Roland Lethem

Roland Lethem is a Belgian Cinéaste born with Etterbeek the January 5th 1942.

After secondary studies with Ixelles, Roland Lethem enters in 1962 to INSAS. He follows various seminars on the techniques of writing of scenarios.

With Henri Storck, Chantal Akerman, Andre Delvaux and the Brothers Dardenne, Roland Lethem is the Belgian scenario writer abroad the best known one. One published on his films several thorough studies (Cinema/London, Skoop/Amsterdam) and Load of cretins! (1970), its film more celebrated, was the subject of one seminar at the University of Amsterdam. Qualified by RTB of “Japanese of the Belgian scenario writers”, Roland Lethem collects the noisy titles in the newspapers and the scandals in the festivals, where it all at the same time is boycotted, insulted, acclaimed and preceded. Provocation? Simulation? Mystification? In connection with his films one spoke about infantilism, of confusion of ideas, scamping, claim, blasphemy, scatological humor, bad taste, lack of imagination, sadism insolate, hystéro-masochism, narcissism, of self-destroying works, ordurières and disgusting persons.

Influenced at its beginnings by the surrealist Buñuel, Cocteau, and the Japanese Cinema (Seijun Suzuki, Ishirō Honda, Koji Wakamatsu, Yoko Ono), marked by the Festival of experimental film of Knokke in 1967 and by the political events of the month of May 1968, Roland Lethem wants to oblige people to look at the things of which they are said released, i.e. placing them in front of their responsibilities.

Even if sometimes the realization leaves something to be desired, the idea of each one of its films is tempting and exemplary. A fact is certain, its films disturb, they are sometimes unpleasant to look at. The narcissistic and provocative play of the beginnings was moulted in insult direct, visual, and verbal, and in slandering. Its dream was one moment to be able to film the intimate life of the pope or the sexual plays of the Belgian sovereigns. Through violence, pornography and the cruelty even of certain scenes. Roland Lethem is a soft being, generous and equipped with a good amount of humor. The work of Roland Lethem evolves/moves, is politicized, écologise. the Ballade of the cursed lovers (1966), the Sanguinary Fairy (1968), still told stories. the Sufferings of a ravaged egg (1967), poem of love in several parts (Stars, Corps, Hymen, Œuf) dedicated to those which conceive and are conceived, irresistibly makes think of the History of the eye of Georges Bataille.

In October 2006, Roland Lethem programs a selection sXprmntl for the Lausanne Underground Film and Music Festival. François Barras wrote in the newspaper 24 Hours of October 16th: set of themes, it, car grouped. Under cover of curiosity, she does not balk to exhume the most poisonous terrorists of the film (...), following the example retrospective Vienna Action Cinema devoted to the Austrian actionnists. Saturday evening with the Cinematograph, Der Geile Wotan and its film saynètes of buttock between friends however marked the spirits less than the only projection of Caca Baudouin , one hour earlier in the same room: for his freehand, Roland Lethem unearthed these 6 minutes 30 of pure provocation offered in a toilet paper to the Belgian monarchy. Cries of fears in the public when he discovers the shape of the gift…

He is the father of the actress Circé Lethem.

Catalog of films

1964 : double insomnia
1965: Lili with the bed
1966: the ballade of the cursed lovers
1967: sufferings of a ravaged egg
1968: the sanguinary fairy
1969: the mad sex
1970: Load of cretins!
1971 : the vampire of the cineclub
1972: Gerda Flower Powers (1e version) - Lives Thalamus!
1973 : Gerda Flower Powers (2nd version) - the defect and the virtue
1974: As time paxe quickly - Super oyster - the slaughterer is with us with Jean-Marie Buchet in the role of the collector of worn plugs - the head of a brother
1975: Super cock
1978: last song of love of Marilyn
1980: Three stones
1981: Voyages in the center of the ground or Saga de Madiana in the center of the Earth - the mad sex of the sanguinary fairy (assembly-anthology)
1990: Hostel Party with Olivier Gourmet
2001: the lullaby and the claw
2004: Delicacies

The writer

1969: 65 years of S-F to the cinema (collective work)
1972: science fiction with the cinema (in collaboration with Jean-Pierre Bouyxou). Editions 10/18.

The scenario writer

1970 : Of blood on the beach
1974: Démétra
1980 : the three golden hair of Gohr

The interpreter

1964 : the end, why sums together (Marc Ghens)
1966: the open door (Leon you Joen & Marcel Praikin)
1972: Sprookje, off the Man-object (Gerda Diddens)
1973: Hello in kost (Patrick Lebon)
1975: the night of the vagrants (Michel Laithem)
1976: Strike and farts (No5el Godin)
1978: Cinderella , comment (Gerda Diddens)
1979: Slachtvee/the Edge (Patrick Conrad)
1980: Mamma Dracula (Boris Szulzinger)

Comments, studies and talks (re-examined)

1971 : “De Invloed van het Lezen van een Filmkritiek COp of beoordeling van of betreffende Film” (Psychologisch Laboratonium of the University of Amsterdam, in connection with a projection of “Load of cretins! ')
1972: Cinema (n° 8) p 20-24, by Mike Wallington (London)
1972: Skoop (n° 8, flight 7) p 19-24 by Willum Thijssen (Amsterdam)
1976: Movies-files n°54, p 13-16 by Francis Bolen (Brussels)
1979: 4 Million 4 (n° 208/209) per Philippe Drunk (Brussels)

Comments or quotations (books)

the Cinema of the fantastic , Rene Prédal (Seghers)
the Science fiction with the Cinema , Jean-Pierre Bouyxou (10/18)
El Cine of Siencia Ficcion , Shine Gasca
the Cinema in Belgium , Paul Davay (Duculot)
The Experimental Cinema , David Curtis (Studio-Vista)
Film Is , Stephen Dwoskin

Film ace has Subversive Art, Amos Vogel (weidenfeld & Nicholson) The Cinema, Art Subversive (Buchet-Chastel) - Praise of the Experimental Cinema, Dominique Noguez (Beaubourg) - Masochism with the Cinema, Jean Streff (Veyrier) - the Sex with the Screen, Gerard Lenne (Veyrier) - Dracula, Vampires with the Cinema, Barrie Pattisson (Minoustch) - History authentic, anecdotic, folk and critical of the Belgian Cinema since its more remote origins, Francis Bolen (Memo and codec)

Price and mentions

Double Insomnia & Lili with the Bed! Price Mr. Fraikin for the originality of the cinematographic language at the 2nd Price of the Young Belgian Cinema, Louvière 1966.

Sufferings of a Ravaged Egg: • Selected with the 4th International competition of Experimental Film, Knokke 1967-68, Mention at the 3rd Price of the Young Belgian Cinema. Louvière 1968, Selected with the Festival of Oberhausen, 1968

The Sanguinary Fairy: Outstanding commendation award of the Film club Europa, Brussels 1969 Selected with the Festival of Oberhausen 1969 Guest to the Festival of the Film Underground, London 1971

The Mad Sex: Price of “One Night Award Stand” with the first Wet Dream Film Festival of Amsterdam, 1970 Guest with Biennial the underground of Venice 1971 Guest to the Festival Underground of London 1971

The Vampire of the Cineclub: Guest with About fifteen the Realizers, Cannes 1971 Guest with the Festival Underground of London 1971 Guest to the Festival der Struktural Film, Hamburg 1972

The Slaughterer is with Us: Price of the Press-Lucien Deroisy to the 10th National Festival .du Belgian Cinema, Brussels 1974

The whole of films: Festival “Sigma”, Bordeaux, Guest at the Days of Surrealist Film, Toulon 1974

The Mad Sex of the Sanguinary Fairy: Guest with the Festival of the Film Taboo, Amsterdam~Utrecht, 1980 Guest with the Festival of Imaginary and the Science fiction at Madrid, 1980 Guest at the Days of Anarchistic Film, Race, 1981

The whole of work: Crowned by a Special price of the Academy Morlock, Paris, 1980

See too

Belgian Cinema

External bond

Its card on IMDb
Photography and presentation of the scenario writer

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