Jacqueline Audry
Encyclopedia
Jacqueline Audry was a French
film director
who started making films in post-World War II
France and specialised in literary adaptation
s. She was the first commercially successful woman director of post-war France.
, France
. There were few opportunities for female directors under Nazi occupation. Audry worked as an assistant to directors Jean Delannoy
, G. W. Pabst and Max Ophuls
and in 1943, directed a short film of her own, Le Feu de paille, with the help of the Centre Artistique et Technique des Jeunes du Cinéma (now La Femis
). The end of World War II
and the liberation
of France provided increased opportunities for women, but they still faced prejudice in the film industry.
Audry's first feature film
was Les Malheurs de Sophie in 1946. This was based on the popular novel of the same name by the Comtesse de Ségur. No copies of this film, which was censored for its "politically inappropriate" riot scenes, exist. Unable to raise funds for her next film, she had to wait three years before making Sombre dimanche. In the 1940s and 1950s, she directed three films based on Colette
novels; Gigi
, Minne
and Mitsou, all three with actress Danièle Delorme
. Mitsou, which featured sex outside of marriage, was heavily censored. In 1951, Audry directed Olivia
, based on Dorothy Bussy
's 1950 semi-autobiographical
novel of the same name. Set in an all-girls
boarding school
, Olivia depicts a lesbian
love story between a schoolgirl and her headmistress. At the time, the film was very controversial and was censored in the United States
and the United Kingdom
. Edwige Feuillère
was nominated for a BAFTA award for Best Foreign Actress for her part as Mlle. Julie, the headmistress. The film has been called a "landmark of lesbian representation". She frequently collaborated with her sister, the novelist and screenwriter Colette Audry
.
Audry's film style was traditional and at odds with the French New Wave
. Her films had a feminist slant however. Many of them had central female characters and they often gave a radical view of gender roles and female sexuality. Audry died at Poissy
, Yvelines
, France, in a road accident.
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...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
who started making films in post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
France and specialised in literary adaptation
Literary adaptation
Literary adaptation is the adapting of a literary source to another genre or medium, such as a film, a stage play, or even ace video game...
s. She was the first commercially successful woman director of post-war France.
Biography
Audry was born in Orange, VaucluseOrange, Vaucluse
Orange is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It has a primarily agricultural economy...
, France
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...
. There were few opportunities for female directors under Nazi occupation. Audry worked as an assistant to directors Jean Delannoy
Jean Delannoy
Jean Delannoy was a French actor, film editor, screenwriter and film director.Although Delannoy was born in a Paris suburb, his family is from Haute-Normandie in the north of France...
, G. W. Pabst and Max Ophuls
Max Ophüls
Maximillian Oppenheimer — known as Max Ophüls — was an influential German-born film director who worked in Germany , France , the United States , and France again...
and in 1943, directed a short film of her own, Le Feu de paille, with the help of the Centre Artistique et Technique des Jeunes du Cinéma (now La Femis
La Femis
La Fémis , is the French state film school. FEMIS is an acronym for Fondation Européenne pour les Métiers de l’Image et du Son. Based in Paris, it offers courses balanced between artistic research, professional development and technical training...
). The end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the liberation
Military history of France during World War II
The military history of France during World War II covers the period from 1939 until 1940, which witnessed French military participation under the French Third Republic , and the period from 1940 until 1945, which was marked by mainland and overseas military administration and influence struggles...
of France provided increased opportunities for women, but they still faced prejudice in the film industry.
Audry's first feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
was Les Malheurs de Sophie in 1946. This was based on the popular novel of the same name by the Comtesse de Ségur. No copies of this film, which was censored for its "politically inappropriate" riot scenes, exist. Unable to raise funds for her next film, she had to wait three years before making Sombre dimanche. In the 1940s and 1950s, she directed three films based on Colette
Colette
Colette was the surname of the French novelist and performer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette . She is best known for her novel Gigi, upon which Lerner and Loewe based the stage and film musical comedies of the same title.-Early life and marriage:Colette was born to retired military officer Jules-Joseph...
novels; Gigi
Gigi (1949 film)
Gigi is a 1949 French comedy film directed by Jacqueline Audry and starring Gaby Morlay, Jean Tissier and Yvonne de Bray. A young woman is manoeuvered into an arranged marriage with an older man, by her scheming aunt. It was based on the novella Gigi written by Colette.A more well-known version of...
, Minne
Minne
Minne may be:*in origin, the Middle High German for "remembrance", see Minni*courtly love in Middle High German courtly tradition*Frau Minne, a personification of romantic love in German courtly tradition...
and Mitsou, all three with actress Danièle Delorme
Danièle Delorme
Danièle Delorme is an French actress and film producer....
. Mitsou, which featured sex outside of marriage, was heavily censored. In 1951, Audry directed Olivia
Olivia (film)
Olivia is a 1951 French film directed by Jacqueline Audry. It is based on the 1950 semi-autobiographical novel by Dorothy Bussy. It has been called a "landmark of lesbian representation".-Plot:...
, based on Dorothy Bussy
Dorothy Bussy
Dorothy Bussy was an English novelist and translator.-Family background and childhood:Dorothy Bussy was a member of the Strachey family, one of ten children of Jane Strachey and the great British Empire soldier and administrator Lt-Gen Sir Richard Strachey...
's 1950 semi-autobiographical
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
novel of the same name. Set in an all-girls
Single-sex education
Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education, is the practice of conducting education where male and female students attend separate classes or in separate buildings or schools. The practice was predominant before the mid-twentieth century, particularly in secondary education and...
boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
, Olivia depicts a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
love story between a schoolgirl and her headmistress. At the time, the film was very controversial and was censored in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Edwige Feuillère
Edwige Feuillère
Edwige Feuillère was a distinguished French stage and film actress....
was nominated for a BAFTA award for Best Foreign Actress for her part as Mlle. Julie, the headmistress. The film has been called a "landmark of lesbian representation". She frequently collaborated with her sister, the novelist and screenwriter Colette Audry
Colette Audry
Colette Audry was a French novelist, screenwriter, and critic. She won the Prix Médicis for the autobiographical novel Derrière la baignoire . As a screenwriter she first gained acclaim for The Battle for the Railway and also wrote for her sister Jacqueline...
.
Audry's film style was traditional and at odds with the French New Wave
French New Wave
The New Wave was a blanket term coined by critics for a group of French filmmakers of the late 1950s and 1960s, influenced by Italian Neorealism and classical Hollywood cinema. Although never a formally organized movement, the New Wave filmmakers were linked by their self-conscious rejection of...
. Her films had a feminist slant however. Many of them had central female characters and they often gave a radical view of gender roles and female sexuality. Audry died at Poissy
Poissy
Poissy is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the center.In 1561 it was the site of a fruitless Catholic-Huguenot conference, the Colloquy at Poissy...
, Yvelines
Yvelines
Yvelines is a French department in the region of Île-de-France.-History:Yvelines was created from the western part of the defunct department of Seine-et-Oise on 1 January 1968 in accordance with a law passed on 10 January 1964 and a décret d'application from 26 February 1965.It gained the...
, France, in a road accident.
Filmography
- 1946: Les Malheurs de Sophie
- 1948: Sombre dimanche (Gloomy Sunday)
- 1949: GigiGigi (1949 film)Gigi is a 1949 French comedy film directed by Jacqueline Audry and starring Gaby Morlay, Jean Tissier and Yvonne de Bray. A young woman is manoeuvered into an arranged marriage with an older man, by her scheming aunt. It was based on the novella Gigi written by Colette.A more well-known version of...
- 1950: MinneMinneMinne may be:*in origin, the Middle High German for "remembrance", see Minni*courtly love in Middle High German courtly tradition*Frau Minne, a personification of romantic love in German courtly tradition...
- 1951: OliviaOlivia (film)Olivia is a 1951 French film directed by Jacqueline Audry. It is based on the 1950 semi-autobiographical novel by Dorothy Bussy. It has been called a "landmark of lesbian representation".-Plot:...
(US title: The Pit of Loneliness) - 1954: Huis closHuis clos (1954 film)Huis clos , is a French comedy film from 1954, directed by Jacqueline Audry, written by Jean-Paul Sartre, starring Jean-Marie Amato and Louis de Funès.- Cast :* Arletty : Inès Serrano, lesbian* Gaby Sylvia : Estelle Rigaud, the infanticide...
(No Exit) - 1956: Mitsou
- 1967: Bitter Fruit