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Those Gentlemen Of The Family (Ces Messieurs de la Famille) Eurochannel premieres this documentary series in honor to the greatest French directors. Each program, which runs through the life and work of a filmmaker, is driven by important cinema personalities. Marcel Carné Marcel Carné (1904-1994) was the innocent, the “naïf”, the pure passionate director that lived only for cinema. Son of a carpenter, his mother died when he had 6 years old. He was curious about everything. This man was representing the French flag in all over the world through his films, and was ignored and left alone during 25 years. It is “la petite honte” of France, said Paul Meurisse. Nevertheless, he kept the word “vivre”. His most successful film is “Les Enfants du Paradis”. Annie Girardot, Laurent Terzief, and Michel Romanov tell us the life and l'oeuvre of this filmmaker in an intimacy and privileged way. René Clair René Clair (1898-1981) always longed to be a writer. He was one of the first “film authors”, a poet full of humour and humanism. Born in Paris, he loved his city (Sous les toits de Paris, Porte des Lilas), and has inspired cinema up to now. His work also includes musical comedies as well as considered as French cinema ambassador abroad. Cinema enters in Academie Française with him. Brigitte Bardot, Costa-Gavras, Claude Pinoteau, Claude Rich tell us about one of the first “auteurs” of movies, a poet full of humanism and humour. Henri Georges Clouzot Henri Georges Clouzot (1907-1977), was the scariest cinematographer from the French cinema. He was born in a small bourgeoisie family, very educated, giving him the education to be able to write. His work, characters, and world, show his personality, which alternates dark and light. The man with the pipe was not leaving people without sentiment, he had a very sulphurous reputation, terrifying actors (but everyone wanted to work with him) He was the author of lot of novels adaptation and transformed them for better. His most prominent films are: Le salaire de la peur, Quai des orfèvres. Christian Jaque Among the great French filmmakers from last century, Christian-Jaque is perhaps the one whose work and heritage are the most underappreciated. He had quite an eclectic career, coving topics from vaudeville and social drama, to the fantastic. His career path as an unclassifiable director made him one of the least valued filmmakers of his generation in the eyes of the public, despite the enormous success of his more than one hundred films. His greatest films were inspired by his love of women, particularly “Fanfan la Tulipe”, in which he directed Alain Delon, Brigitte Bardot, Gina Lollobrigida, Claudia Cardinale, Martine Carol and even Michèle Mercier... This compelling special features numerous interviews with those who knew him, including actors, technicians, and writers, as well as his sixth and last wife, who was his assistant for over 30 years, Denise Christian-Jaque. Julien Duvivier Active, secret, small and impressive in both his professionalism and his fits of anger; he is one of the directors who invented cinema. Born at the same time as the beginning of the cinema, he directed 67 films in less than 50 years, with his ability to mix comedy, drama, thrills and fantasy; he made an art of cinema. Curious and open-minded, educated and observant, he was a defender of European cinema. His main films are : Pépé le Moko, Carbet de Bal ans La Femme et le Pantin. |
