are evident at all times. This DVD is a "must-have" for newcomers and longtime fans!
Behind the scenes of the theater, while the last performance has just ended, the comedian returns to his box.
An adolescent comes of age during a summer in the Rhône valley with his maternal grandparents. Jules seems a little too close to his mother and distant from his father, who wants Jules out of their Parisian house. It's to be a summer of transition, perhaps to a boarding school, and during these weeks in the country, Jules fishes with his grandfather; proves himself to the local youths, a group led by the bullying Red; takes on some tough guys; feels rejected by his mother; and, meets and pursues Evelyne, the village beauty. She's responsive, and Jules doesn't exactly know what to do next. Then, something happens that propels Jules into decisiveness and maturity.
Recorded November or December 1991 at the Palais des congrès de Paris.
A renowned conductor suddenly pulls out of an evening rehearsal of Madame Butterfly. The opera director senses something is going on and forces the musician to explain himself.
A tribute to the late, great French director Francois Truffaut, this documentary was undoubtedly named after his last movie, Vivement Dimanche!, released in 1983. Included in this overview of Truffaut's contribution to filmmaking are clips from 14 of his movies arranged according to the themes he favored. These include childhood, literature, the cinema itself, romance, marriage, and death.
Julien Mauriès, the youngest of a perfumer's family was forced to go into exile after having an unfortunate experience in the estate business. He spent 20 years in Venezuela and made fortune in the perfume business. Now, Julien has decided to come back in France in order to start again and to cleanse his honour.
Most opera houses ring in the New Year with Johann Strauss Jr.'s most popular operetta--the festiveness of which is appropriate for the occasion--and this December 31, 1983, Covent Garden performance follows suit. An exceptional cast--led by Hermann Prey and Kiri Te Kanawa as the couple whose marriage survives the comic indiscretions of three long acts--obviously has as much fun as the audience. Plácido Domingo leads the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House through its paces with panache. Prince Orlofsky's Act II party is always a splendid opportunity to pull out all the stops with surprise "guests," and this performance makes the most of its chance: entering the proceedings to sing one of his tailor-made chansons, "She," is French crooner Charles Aznavour, who is followed by dancers Merle Park and Wayne Eagling, their delightful pas de deux flashily choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton.
The movie starts with an interview with director Claude Lelouch. He pleads viewers not to disclose the plot of the movie after leaving the projection room. Even the movie's trailer shows only a long sequence of faces gazing speechlessly in space. "Like all my movies, this one is about a man and a woman", says Lelouch in the interview.
Hans Castorp, fresh from university and about to become a civil engineer, comes to the Sanatorium Berghof in the Swiss Alps to visit his cousin Joachim, an army officer, who is recovering there from tuberculosis. Intending to remain at the Berghof for three weeks, Hans is gradually contaminated by the morbid atmosphere pervading the place. Wishing very much to be considered a patient like the others, he achieves his ends and stays in the sanatorium for ...seven years. During this time, he has enough time to take part in the furious philosophical debates pitting against each other Settembrini, a secular humanist, and Naphta, a totalitarian Jesuit. And to fall in love with the beautiful but enigmatic Clawdia Chauchat. When he is finally discharged in 1914 - along with all the other patients - it is only to plunge into the horrors of World War I.
A hatter in a provincial town (Michel Serrault) leads the life of a respectable citizen but is in fact a serial murderer. The only person to suspect this is his neighbour the tailor (Charles Asnavour).
In making this film about a director who is presently working on an autobiographical movie, real-life director Elie Chouraqui has played on a Jewish cultural theme (the "reel" director is Jewish) and the intermixing of 1960s movie-making techniques. In the film, director David is in his 30s and his autobiography brings in details about his growth to adulthood -- his early life along the seacoast in Normandy, his parents, his education, and in the present, his sister and her husband, and a few of his own lovers. Visions of the past enhance the events of the moment, such as in the scene of David's mother's death. In the end, viewers may be able to answer the question posed by the title -- "What makes David run?"
Oskar is born in Germany in 1924 with an advanced intellect. Repulsed by the hypocrisy of adults and the irresponsibility of society, he refuses to grow older after his third birthday.
Robert Culp plays Bracken, whose life seems perfect until his wife Ellen and their children are kidnapped by terrorists one day. After failed attempts to capture them back by the police, Ellen's ex husband enters the fray and plans his own rescue attempt. James Coburn plays McCabe, Ellen's ex-husband who hires a crew of professional hang gliders to help him rescue her and the kids from the terrorist's mountain top lair.
Ten people are invited to a hotel for a weekend getaway by a Mr. U. N. Owen, who mysteriously isn't in attendance. When the group gets together for their first dinner, a record is played in which Mr. Owen accuses each guest of committing various unpunished crimes, which sets off a series of murders in the hotel.
A group of Slave workers, drafted by the Nazis to help construct their coastal defenses in 1944 are trapped in an underground bunker when the Allies land at Normandy on D-Day. They find huge dtores of food but not enough candles. The slow dying of the light parallels their increasing boredom, illness and jealousy during their entrapment. Based on the Novel 'Le Blockhaus' by Jean Paul Clebert
An esteemed surgeon, Charles Bernard, and his family are victims of a violent home invasion. When his young child is held for ransom, Charles must decide whether to comply or fight back.
Alain Revent, a seductive and refined man, derives a peculiar satisfaction from debasing his wives. The first, driven to the brink of despair, throws herself out of a window. Enlisting the help of an equally perverse casual acquaintance, Dino, the "handsome brute" proceeds to emotionally torture his second wife, Nathalie. The sadistic plan is picked up on by Officer Leroy who suspects the truth. Will he be able to snatch the unfortunate woman from the evil Alain's clutches?
Patterning himself after the American gangster John Dillinger, the criminal (Robert Hossein) is tracked by the inspector (Charles Aznavour), a former childhood friend. Plenty of gunplay and psychology is used to trap the killer. His only tender moments are spent with his girlfriend Stella (Virna Lisi). Dillinger is cornered by the police and kills several innocent victims in a crowd during the shootout. The mob decides to take things into their own hands as they approach the doomed man with a noose when he runs out of bullets.
The wealthy playboy son of an assassinated South American diplomat discovers that his father was murdered on orders of the corrupt president of the country- a man who was his father's friend and who, in fact, his father had helped put into power. He returns from living a jet-set life in Europe to lead a revolution against the government, only to find out that things aren't quite as black and white as he'd assumed.
From Great Britain, the United States, France, Italy, Australia and behind the Iron Curtain. They are the most superbly conditioned animals in the world. They are also the pawns of powerful nations, the victims of dangerous drugs and the object of many men's ambitions. Once every four years they come together... for the Olympic Games.
Against the backdrop of the French revolution, young Caroline tries to reunite with her first love, despite her arranged marriage to an older politician.
The unsuspecting Parisian postman Thibon accepts a transfer as army mailman in Indochina. In the hospital, after his mail van is blown up by a mine, he falls in love with his Indochinese nurse Vang.
A man is alone in Paris during the month of August while his woman and children go on vacation. He meets a young English girl posing as a model who came to Paris for a shoot.
Three little criminals get a tip for a great coup with lots of money in it. Unfortunately they lack the starting funds to buy the required welding torch. So they persuade their successful colleague Alphonse to join their team. But the well thought-out coup fails, and Alphonse is the only one of them who ends up in jail for several years. When he's released, he's out for revenge.
After stealing a diamond from Mylène Demongeot, Richard hides it inside a guitar. But on returning to the music shop he discovers that the precious instrument has just been sold! The problem is complicated by the fact that five stars all bought the same model that morning...
Four different directors present lighthearted stories about married Italian couples and their dilemmas with jealousy, sex and love.
After WWII, a young man without perspective arrives in Rome. Living in a loft, he gradually discovers the city becoming a tour guide.
The film consists of seven roughly 15 minute episodes, each showing what will happen if one or more of the Ten Commandments will be broken: Jérome Chambard is warned that he will lose his job if he continues to swear; Françoise Beaufort enamored of a stripper calls on her only to find her married to a janitor who doesn't know what kind of dancing his wife performs; Denis, a Jesuit novice, leaves the order to avenge his sister's suicide, which was provoked by Garigny, who seduced her into prostitution and drug addiction; Philip buys a necklace for Micheline though he is bored with her; a young man find out that his real mother is not Madeleine, but actress Clarisse Ardant; Didier Marin, cashier of a bank, was fired by his boss; the Devil appears as a serpent for Jérome Chambard and the bishop are eating.
"Les quatre vérités" aka "The Four Truths" is a movie anthology that consists of four segments, all loosely parodying fables from the 17th-century French poet Jean de la Fontaine. The US cut usually features only 3 segments.
The tale of the famous vendetta, vengeance over the years between two families. For nearly nothing at the start, as always with Sicilians or Corsican people, from the underworld or not...
During World War II, French Commandos join forces with a German officer in order to survive the African desert.
Outside time and reality, the experiences of a poet. The judgement of the young poet by Heurtebise and the Princess, the Gypsies, the palace of Pallas Athena, the spear of the Goddess which pierces the poet's heart, the temptation of the Sphinx, the flight of Oedipus and the final Assumption. This film is the third part of Cocteau's Orphic Trilogy, which consists of The Blood of a Poet (1930), Orpheus (1950) and Testament of Orpheus (1960).
Le passage du Rhin (original title). Following the defeat of France by Germany during WWII, two French soldiers are taken to a German farm as forced laborers.
Charlie is a former classical pianist who has changed his name and now plays jazz in a grimy Paris bar. When Charlie's brothers, Richard and Chico, surface and ask for Charlie's help while on the run from gangsters they have scammed, he aids their escape. Soon Charlie and Lena, a waitress at the same bar, face trouble when the gangsters arrive, looking for his brothers.
An aimless young man is committed to a psychiatric hospital by his father in an attempt to cure him of his delinquent tendencies.
Walter, a reporter and photographer, meets Catherine in a train. The young lawyer recently gained an acquittal for a man who killed his alcoholic father to save his mother. Campaigning against alcoholism, she asks Walter to help her unmask a wine merchant engaged in shady practices.
Pierre Leroy has a garage that he manages with the help of a couple of friends, Raymond and Annette. But the bills pile up and Leroy is on the brink of bankruptcy.
In a college, three friends form a secret society. There objective - going to America. A night, after one of their secret meetings, one of them see a man coming out from a wall. Then the day after he talks about it, he disappears. Then the second one vanishes. Are they gone to their dreams? That's when the art teacher is murdered. Suspicions now are too high so the third one decides to investigate.
