Albert Lamorisse
Encyclopedia
Albert Lamorisse was a French
filmmaker, film producer
, and writer
, who is best known for his award winning short films which he began making in the late 1940s, and also for inventing the famous strategic board game Risk
in 1957. He was born in Paris, France.
He first came into prominence - just after Bim - for directing and producing White Mane
(1953), an award winning short film that tells a fable of how a young boy befriends an untamable wild white stallion in the marshes of Camargue
(the Petite Camargue).
His best known work is the short film The Red Balloon
(1956), which earned him the Palme d'Or
Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival
, and an Oscar
for writing the best original screenplay in 1956.
Lamorisse also wrote, directed and produced the well-regarded films Stowaway in the Sky
(1960) and Circus Angel
, as well as the documentaries Versailles and Paris Jamais Vu. In addition to films, he created the popular strategy board game
Risk
in 1957.
Lamorisse and his wife had three children: Pascal, a son, and two daughters named Sabine and Fanny. Pascal and Sabine were featured in The Red Balloon. Albert Lamorisse died in a helicopter
crash while filming the documentary Le Vent des amoureux (The Lovers' Wind
), during a helicopter-tour of Iran
in 1970. His son and his widow completed the film, based on his production notes, and released the film eight years later, in 1978. It was nominated for a posthumous Oscar for best documentary
.
Feature films
Documentaries
Nominations
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
filmmaker, film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, who is best known for his award winning short films which he began making in the late 1940s, and also for inventing the famous strategic board game Risk
Risk (game)
Risk is a strategic board game, produced by Parker Brothers . It was invented by French film director Albert Lamorisse and originally released in 1957 as La Conquête du Monde in France. Risk is a turn-based game for two to six players...
in 1957. He was born in Paris, France.
He first came into prominence - just after Bim - for directing and producing White Mane
White Mane
White Mane is a 1953 short film directed by award-winning French filmmaker Albert Lamorisse....
(1953), an award winning short film that tells a fable of how a young boy befriends an untamable wild white stallion in the marshes of Camargue
Camargue
The Camargue is the region located south of Arles, France, between the Mediterranean Sea and the two arms of the Rhône River delta. The eastern arm is called the Grand Rhône; the western one is the Petit Rhône....
(the Petite Camargue).
His best known work is the short film The Red Balloon
The Red Balloon
The Red Balloon is a 1956 fantasy short film directed by French filmmaker Albert Lamorisse.The thirty-four minute short, which follows the adventures of a young boy who one day finds a sentient, mute, red balloon, was filmed in the Ménilmontant neighborhood of Paris, France.It won numerous awards,...
(1956), which earned him the Palme d'Or
Short Film Palme d'Or
The Short Film Palme d'Or is the highest prize given to a short film at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the same jury of the Cinéfondation....
Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
, and an Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for writing the best original screenplay in 1956.
Lamorisse also wrote, directed and produced the well-regarded films Stowaway in the Sky
Stowaway in the Sky
Stowaway in the Sky is a 1960 French family adventure film, directed by Albert Lamorisse.Albert Lamorisse used his ten year old son Pascal as the main character in the film.-Plot:...
(1960) and Circus Angel
Circus Angel
Circus Angel is a 1965 French fantasy film directed and produced by Albert Lamorisse.-Plot:A burglar joins the circus to escape the police...
, as well as the documentaries Versailles and Paris Jamais Vu. In addition to films, he created the popular strategy board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
Risk
Risk (game)
Risk is a strategic board game, produced by Parker Brothers . It was invented by French film director Albert Lamorisse and originally released in 1957 as La Conquête du Monde in France. Risk is a turn-based game for two to six players...
in 1957.
Lamorisse and his wife had three children: Pascal, a son, and two daughters named Sabine and Fanny. Pascal and Sabine were featured in The Red Balloon. Albert Lamorisse died in a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
crash while filming the documentary Le Vent des amoureux (The Lovers' Wind
The Lovers' Wind
The Lovers' Wind is a 1978 French documentary film directed by Albert Lamorisse about the landscape of Iran. Lamorisse was killed in a helicopter crash while filming the documentary, during a helicopter-tour of Iran. His widow completed the film, based on his production notes, and released the...
), during a helicopter-tour of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
in 1970. His son and his widow completed the film, based on his production notes, and released the film eight years later, in 1978. It was nominated for a posthumous Oscar for best documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
.
Director filmography
Short films- Bim (1950) ... aka Bim, le petit âne (France)
- Crin-Blanc (1953) ... aka White ManeWhite ManeWhite Mane is a 1953 short film directed by award-winning French filmmaker Albert Lamorisse....
(USA) and Wild Stallion - Le Ballon rouge (1956) ... aka The Red BalloonThe Red BalloonThe Red Balloon is a 1956 fantasy short film directed by French filmmaker Albert Lamorisse.The thirty-four minute short, which follows the adventures of a young boy who one day finds a sentient, mute, red balloon, was filmed in the Ménilmontant neighborhood of Paris, France.It won numerous awards,...
Feature films
- Le Voyage en ballon (1960); ... aka Stowaway in the SkyStowaway in the SkyStowaway in the Sky is a 1960 French family adventure film, directed by Albert Lamorisse.Albert Lamorisse used his ten year old son Pascal as the main character in the film.-Plot:...
- Fifi la plume (1965) ... aka Circus AngelCircus AngelCircus Angel is a 1965 French fantasy film directed and produced by Albert Lamorisse.-Plot:A burglar joins the circus to escape the police...
(USA: TV title) - Le Vent des amoureux
Documentaries
- Djerba (1947)
- Versailles (1967)
- Paris jamais vu (1967)
- Le Vent des amoureux (1978) ... aka The Lovers' WindThe Lovers' WindThe Lovers' Wind is a 1978 French documentary film directed by Albert Lamorisse about the landscape of Iran. Lamorisse was killed in a helicopter crash while filming the documentary, during a helicopter-tour of Iran. His widow completed the film, based on his production notes, and released the...
Awards
Wins- Cannes Film FestivalCannes Film FestivalThe Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
: Palme d'OrShort Film Palme d'OrThe Short Film Palme d'Or is the highest prize given to a short film at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the same jury of the Cinéfondation....
, White Mane, Best Short Film, Albert Lamorisse; 1953. - Prix Jean VigoPrix Jean VigoThe Prix Jean Vigo is an award in the Cinema of France given annually since 1951 to a French film director in homage to Jean Vigo. It was founded by French writer Claude...
: Prix Jean Vigo, White Mane, Short Film, Albert Lamorisse; 1953. - Prix Louis Delluc: Prix Louis Delluc; The Red Balloon, Albert Lamorisse; 1956.
- Cannes Film Festival: Palme d'Or du court métrage/Golden Palm; The Red Balloon, Best Short Film, Albert Lamorisse; 1956.
- Academy AwardsAcademy AwardsAn Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
: Oscar; The Red Balloon, Best Writing, Best Original Screenplay, Albert Lamorisse; 1957. - British Academy of Film and Television ArtsBritish Academy of Film and Television ArtsThe British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
: BAFTA Award; The Red Balloon, Special Award, France; 1957. - Venice Film FestivalVenice Film FestivalThe Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
: OCIC Award; Le Voyage en ballon; 1960. - Cannes Film Festival: Technical Grand Prize; Fifi la plume, 1965.
- Cannes Film Festival: Technical Grand Prize - Special Mention; Versailles; 1967.
- National Board of Review: Top Foreign FilmsNational Board of Review Awards 1957- Top Ten Films :#The Bridge on the River Kwai#12 Angry Men#The Spirit of St. Louis#The Rising of the Moon#Albert Schweitzer#Funny Face#The Bachelor Party#The Enemy Below#A Hatful of Rain#A Farewell to Arms...
; The Red Balloon,1957.
Nominations
- British Academy of Film and Television ArtsBritish Academy of Film and Television ArtsThe British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
: BAFTA Film Award, White Mane, Best Documentary Film, France; 1954. - Venice Film Festival: Golden Lion; Le Voyage en ballon; 1960.
- Cannes Film Festival: Golden Palm; Fifi la plume; 1965.
- Cannes Film Festival: Golden Palm; Best Short Film, Versailles; 1967.
- Academy Awards: Oscar; Best Documentary, FeaturesAcademy Award for Documentary FeatureThe Academy Award for Documentary Feature is among the most prestigious awards for documentary films.- Winners and nominees:Following the Academy's practice, films are listed below by the award year...
, Le Vent des amoureux; 1979.
External links
- Albert Lamorisse at GoogleGoogleGoogle Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
Books - Albert Lamorisse at Cinema Encyclopedie