Alain Jessua

Regisseur, Schrijver, Producer, Componist

16 januari 1932 — 30 november 2017 (85 years)
Alain Jessua began his career as assistant to directors like Max Ophüls, Marcel Carne, Yves Allégret and Jacques Becker, before making his unique short film, Léon la lune, which earned him the prestigious Prix Jean-Vigo award in 1957. A few years later, in 1963, his first feature film (which became "cult" among moviegoers) won two prizes in Cannes and also Venice: La Vie à l'envers, with Charles Denner and Jean Yanne in his first movie role. He then went on to direct a series of successful and critically acclaimed feature films, which he produced himself (a rare risk in the French cinema landscape).

Alain Jessua is regularly honored in France and abroad. His short film Léon la lune was screened at the MOMA - Museum of Modern Art in New York a few years ago and Martin Scorsese cited La Vie à l'envers as one of the films that really made an impact on him. Jean Tulard , in his "Dictionary of Cinema", writes: "He proposes a cinema where he tackles the problems of our time and makes cries of alarm. "

Alain Jessua is also the author of six novels.

Known For

  • The Earrings of Madame De...
    The Earrings of Madame De...1953
  • Shock Treatment
    Shock Treatment1973
  • Armaguedon
    Armaguedon1977
  • Life Upside Down
    Life Upside Down1964
  • The Dogs
    The Dogs1979
  • Paradis pour tous
    Paradis pour tous1982
  • The Killing Game
    The Killing Game1967
  • Frankenstein 90
    Frankenstein 901984
  • En toute innocence
    En toute innocence1988
  • The Eighth Day
    The Eighth Day1960

Cinematografie