Claude Berri (French: [bɛʁi]; 1 July 1934 – 12 January 2009) was a French film director, writer, producer, actor and distributor.
Claude Berri | |
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Born | Claude Beri Langmann 1 July 1934 Paris, France |
Died | 12 January 2009 Paris, France | (aged 74)
Occupation(s) | Film producer, actor, screenwriter, film director |
Years active | 1953–2008 |
Spouse(s) | Anne-Marie Rassam (m. ??; d. 1997) |
Children | Julien Rassam Thomas Langmann |
Relatives | Arlette Langmann (sister) |
Awards | Oscar Best Short Film (for Le Poulet) |
Early life
editBorn Claude Beri Langmann in Paris, Berri was the son of Jewish immigrant parents.[1] His mother, Beila (née Bercu), was from Romania, and his father, Hirsch Langmann, was a furrier from Poland.[2] His sister was the screenwriter and editor Arlette Langmann.
Career
editBerri won the "Best Film" BAFTA for Jean de Florette, and was also nominated for twelve César Awards, though he never won. Berri also won the Oscar for Best Short Film for Le Poulet at the 38th Academy Awards in 1966, and produced Roman Polanski's Tess which was nominated for Best Picture in 1981.
Internationally, however, two films in 1986 overshadow all his other achievements. Jean de Florette and its sequel Manon des Sources were huge hits.[3] In 1991, his film Uranus was entered into the 41st Berlin International Film Festival.[4] Six years later, his film Lucie Aubrac was entered into the 47th Berlin International Film Festival.[5]
In 2003, he was elected President of the Cinémathèque Française where he obtained enough state subsidies to cover the costs of its resurgence at its new site in the rue de Bercy.[6]
Personal life
editBerri's wife, Anne-Marie Rassam, committed suicide in 1997, jumping from the apartment of Isabelle Adjani's mother.[7] Berri and Rassam had two children: actor Julien Rassam and actor and film producer Thomas Langmann.
Death
editBerri died of a stroke, in Paris, aged 74.[8] After his death, a group of nine works by Robert Ryman, Ad Reinhardt, Giorgio Morandi, Richard Serra and Lucio Fontana was promised to the Centre Pompidou in Paris in lieu of tax. But the heirs of the film director finally sold them through French art dealer Philippe Ségalot for about €50 million to Qatar.[9]
Filmography
editDirector
edit- 1962: Le Poulet (short) (released 1965) Winner Best Live Action Short Film Oscar (also produced)
- 1964: Les Baisers (segment « Baiser de 16 ans »)
- 1964: La Chance et l'amour (segment « La Chance du guerrier »)
- 1967: Le Vieil Homme et l'Enfant (US title: The Two of Us) (also screenwriter)
- 1968: Mazel Tov ou le Mariage
- 1969: Le Pistonné
- 1971: Le Cinéma de papa
- 1972: Sex-shop
- 1975: Le Mâle du siècle
- 1976: La Première fois
- 1977: Un moment d'égarement
- 1980: Je vous aime
- 1981: Le Maître d'école
- 1983: Tchao Pantin (English title: So Long, Stooge)
- 1986: Jean de Florette
- 1986: Manon des Sources (US title: Manon of the Spring) — sequel to Jean de Florette (second half of the book L'Eau des collines)
- 1990: Uranus
- 1993: Germinal at the time, the most expensive French feature film ever made
- 1996: Lucie Aubrac
- 1999: La débandade
- 2002: Une femme de ménage (English title: A Housekeeper)
- 2004: L'Un reste, l'autre part
- 2007: Ensemble, c'est tout (English title: Hunting and Gathering)
- 2009: Trésor (also screenwriter and producer; died after four days of filming)
Producer
edit- 1962: Le Poulet (dir. Claude Berri)
- 1967: Marie pour mémoire (dir. Philippe Garrel) – associate producer
- 1968: Oratorio for Prague short documentary film (dir. Jan Nemec)
- 1969: L'Enfance nue (dir. Maurice Pialat)
- 1970: Le Pistonné (dir. Claude Berri)
- 1970: La Maison (dir. Gérard Brach)
- 1972: L'Œuf (dir. Jean Herman)
- 1973: Pleure pas la bouche pleine (dir. Pascal Thomas)
- 1975: Le Mâle du siècle (dir. Claude Berri)
- 1976: Je t'aime… moi non-plus (dir. Serge Gainsbourg) – (co-producer)
- 1978: Vas-y maman (dir. Nicole de Buron) (uncredited)
- 1978: Une histoire simple (dir. Claude Sautet)
- 1979: Tess (dir. Roman Polanski)
- 1980: Inspecteur la Bavure (dir. Claude Zidi)
- 1982: Deux heures moins le quart avant Jésus-Christ (dir. Jean Yanne)
- 1983: L'Africain (dir. Philippe de Broca)
- 1983: Banzaï (dir. Claude Zidi)
- 1983: L'Homme blessé (dir. Patrice Chéreau)
- 1983: La Femme de mon pote (dir. Bertrand Blier)
- 1983: Garçon ! (English title: Waiter!|) (dir. Claude Sautet)
- 1985: Les Enragés (dir. Pierre-William Glenn)
- 1985: Le Fou de guerre (English title: Madman at War) (dir. Dino Risi) (also French adaptation)
- 1987: Hôtel de France (dir. Patrice Chéreau)
- 1988: À gauche en sortant de l'ascenseur (dir. Édouard Molinaro)
- 1988: L'Ours (English title: The Bear) (dir. Jean-Jacques Annaud)
- 1988: Trois places pour le 26 (dir. Jacques Demy)
- 1988: La Petite Voleuse (dir. Claude Miller)
- 1989: Valmont (dir. Miloš Forman)
- 1992: L'Amant (English title: The Lover) (dir. Jean-Jacques Annaud)
- 1993: Une journée chez ma mère (dir. Dominique Cheminal)
- 1994: La Reine Margot (dir. Patrice Chéreau)
- 1994: La Séparation (dir. Christian Vincent)
- 1995: Les Trois Frères (dir. Didier Bourdon) and Bernard Campan (also actor)
- 1995: Gazon maudit (dir. Josiane Balasko) – (executive producer)
- 1996: Le Roi des aulnes (German title: Der Unhold; English The Ogre) (dir. Volker Schlöndorff) – (executive producer)
- 1997: Didier (dir. Alain Chabat)
- 1997: Arlette (dir. Claude Zidi)
- 1997: Le Pari (English title: The Bet) (dir. Didier Bourdon and Bernard Campan)
- 1998: Mookie (dir. Hervé Palud) – (associate producer)
- 1999: Astérix et Obélix contre César (English title: Asterix and Obelix vs Caesar) (dir. Claude Zidi)
- 1999: The Escort (dir. Michel Blanc)
- 2001: La Boîte (dir. Claude Zidi)
- 2001: Ma femme est une actrice (dir. Yvan Attal)
- 2002: Amen. (dir. Costa-Gavras)
- 2002: Astérix & Obélix : Mission Cléopâtre (English title: Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra) (dir. Alain Chabat)
- 2003: Le Bison (dir. Isabelle Nanty)
- 2003: Une femme de ménage (dir. Claude Berri)
- 2003: Les Sentiments (dir. Noémie Lvovsky)
- 2004: San-Antonio (dir. Frederic Auburtin)
- 2004: Ils se marièrent et eurent beaucoup d'enfants (dir. Yvan Attal)
- 2005: L'Un reste, l'autre part (dir. Claude Berri)
- 2005: Les Enfants (dir. Christian Vincent)
- 2005: Le Démon de midi (dir. Marie-Pascale Osterrieth)
- 2005: La Maison du Bonheur (dir. Dany Boon)
- 2007: Ensemble, c'est tout (English title: Hunting and Gathering) (dir. Claude Berri)
- 2007: La Graine et le Mulet (dir. Abdellatif Kechiche)
- 2008: Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis (English title: Welcome to the Sticks) (dir. Dany Boon)
Writer
edit- 1967: Le Vieil Homme et l'Enfant, novel that was adapted by Berri for the film. (English: The Two of Us. Helen Weaver (translation), Lydia Rosier (drawings). Morrow. 1968. OCLC 343943.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (link)) - 1968: Mazel Tov ou le Marriage
- 1969: Le Pistonné
- 1970: Le Cinéma de Papa
- 1972: Sex-shop
- 1975: Le Mâle du Siècle (English title: Male of the Century )
- 1976: La Première Fois
- 1977: Un Moment d'Égarement
- 1980: Je Vous Aime
- 1981: Le Maître d'École
- 1983: Tchao Pantin (English title: So Long, Stooge)
- 1986: Jean de Florette
- 1986: Manon des Sources (US title: Manon of the Spring)
- 1990: Uranus
- 1993: Germinal
- 1997: Lucie Aubrac
- 1999: La Débandade
- 2002: Une Femme de Ménage (English title: A Housekeeper)
- 2004: L'un Reste, l'Autre Part (English title: One Stays, the Other Leaves)
- 2007: Ensemble, c'est tout (English title: [Hunting and Gathering)
Actor
edit- Rue de l'Estrapade (1953) - Petit rôle (uncredited)
- Good Lord Without Confession (1953) - Le fils d'Eugène (uncredited)
- Le Blé en herbe (1954) - Le fils du forain (uncredited)
- French Cancan (1955) - Un jeune homme à l'inauguration (uncredited)
- Dangerous Games (1958) - Un jeune
- Asphalte (1959) - Garçon bande à Gino (uncredited)
- J'irai cracher sur vos tombes (1959) - David
- Les Bonnes Femmes (1960) - Le copain de Jane
- Zazie dans le Métro (1960) - Waiter (uncredited)
- La Vérité (1960) - Georges
- My Baby is Black (1961)
- Please, Not Now! (1961) - Bernard
- The Seven Deadly Sins (1962) - André (segment "Avarice, L'") (uncredited)
- Behold a Pale Horse (1964)
- The Sleeping Car Murders (1965) - Un porteur (uncredited)
- Line of Demarcation (1966) - Le chef de famille juif (uncredited)
- Mazel Tov ou le Mariage (1968) - Claude
- Le pistonné (1970) - Le médecin militaire
- Le Cinéma de papa (1971) - Claude Langmann adulte
- Le Sex Shop (1972) - Claude
- Zig-Zag (1975) - Un client de Marie & Pauline (uncredited)
- Le mâle du siècle (1975) - Claude
- Le roi des cons (1981) - L'agent de police
- The Wounded Man (1983, directed by Patrice Chéreau) - Le client
- Stan the Flasher (1990) - Stan Goldberg
- Germinal (1993) - Narrator (voice, uncredited)
- La machine (1994) - Hugues
- Les Trois Frères (1995) - Le président du tribunal
- Didier (1997) - Type aéroport #1
- Un grand cri d'amour (1998, directed by Josiane Balasko) - Maillard
- La débandade (1999) - Claude Langmann
- Va savoir (2001) - Librarian
- Les Rois mages (2001) - Un passant (uncredited)
- Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002) - Peintre Cléopâtre
- Les clefs de bagnole (2003) - Himself / Un producteur
- Happily Ever After (2004) - Le père de Vincent (final film role)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "French director, producer and actor Claude Berri". The Independent. 14 January 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
- ^ "Claude Berri Biography (1934-)".
- ^ NY Times Obituary Bruce Weber 13 January 2009
- ^ "Berlinale: 1991 Programme". berlinale.de. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
- ^ "Berlinale: 1997 Programme". berlinale.de. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ NY Times A New Life for a Has-Been, a Gehry Building 26 October 2005
- ^ Lorrain, François-Guillaume (15 January 2009). "Claude Berri : adieu, Monsieur Cinéma". Le Point. Paris. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ "" French cinema icon Claude Berri dies at 74 "". peoplestar.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 July 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
- ^ Adam, Georgina; Burns, Charlotte (7 July 2011). "Qatar revealed as the world's biggest contemporary art buyer". The Art Newspaper. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
External links
edit- Claude Berri at IMDb
- Obituary of Claude Berri
- Claude Berri at the CinéArtistes (in French)