Claude Autant-Lara

Claude Autant-Lara , born the August 5th 1901 with Luzarches (Val-d'Oise), dead the February 5th 2000 with Antibes (the Alpes-Maritimes), is a Réalisateur French.

Difficult beginnings

Wire of an architect, Edouard Autant (who contributed to uncover Esterhazy in the Affaire Dreyfus) and of Louise Lara, member of the French Comédie, Claude Autant-Lara follows his schooling to the college Jeanson de Sailly and discovers quickly the Cinéma, a true revelation.

Returned college in 1915, it leaves in England in a college to the severe discipline and returns to be registered with the École of decorative arts where it binds friendship with the future actor Julien Carette. Its diploma out of pocket, it starts to work in a workshop of sculpture then is engaged by Marcel the Herbarium as decorator, initially for a play then for a film. In 1923, the Herbarium produces the first short-measuring of Autant-Lara, Faits-divers , in which this last directs his/her mother. Collaboration between the two men will last until 1926. This year, Autant-Lara draws the decorations of Nana of Jean Renoir, then becomes assistant-realizer of Rene Clair.

Large admiror of Georges Méliès and fascinated by the novel methods, it makes its second film Construire a fire , according to Jack London, by using a process which will be known later under the name of Cinémascope. It is a failure. Disappointed and sifted debts, it embarks for the the United States, where it carries out the French American film versions, in particular of Buster Keaton and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.. He then attends the Europeans exiled like him, among which Francoise Rosay and Luis Buñuel. But the environment of work and the American lifestyle are not appropriate for Autant-Lara which decides two years later to return to France.

He realizes into 1932 of the short films according to Georges Courteline. In 1933, it signs its first feature film, Ciboulette , eccentric adaptation of the famous operetta of Reynaldo Hahn put in dialog by Jacques Prévert. Still a failure. He survives while working for Maurice Lehmann then again made speak about him with the Marriage of Rag , in 1941, with Odette Joyeux in the main role. Warm welcome of film encourages it to continue. It again directs the actress in Love letters in 1941, and the following year in Douce , regarded as first film where it gives free course to its black humor.

Success and criticisms

After the popular success of Sylvie and the phantom , always with Merry Odette, in 1945, it puts in scene Micheline Presle and Gerard Philippe in the Devil at the body , drawn from the novel of Raymond Radiguet, in 1947. The film, which recalls the impassioned history of two young lovers divided between their ardor and their fear of engaging, causes strong reactions in the press and the public. It makes it possible Autant-Lara to confirm its reputation of realizer as original as unforeseeable. Nonconformist and agitator, he affirms “If a film does not have venom, he is not worth anything. ”

In 1949, it adapts to the screen the part of Feydeau, Occupe of Amélie , which it will regard as its preferred film. Then it connects the dark comedies and the soft-bitter adventures like the red Inn in 1950, the Crossing of Paris and the Green Mare , inspired by Marcel Aymé, In the event of misfortune , according to Simenon.

Its adaptation of the novel of Stendhal, the Red and the Black , in 1954, is worth to him the outburst of holding of the New wave, which reproach him for incarnating an exceeded cinema. In an article published in the Books of the cinema , young criticism François Truffaut is caught some with this symbol of “a certain tendency of the French cinema” which the artistic designs concern another age. In reaction, Autant-Lara will invariably criticize the whole of the movement of the New wave. It will still turn about fifteen films before ceasing its activities of realizer in the Années 1970.

It then publishes several books of memories, the collections of speech and the lampoons like TV-Maffia , the vans of misfortune or the Cock and the Rat . Its memories, entitled the rage in the heart and published in 1984, testify to its bitterness and its sectarianism.

Policy and polemic

The June 18th 1989, it reconsidered the front of the media scene, in a way discussed, while being elected with the the European Parliament on the list of the National front. Oldest member of the new assembly, it caused a certain scandal during the opening speech of the first session, in July 1989, by in particular expressing his “concerns vis-a-vis the American threat cultural”, which started the immediate exit of the hemicycle of the near total of the deputies.

In a maintenance granted to the monthly magazine Earth in September 1989, it held of the remarks such as the Minister of Justice of then, Pierre Arpaillange, made engage of the continuations for “racial insults, racial slandering and incentive with the racial hate. ” The scandal was such as, in spite of the release, it was seen soon constrained to resign of its mandate of European deputy. Moreover, the members of the Académie of the fine arts, of which he was vice-president with life, chose to prohibit to him from now on to sit among them. It is replaced, with its death, by the scenario writer Francis Girod.

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