Bertrand Tavernier Movies
One of France's premiere directors, screenwriters, and producers, Bertrand Tavernier is renowned for making dramas encompassing themes as diverse as familial relationships, World War I, and contemporary social ills. Regardless of the subjects they explore, Tavernier lends his films great introspection and humanity, something that has established him as one of the French cinema's more progressive and compassionate figures.Born in Lyon on April 25, 1941, Tavernier grew up with a love of film and wanted to be a director from the age of 13. He was particularly influenced by such American directors as Joseph Losey, John Ford, Samuel Fuller, and William Wellman, and -- during a spell at the Sorbonne, where he studied law -- he became involved in the film industry as an assistant director for Jean-Pierre Melville. By his own admission, he was not very good at the job, so Tavernier became a film critic. While working for such prestigious publications as Positif and Cahiers du Cinema, he wrote two books on the American cinema, one of which has had numerous editions.
During a stint as a press agent for producer Georges de Beauregard, Tavernier was given the opportunity to direct some short sketches as part of a collective filmmaking project. He helmed his first feature film, L'Horloger de St. Paul, in 1974. The tale of a clockmaker and his complex relationship with his violent son and the bourgeois society that has produced him, it received international acclaim and a Special Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival. It also featured a starring turn by Philippe Noiret, whom Tavernier featured often in subsequent projects.
Only one year later, the director again found acclaim, this time for two films. The first, Que La Fête Commence... (Let Joy Reign Supreme), was a historical drama set in pre-revolutionary France that centered around the emotional and ideological dilemmas of the humanist regent Phillippe D'Orleans; it won four Césars, including one for Best Direction. Tavernier's second film that year, Le Juge et l'Assassin (The Judge and the Assassin), also earned a number of Césars, including a Best Screenplay award for Tavernier. An exploration of the relationship between a convicted child killer and the judge who must decide his fate, it focused on one of Tavernier's major themes, a preoccupation with the relationships between completely opposite people and the irreducibility of social barriers.
Familial relations and social concerns were once again viewed through Tavernier's lens in Des Enfants Gatés (Spoiled Children) (1977); he subsequently went in an entirely different direction for the sci-fi La Mort En Direct (Death Watch) (1980), a disturbing reflection on voyeurism and the dark realms of the human psyche. Tavernier then returned to his native Lyon and the subject of family drama to make Une Semaine de Vacances (A Week's Vacation) (1980), before again collaborating with Noiret for Coup de Torchon (Clean Slate), in 1981. Adapted from an American novel set in Texas, the film took place in colonial Africa during the 1930s. A black comedy about a local police chief who goes on a murder spree after being treated like dirt for too long, it both provided a statement about the morality of power and contained a spate of affectionate references to the noir genre and Tavernier's beloved films of the '30s.
Tavernier had his next great critical success with Un Dimanche à la Campagne (A Sunday in the Country) (1984). Expanding on the themes explored four years earlier in Une Semaine de Vacances, it focused on the relationship between an aging painter and his children and grandchildren. The film won a number of honors, including the Director's Prize at Cannes and a Best Screenplay César that was shared between Tavernier and his then wife, Colo Tavernier O'Hagan. Two years later, Tavernier had possibly his greatest international success to date with Round Midnight, his tribute to jazz and jazzmen. Starring Dexter Gordon as a self-destructive American saxophonist living in self-exile in Paris, the film was a moody portrait of the friendship between the saxophonist and the French fan who becomes his caretaker. Gordon was nominated for an Oscar for his performance, and Herbie Hancock won an Oscar for the film's score.
Following a look at colossal family dysfunction in La Passion Béatrice (1987), Tavernier again earned international acclaim, this time for La Vie et Rien d'Autre (Life and Nothing But) (1989). Starring Noiret as a World War I major obsessed with making amends for the wartime carnage he took part in, it was a brilliant commentary on the absurdity of war. Both Noiret and Tavernier received honors from the European Film Academy for their work, in addition to a number of other awards.
Following another examination of parent-child relationships in Daddy Nostalgie (1990), which featured an excellent performance from Dirk Bogarde, Tavernier turned his attentions to the problems and social issues facing contemporary France. L.627 (1992) focused on drug abuse and HIV, while La Guerre Sans Nom (1992) was a documentary about the Algerian War. More anti-war sentiment followed in Captaine Conan (1996), a post-World War I drama about a captain whose proclivity toward killing people becomes something of a problem during peacetime. A frightening, pointed commentary on the darker shades of human nature and the monstrosity of war, it earned a number of honors, including a Best Director César for Tavernier.
In 1998, Tavernier, along with his son Nils, returned to the realm of contemporary social issues with De L'Autre Cote Du Periphe (The Other Side of the Tracks), a documentary about life in one of Paris' more infamous housing projects. A powerful portrait of racism, poverty, and social injustice, it formed a suitable precedent for Tavernier's next feature, Ça commence aujourd'hui (It All Begins Today) (1999). A social drama revolving around the efforts of a schoolteacher to bring change to his demoralized, largely impoverished community, the film was Tavernier's first major effort since Captaine Conan. Powerful and compassionate, it earned a number of awards at the Berlin Film Festival that year, including the Jury's Special Mention Prize for its subject matter. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
A detective tracking a serial killer who preys on young women finds his investigation complicated by a glamorous Hollywood starlet and a ruthless crime kingpin in director Bertrand Tavernier's adaptation of the James Lee Burke novel In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead. Jerzy Kromolowski, Mary Olson-Kromolowski, and Tommy Lee Jones collaborate on the screenplay for the film, which stars Jones, John Goodman, Peter Sarsgaard, Ned Beatty, and Tom Sizemore. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, John Goodman, (more)
During the Nazi occupation of France during World War II, the nation's movie studios continued to operate; some filmmakers and technicians simply went along with what their new leaders demanded in hopes keeping themselves and their families safe, while others sought to subvert the messages of their captors through their work. Safe Conduct, directed by Bertrand Tavernier, is a fact-based period drama which examines two men working for a Parisian film company during 1942 and 1943, as well as their friends, family, and loved ones. Jean Devaivre (played by Jacques Gamblin) is an assistant director for Continental Pictures, a studio which has recently been taken over by the Germans and is headed by Dr. Greven (Christian Berkel), a self-styled aficionado of French filmmaking. With a wife (Marie Desgranges) and a newborn son to support, Devaivre feels he has little choice but to continue with his work, though as he rises from assisting to becoming a full fledged director thanks to the efforts of Maurice Tourneur (Philippe Morier-Genoud), he struggles to work his own views into his pictures as much as he can. Screenwriter Jean Aurenche (Denis Podalydes), a man who lives for wine, women and song (not necessarily in that order), refuses to work for Greven, and as he bounces between his many lovers - actress Suzanne Raymond (Charlotte Kady), no-nonsense streetwalker Olga (Marie Gillain), and soft-hearted Reine (Maria Pitarresi), a struggles to find a way to make a living with his words. Both Devaivre and Aurenche were real-life figures in the French film industry during the occupation, as were many of Safe Conduct's supporting characters; the real life Aurenche went on to write the screenplay for Bertrand Travernier's first feature film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacques Gamblin, Denis Podalydès, (more)
- 2001
Novelist and filmmaker Jose Giovanni turned to the remarkable true story of how his father helped him escape a date with the guillotine for this drama, which is based closely on events from his own life. During World War II, Manu (Vincent Lecoeur, as a character Giovanni modeled after himself) fought with the French Resistance, but near the end of the war he fell into a life of crime, and in 1947, 22-year-old Manu was arrested for his part in a bungled robbery that left a man dead. While Manu did not pull the fatal trigger, he refuses to say who did, since it would mean implicating his uncle, one of the few members of his family who has stood by him; Manu's brother is dead, and he turned his back on his father Joe (Bruno Cremer) years ago. Manu is sentenced to death, and while he protests his innocence, his attempts to escape from prison do little to convince anyone that he's telling the truth. To keep himself sane while waiting on Death Row, Manu begins writing a novel, but unknown to him, the father he will not speak with has been researching his son's case, and spends the better part of the next four years searching for a way to prove his son's innocence and earn him a clemency that would set him free. In real life, Jose Giovanni was unaware of his father's role in his release from prison until after his death; years later, Giovanni wrote an acclaimed biography of his father's own remarkable life, which included a very successful career as a professional gambler and a spell as official translator to renowned U.S. general "Black Jack" Pershing during World War I. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruno Cremer, Vincent Lecoeur, (more)
- 2000
A documentary about the iconic career of actor and filmmaker Clint Eastwood, Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows traces its subject's work from his earliest days in Hollywood to his award-winning (and career-salvaging) films of the 1990s. Directed by Bruce Ricker, who also made the lauded jazz films The Last of the Blue Devils and Thelonious Monk - Straight, No Chaser, the documentary combines archival footage with interviews from the likes of Sergio Leone, Curtis Hanson, Rip Torn, Meryl Streep, and, naturally, the man himself. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, (more)
Ça commence aujourd'hui, a social drama, is Bertrand Tavernier's first major film since winning a César (the Oscar of France) in 1996 for his epic Capitaine Conan. Set in a forlorn mining town near Valencienne in the north of France, the story is about one man's struggle to bring life to his once prosperous village and its inhabitants. Philippe Torreton, who won a César for Best Actor with his title role in Capitaine Conan, plays Daniel, the head teacher of a nursery school in a town demoralized by unemployment. Daniel is determined against all odds to bring life to the community. When a parent who has come to pick up her children collapses at the school grounds due to alcohol abuse, and social services turns a deaf ear to all pleas for help, Daniel decides to take the law into his own hands. Despite resistance from the townspeople, in the long run his efforts are not fruitless. Initially, he is assisted by his girlfriend Valéria, a young sculptor; gradually, the school nurse Samia joins forces with them. Ça commence aujourd'hui is a film committed to everyday heroism; it takes a multilayered approach to an array of problems. The visual force of the storytelling is especially powerful. Tavernier's Ça commence aujourd'hui received a Special Mention for its subject matter, the Ecumenical Jury award and FIPRESCI award (Federation of International Film Critics) at the 49th International Berlin Film Festival, 1999. Tavernier was previously the 1995 Berlin Golden Bear winner. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philippe Torreton, Maria Pitarresi, (more)
- 1998
Hoping to provide an insider's view of the horrible conditions endured by residents (most of them North African immigrants) of Paris' notorious suburban housing projects, noted filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier and his son and co-director Niles Tavernier lived in one of them for several months. The inspiration for their action came from the Paris housing minister who -- in response to several French filmmakers' call for civil disobedience after the French government passed the controversial immigration sanction, the Debre Act in 1997 -- suggested that Tavernier move into a project and to experience life on the "other side of the tracks" for himself. The director and his son, who did most of the filming, chose the neighborhood known as Grand Pechers ("The Big Peach Trees) located in Montreuil outside of central Paris. It took the two helmers quite a while to earn the trust of the locals, but eventually they succeeded. Interviewing educators, residents and officials, including cops, the Taverniers paint an unforgettable portrait of poverty, racism, violence and an inspiring sense of determination and perseverance from people who outwardly have very little hope of improving their lives. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1997
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Blue Note Records was founded in the 1930s and has played a vital role in the development of jazz for more than 60 years. Important works by some of the greatest jazz musicians in history -- John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, and many others -- were recorded on the Blue Note label. The company's founders, Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, both loved jazz (especially jazz with a bluesy element) and had true respect for the musicians with whom they worked. Featuring appearances by many artists -- and memorable music recorded in the Blue Note studios throughout the years -- this documentary explores the evolution of the genre, while telling the story of a company that marked an important period in music history. ~ Alice Duncan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Belden, Joachim Ernst Berendt, (more)
- 1997
Fred lives in a housing project outside of Paris with his lover Lisa and her five-year old son. When not working in a factory or being with his little family, he hangs out with his close friend and neighbor Michel. Like the other factory workers, Fred and Michel live humble lives. Unfortunately, the plant shuts down following a workers strike and all 200 workers are suddenly unemployed. Fred is thought to have had something to do with the strike. With no work, he gladly accepts Michel's offer to drive a truck to a certain locale and leave it there. Unfortunately a murder follows this event and Fred is the prime suspect. This causes the hapless fellow to go into hiding while a determined cop looks for him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clotilde Courau, François Berléand, (more)
Bertrand Tavernier directed this hard-hitting anti-war drama. In November of 1918, just as World War I had come to a close, Capt. Conan (Phillippe Torreton) and his men await new assignments in Bucharest. Conan regards himself as a warrior, not a soldier: while a soldier will fight in a war, it takes a warrior -- unafraid to take risks, confront death, and spill blood -- to win one. Conan is convinced that it was the bloodthirsty valor of himself and those under his command that won the war against Germany. However, while Conan's dark nature was a boon to the Army during the war, it's a distinct disadvantage in peacetime, as Conan and his friends Norbert (Samuel LeBihan) and De Sceve (Bernard LeCoq) are instructed to patrol the now peaceful border. Conan and his compatriots have become too acclimated to battle to leave it behind and begin staging raids in the mountains of the Balkans. The situation comes to a head when two women are killed in a combination robbery and attack on a nightclub; Conan and his men are to be court martialed for their actions, driving a wedge between him and his close friend Norbert, who respects Conan but lacks his reckless enthusiasm for battle. Capitaine Conan earned Cesar awards for Torreton's performance and Tavernier's direction. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philippe Torreton
- 1996
- NR
Along with his brother Auguste, film pioneer Louis Lumière thrilled audiences at the turn of the century with moving pictures that seemed to burst from the screen, and many have credited the Lumierès as the fathers of modern film. Of course, filmmaking techniques have come a long way in the 100 years since the brothers helped to birth modern cinema, but their short silent films still hold a magic that is both undeniable and beautiful, and they are enchanting in their simplicity. Now modern day film lovers can revisit 85 of the Lumières' earliest efforts in this collection narrated by Bertrand Tavernier and presented in association with The Institut Lumière. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bertrand Tavernier
This drama examines three amoral young people living in Paris. 18-year-old Nathalie (Marie Gillain) works in a clothing store and dreams of opening her own boutique in the United States. She shares an apartment with her boyfriend Eric (Olivier Sitruk) and his slow-witted pal Bruno (Bruno Putzulu); she pays the rent while they stay home and watch crime movies on television. All three are looking for a fast and easy way to make some money, so together they devise a plan. Nathalie will hang out in nightclubs, meet prosperous-looking men, and go home with them. Once she's inside their apartments, she'll let in Eric and Bruno, and they'll rob the place of cash and valuables. The plan works well at first, before things go wrong one night and Eric commands Bruno to kill their victim. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marie Gillain, Olivier Sitruk, (more)
Noted French filmmaker Demy's wife Agnes Varda helmed this intensely personal tribute to her late husband. It is her third such tribute and is the only one to look deeply into Demy's vision as a director and his filmmaking techniques. To do so, she uses perfectly preserved film clips from each of the director's works and interviews with those who knew and loved him. Those interviewed include actress Catherine Deneuve, actress Anouk Aimee, actor Michel Piccoli, composer Michel Legrand, his own children and others, including female fans whose lives where influenced by his work. Also included are intimate home movies of him during a visit by Francois Truffaut and the late Jim Morrison. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
A brave and resourceful young woman keeps the spirit of the Three Musketeers alive in this historical adventure. Eloise (Sophie Marceau) is the daughter of the famed swordsman D'Artagnan (Philippe Noiret); while she has a remarkable gift with a blade herself, Eloise is devoting herself to her studies at a convent. However, when a slave escapes from the estate of the evil Duke of Crassac (Claude Rich) and seeks refuge in the convent, the Mother Superior (Pascale Roberts) is murdered in retaliation by the Duke's soldiers. In the midst of the attack, Eloise learns that the Duke and his men have even more dastardly plans in store; the murder of the Mother Superior is part on an ongoing scheme to throw the nation into disarray, making it easier for the Duke to overthrow the King and seize power. Joined by Quentin (Nils Tavernier), a poet, Eloise sets out to call her father and his old compatriots to action to stop the Duke; however, D'Artagan, who now lives a quiet life teaching fencing, isn't so sure he wants to wage a battle against the insurgent forces, no matter how awful they may be. La Fille de d'Artagnan (The Daughter of d'Artagnan) was released in the United States as Revenge of the Musketeers; leading lady Sophie Marceau does her own fencing on screen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sophie Marceau, Philippe Noiret, (more)
- 1994
This highly intellectual European documentary examines the benefits and moral basis for war reporting in the 20th century. It is done in two separate films that are part of a three-part project. The acclaimed documentarian Max Ophüls is featured in both films. Included is archival footage, movie clips, interviews, and the reminiscence of Ophüls as he depicts the attempts of journalists to find the truth about the various 20th century wars. The truth is often very difficult to find. Most of the documentaries focus upon the current war in Sarajevo. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marcel Ophüls, Philippe Noiret, (more)
- 1993
- NR
In homage to one of France's great directors, this highly personal documentary features those that knew him best, including his daughter Ewa and fellow filmmaker Claude Chabrol as they offer their comments and analysis of his career and his fascinating life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Depardieu, Claude Chabrol, (more)
- 1993
In 1967, the phenomenally successful director of the films Lola and the groundbreaking musical Les Parapluies de Cherbourg, Jacques Demy, arrived in the little port town of Rochefort and, together with his art director, decorated the whole town in cheerful, almost surreal fashion for the filming of his next musical, Les Demoiselles de Rochefort. This enormously well-received film, packed with songs which became integral to French popular culture, put the little town of Rochefort "on the map." Twenty five years later, a lot of things have changed except for the fond memories of the people who worked on the film, and of the townspeople. In this celebratory documentary, Agnes Varda, the wife of Jacques Demy, brings some of the players and extras together back in Rochefort for some reminiscences. In keeping with the thoroughly romantic nature of the musical, she also tells the story of how Les Demoiselles de Rochefort's extras found romance and had their lives changed by participating in its making. The present-day story is highlighted by clips from the earlier film, and from a documentary of the period showing how it was made. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mag Bodard, Catherine Deneuve, (more)
- 1993
Filmmaker Jean Renoir (1894-1979) had an extremely long career writing, directing, producing and acting in films, beginning in the silent era, right up until the time of his death, when most of his productions were influenced by the medium of television. He was one of the sons of the famous Impressionist painter August Renoir. This two part documentary was filmed to be released on British television in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of his birth. His influence on French filmmaking in particular was so great that he was sometimes referred to as le patron (which, among other things, means "the boss"), and no further identification was needed. The majority of his more noteworthy films were produced in the 1930s, and the film most people consider to have been his masterpiece, La Règle du Jeu or The Rules of the Game was so scathing in its criticism of 1939 French society that it provoked an outcry and he withdrew it from circulation, only releasing it again after his return to France some years after the Second World War. The documentary makers have coaxed Renoir's son to be interviewed, along with as many surviving contemporaries as could be found. In addition to numerous film clips, the documentary is fleshed out with interviews with more contemporary figures who discuss his importance in the history of cinema. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bernardo Bertolucci
- 1992
Due to the fact that the French-Algerian War (beginning in 1954) brought down several governments and led to the creation of the Fifth Republic, a deeply divided France struggled over whether to retain Algeria as the southern outpost of France proper, and this conflict was never formally declared as a war. Feelings within France ran high over the conflict, as those who wished to retain the north African country in French hands viewed it not as a colony, but as part of France itself, and this lent ferocity to their actions; those who viewed it as a colony were puzzled by the whole affair and its divisive nature and were ashamed of their country's actions. Meanwhile, the Algerian freedom fighters themselves were deeply divided, with some merely wanting a "civilized" independence with good relations with France, and others wanting to punish their oppressors. Terrorism on both sides became commonplace, and the conflict is often considered to be France's "Vietnam." This documentary explores the conflict through the recollections of a some veterans living in Grenoble and uses their personal photographs with telling effect. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Bertrand Tavernier directed this gritty, unglamorous look at the grunge work police officers perform in attempting to uphold the law. Didier Bazace stars as Lucien Marguet, a drug squad cop who is dedicated to getting drugs off the street. Lucien is passionate about eradicating drugs, even though his small drug busts barely put a dent in the rampant drug use throughout the city. But still Lucien persists. He confronts HIV-positive prostitute Cecile (Lara Guirao) about her drug habit and criticizes his paper-shuffling boss Dodo (Jean-Paul Comart) for not making the big drug busts and concentrating, instead, on the small-timers. Tavernier takes his camera into the drab goings-on of a dedicated cop, and the fascination lies in the intensity of Lucien's appointed cause as he continues unappreciated and ignored. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Didier Bezace, Jean-Paul Comart, (more)
- 1991
Amnesty International produced this film, which features more than two dozen greats of French cinema making pleas for the lives of political prisoners around the world. Each filmmaker speaks passionately on behalf of an individual whose life has been warped by political intolerance, imprisonment, torture or murder, as the lives of those prisoners or sufferers are documented onscreen. A variety of directors contributed shorts with this theme, and the ways in which the appeals are dramatized differ markedly from one to the next. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Deneuve, Philippe Noiret, (more)
In Bertrand Tavernier's Daddy Nostalgia, Caroline (Jane Birkin of Agnes Varda's Kung Fu Master), a Parisian screenwriter who has recently left her husband and their young son, travels to the countryside when she hears that her British father, Tony (Dirk Bogarde of Death in Venice, in his last film role) is in poor health and has just had a serious operation. Caroline accompanies Tony and her taciturn French mother, Miche (Odette Laure), to their beautiful seaside home. Miche is determined to keep Tony from drinking or overextending herself, where Caroline is more willing to indulge her father in the few pleasures he has left. They playfully speak English with each other, while Miche speaks only French. Miche doesn't like to talk about the past, so Tony reminisces with Caroline about his former life as a sophisticated, well-traveled young man. Caroline is getting along well with her father, but as he talks about his cocktail parties and trips around the world, she remembers him neglecting her when she was a young girl. "I have no memory of you before you were 20," he admits. Tony speaks sadly of his relationship with Miche, which has deteriorated in the past few years. He notices that she used to say, "Come to bed," and now she tells him, "Go to bed." As the seriousness of his illness becomes clearer, Caroline takes Tony on a day trip to Cannes, where her deep reserve of anger toward him comes to the surface. When he speaks of his "beautiful life," and how things were better for everyone back then, she explodes -- "I don't care about your beautiful life! It was a beautiful, selfish life!" But Caroline also yearns for Tony's acceptance and love, and they both dread the day when she has to return to Paris. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dirk Bogarde, Jane Birkin, (more)
The grim post-World War I era in Europe is grist for director Bertrand Tavernier's mill in Life and Nothing But. Philipe Noiret portrays a French major who is supervising the gruesome task of counting and identifying the corpses still strewn over the battlefield. Noiret is obsessed with the notion that, by doing his job above and beyond the call of duty, he can somehow make up for the carnage in which he participated a few years earlier. The major's mission is intercut with short vignettes involving the families and loved ones of the dead, and with the efforts by another officer to find a suitable candidate for an Unknown Soldier testimonial. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philippe Noiret, Sabine Azéma, (more)
