Henri-Georges
Clouzot (20 November 1907 – 12 January 1977) was a French film director,
screenwriter and producer. He is best remembered for his work in the thriller
film genre, having directed The Wages of Fear and Les Diaboliques, which are
critically recognized as among the greatest films from the 1950s. Clouzot also
directed documentary films, including The Mystery of Picasso, which was
declared a national treasure by the government of France.
Clouzot was
an early fan of the cinema and, desiring a career as a writer, moved to Paris.
He was later hired by producer Adolphe Osso to work in Berlin, writing
French-language versions of German films. After being fired from UFA studio in
Nazi Germany due to his friendship with Jewish producers, Clouzot returned to
France, where he spent years bedridden after contracting tuberculosis. Upon
recovering, Clouzot found work in Nazi-occupied France as a screenwriter for
the German-owned company Continental Films. At Continental, Clouzot wrote and
directed films that were very popular. His second film Le Corbeau drew
controversy over its harsh look at provincial France and Clouzot was fired from
Continental before its release. As a result of his association with
Continental, Clouzot was barred by the French government from filmmaking until
1947.
After the ban
was lifted, Clouzot reestablished his reputation and popularity in France
during the late 1940s with successful films including Quai des Orfèvres. After
the release of his comedy film Miquette et sa mère, Clouzot married Véra
Gibson-Amado, who would star in his next three feature films. In the early and
mid-1950s, Clouzot drew acclaim from international critics and audiences for
The Wages of Fear and Les Diaboliques. Both films would serve as source
material for remakes decades later. After the release of La Vérité, Clouzot's
wife Véra died of a heart attack and Clouzot's career suffered due to
depression, illness and new critical views of films from the French New Wave.
Clouzot's career became less active in later years, limited to a few television
documentaries and two feature films in the 1960s. Clouzot wrote several unused
scripts in the 1970s and died in Paris in 1977.
Films :
Manon
Produced by : Paul-Edmond
Decharme
Written by : Jean Ferry, Henri-Georges
Clouzot
Based on : Manon Lescaut by Antoine François
Prévost
Cinematography : Armand
Thirard
Edited by : Monique Kirsanoff
Production company : Alcina
Distributed by : Les Films
Corona
Release date : 9 March 1949
Running time : 100 mins
Country : France
Language : French
The Wages of Fear
Produced by : Raymond Borderie
Screenplay by : Henri-Georges
Clouzot, Jérome Geronimi
Based on : Le salaire de la peur by
Georges Arnaud
Cinematography : Armand
Thirard
Edited by : Madeleine Gug, Etiennette
Muse
Henri Rust
Distributed by : Distributors
Corporation of America
Criterion Collection
Release date : 22 April 1953
Running time : 153 minutes
Country : France, Italy
Language : French, Spanish
English, German
Italian, Russian
To be continued...
