Jean Grémillon
Encyclopedia
Jean Grémillon was a French
film director
. After directing a number of documentaries during the 1920s, many now lost, he had his first substantial success with the dramatic feature Maldone in 1928. Over the next quarter-century, he directed twenty more feature films, of which he is best known for five made between 1937 and 1944: L'Étrange M. Victor, Gueule d'amour
(1937), Remorques
(1941), Lumière d'été (1943), and Le Ciel est à vous (1944).
Grémillon rejected what he referred to as "mechanical naturalism" in favor of "the discovery of that subtlety which the human eye does not perceive directly but which must be shown by establishing the harmonies, the unknown relations, between objects and beings; it is a vivifying, inexhaustible source of images that strike our imaginations and enchant our hearts."
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:...
. After directing a number of documentaries during the 1920s, many now lost, he had his first substantial success with the dramatic feature Maldone in 1928. Over the next quarter-century, he directed twenty more feature films, of which he is best known for five made between 1937 and 1944: L'Étrange M. Victor, Gueule d'amour
Lady Killer (1937 film)
Lady Killer is a 1937 drama film directed by Jean Grémillon and starring Jean Gabin.-Cast:* Jean Gabin - Lucien Bourrache, 'Gueule d'Amour'* Mireille Balin - Madeleine* Pierre Etchepare - Le patron de l'hôtel* Henri Poupon - Monsieur Cailloux...
(1937), Remorques
Remorques
Remorques is a 1941 French drama film directed by Jean Grémillon. The screenplay was written by Jacques Prévert and André Cayatte , based on novel by Roger Vercel. The film stars Jean Gabin, Madeleine Renaud and Michèle Morgan...
(1941), Lumière d'été (1943), and Le Ciel est à vous (1944).
Grémillon rejected what he referred to as "mechanical naturalism" in favor of "the discovery of that subtlety which the human eye does not perceive directly but which must be shown by establishing the harmonies, the unknown relations, between objects and beings; it is a vivifying, inexhaustible source of images that strike our imaginations and enchant our hearts."
Selected films directed by Jean Grémillon
- Maldone (silent, 1928)
- Gardiens de phare (The Lighthouse Keepers, silent, 1929)
- La Petite Lise (1930)
- Daïnah la métisse (1931)
- Le Petit Babouin (1932)
- Pour un sou d'amour (For One Cent's Worth of Love, 1932)
- Gonzague (aka L'Accordeur, 1933)
- La Dolorosa (1934)
- Valse royale (1935)
- Pattes de mouches (1936)
- L'Étrange Monsieur Victor (Strange M. Victor, 1937)
- ¡Centinela, alerta! (1937)
- Gueule d'amourLady Killer (1937 film)Lady Killer is a 1937 drama film directed by Jean Grémillon and starring Jean Gabin.-Cast:* Jean Gabin - Lucien Bourrache, 'Gueule d'Amour'* Mireille Balin - Madeleine* Pierre Etchepare - Le patron de l'hôtel* Henri Poupon - Monsieur Cailloux...
(Lady Killer, 1937) - RemorquesRemorquesRemorques is a 1941 French drama film directed by Jean Grémillon. The screenplay was written by Jacques Prévert and André Cayatte , based on novel by Roger Vercel. The film stars Jean Gabin, Madeleine Renaud and Michèle Morgan...
(Stormy Waters, 1941) - Lumière d'été (1943)
- Le Ciel est à vous (The Sky Is Yours, 1944)
- Le 6 juin à l'aube (documentary, 1946)
- Les Charmes de l'existence (The Charms of Life, 1949)
- Pattes blanches (White Paws, 1949)
- L'Étrange Madame XL'Étrange Madame XThe Strange Madame X is a 1951 French drama film directed by Jean Grémillon. The screenplay was written by Marcelle Maurette, Pierre Laroche and Albert Valentin . The film stars Michèle Morgan and Henri Vidal...
(The Strange Madame X, 1951) - L'Amour d'une femme (The Love of a Woman, 1954)
Published
- Sellier, Geneviève (1989). Jean Grémillon: Le cinéma est à vous. Paris: Méridiens Klincksieck. (Correct date of birth: p. 13.)
Online
- Enchanted Realism: The Films of Jean Grémillon program guide to Facets Multimedia mini-retrospective ("Mechanical naturalism...the discovery.")
External links
- Jean Grémillon filmography, bibliography of works on the director, brief essay by critic Dudley AndrewDudley AndrewDudley Andrew is an American film theorist. He is R. Selden Rose Professor of Film and Comparative Literature at Yale University, where he has taught since the year 2000. Andrew is "one of the most influential scholars in the areas of theory, history and criticism," particularly specializing in...
; part of the Film Reference website - Rediscovering the Films of Jean Grémillon program for mini-retrospective with movie descriptions; part of the Harvard Film Archive website
- "Resurrection of a Martyr" article by Chris Fujiwara, Boston Phoenix, November 22–29, 2001
- Maldone, J. Grémillon - The Ballroom Dance Scene 1928 (YouTube)