La Permission
Encyclopedia
La Permission is a 1967 French language
novel
written by Melvin Van Peebles
which was turned into the film
, The Story of a Three-Day Pass
.
and had made two short film
s. He was unable to establish himself as a film director
in Hollywood because the concept of a black
director was unheard of in America
at that time. Consequently, he went to France
, learned the language, and wrote La Permission in French.
Learning he could adapt one of his novels into film with a $60,000 grant from the French Cinema Center, so long as his film was "artistically valuable, but not necessarily commercially viable," he sought a film producer
. Once partnered with the Office de Production d'Edition et de Realisation (OPERA), a collective consisting of Michel Zemer, Guy Pefond and Christian Shivat, he shot La Permission in 36 days for a cost of $200,000, finally releasing the picture under the title The Story of a Three-Day Pass
(1967).
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written by Melvin Van Peebles
Melvin Van Peebles
Melvin "Block" Van Peebles is an American actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, novelist and composer.He is most famous for creating the acclaimed film, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, which heralded a new era of African American focused films...
which was turned into the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, The Story of a Three-Day Pass
The Story of a Three-Day Pass
The Story of a Three-Day Pass is a black-and-white film written and directed, often in a Nouvelle Vague style, by Melvin Van Peebles, based on a novel he wrote in French, La Permission. Although made in 1967, the film was not released in the U.S. until July 8, 1968...
.
History
By the late 1950s, Van Peebles had been involved filmmakingFilmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
and had made two short film
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
s. He was unable to establish himself as a 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:...
in Hollywood because the concept of a black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
director was unheard of in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at that time. Consequently, he went to 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...
, learned the language, and wrote La Permission in French.
Learning he could adapt one of his novels into film with a $60,000 grant from the French Cinema Center, so long as his film was "artistically valuable, but not necessarily commercially viable," he sought a 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...
. Once partnered with the Office de Production d'Edition et de Realisation (OPERA), a collective consisting of Michel Zemer, Guy Pefond and Christian Shivat, he shot La Permission in 36 days for a cost of $200,000, finally releasing the picture under the title The Story of a Three-Day Pass
The Story of a Three-Day Pass
The Story of a Three-Day Pass is a black-and-white film written and directed, often in a Nouvelle Vague style, by Melvin Van Peebles, based on a novel he wrote in French, La Permission. Although made in 1967, the film was not released in the U.S. until July 8, 1968...
(1967).