- Autant-Lara, Claude
- (August 5, 1901, Luzarches, Val-d'Oise, France - February 5, 2000, Antibes, Alpes-Maritîmes, France)The son of architect Edouard Autant and of the leading actress from the Comédie Française, Louise Lara, he followed his mother in her self-exile (she was a pacifist, and her opinion on World War I earned her such hate that she had to leave France until 1917). He spent two years at London Mill Hill School before returning to his native country. After completing his secondary education, he attended the National School of Decorative Arts and the Art School. In 1919, Marcel L'Herbier hired him to paint the sets of his film Le Carnaval des Vérités. Then he worked as art director and costume designer for L'Herbier again (1920 L'Homme du Large, in which also played a small part; Villa Destin. art director only; 1922 Don Juan et Faust; 1924 L'Inhumaine / UK: The Inhuman Woman / USA: The New Enchantment, costume designer only) and Jean Renoir (1926 Nana. also actor). In 1923, he directed his first film, a short, under the supervision of Marcel L'Herbier. He was also an assistant director to young René Clair (1925 Paris qui dort / Le Rayon de la Mort / UK: Paris Asleep / The Crazy Ray / USA: At 3:25. shot in 1923). While he began his directing career, he still worked once with Clair (1926 Le Voyage imaginaire). In 1925, he experimented with the Hypergonar, an anamorphic lens invented by Henri Chrétien. The movie (Construire un Feu) and the process were not convincing, and the invention was ignored by the French people (in 1952, Twentieth Century Fox bought the patent, which gave birth to CinemaScope). Thanks to his knowledge of English, Autant-Lara went to Hollywood, where he directed several French versions of early American talking pictures and notably worked with Buster Kea-ton (Buster se marie, Le Plombier amoureux). He wrote several autobiographical books: 1960 Le Coq et le Rat: Chronique Cinématographique du 20ème Siècle (Editions Flambeau), 1981 Télé-Mafia (Editions Alain Lefeuvre), 1984 La Rage dans le Cœur (Editions Veyrier), 1985 Hollywood Cake-Walk. and 1987 Les Fourgons du Malheur (Editions Veyrier).Filmography1923 ◘ Faits divers (short)◘ Construire un Feu (short)◘ Vittel (short)◘ Soluble dans l'Eau (short)◘ Pur Sang (short)◘ La Pente (short)◘ Le Fils du Rajah (short)1931 ◘ Buster se marie (co-director with Edward◘ Brophy; French version of Edward Sedgwick's◘ Parlor, Bedroom and Bath; USA)◘ Un Client sérieux (short)◘ Le Plombier amoureux (French version of Edward Sedgwick's The Passionate Plumber; USA)1932 ◘ L'Athlète incomplet (French version of Mervyn◘ Le Roy's Local Boy Makes Good; USA)◘ Le Gendarme est sans Pitié (medium-length)◘ Invite Monsieur à dîner (medium-length)◘ Monsieur le Duc (medium-length)◘ La Peur des Coups (medium-length)◘ La Dame d'en Face (short)1933 ◘ Ciboulette (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, costume designer)◘ The Mysterious Mr. Davies / My Partner Mr Davis (also producer; UK)◘ L'Affaire du Courrier de Lyon / UK and USA: Courier of Lyons (co-director with Maurice Lehmann)◘ Le Ruisseau (co-director with Maurice Lehm-ann)◘ Fric-Frac (co-director with Maurice Lehmann)1942 ◘ Le Mariage de Chiffon◘ Fettres d'Amour / USA: Love Letters1943 ◘ Douce / USA: Love Story◘ Sylvie et le Fantôme / UK and USA: Sylvia and the Ghost / Sylvie and the Phantom◘ Le Diable au Corps1949 ◘ Occupe-toi d'Amélie / Occupati di Amelia! / UK and USA: Oh Amelia! (France / Italy)◘ L'Auberge rouge / USA: The Red Inn (also co-adapter)◘ Les Sept Péchés capitaux / I sette peccati / I sette peccati capitali / UK and USA: The Seven Deadly Sins (segment "L'Orgueil" / "L'orgoglio" / "Pride" (also screenwriter; France / Italy)◘ Le Bon Dieu sans Confession / USA: Good Lord Without Confession (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter; France / Italy)◘ Le Blé en Herbe / USA: The Game of Love (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter)◘ Le Rouge et le Noir / L'uomo e il Diavolo / UK: Scarlet and Black / USA: Rouge et Noir (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter; France / Italy)1956 ◘ Marguerite de la Nuit / Margherita della notte / USA: Marguerite of the Night (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter; France / Italy)◘ La Traversée de Paris / La traversata di Parigi / UK: Pigs Across Paris / USA: Four Bags Full (France / Italy)1958 ◘ En Cas de Malheur / La ragazzo del peccato / UK: In Case of Adversity / USA: Love Is My Profession (France / Italy)◘ Le Joueur / Il giocatore / UK and USA: The Gambler (France / Italy)◘ La Jument verte / La giumenta verde / UK: The Green Mare's Nest / USA: The Green Mare (also co-producer; France / Italy)◘ Les Régates de San Francisco / Il risveglio dell'isntinto / UK and USA: The Regattas of San Francisco (France / Italy)◘ Je Bois des Amants / Il bosco degli amanti / UK: Between Love and Duty / USA: Lovers Woods (France / Italy)1961 ◘ Vive Henri IV, vive l'Amour! / I celebri amori di Enrico IV / USA: Long Live Henry IV . .. Long Live Love (France / Italy)◘ Le Comte de Monte-Cristo / Il Conte di Monte-cristo / UK: The Count of Monte Cristo / The Story of Monte Cristo / USA: The Story of the Count of Monte Cristo (France / Italy)1963 ◘ Tu ne tueras point / Non uccidere / Ne ubj / UK and USA: Thou Shalt Not Kill (France / Italy / Yugoslavia / Liechtenstein; shot in 1960)◘ Le Meurtrier / L'omicida / Der Môrder / Im Schat-ten einer Nacht / UK and USA: Enough Rope (France / Italy / West Germany)◘ Le Magot de Joséfa / La pila della Peppa (France / Italy)1965 ◘ Humour noir / Umorismo nero / Humorismo negro / La muerte viaja demasiado (co-director only; episode "La bestiole / La bestiola"; France / Italy / Spain)◘ Le Journal d'une Femme en blanc / Pelle di donna / UK: Woman in White (France / Italy)◘ Une Femme en blanc se révolte / Le Nouveau Journal d'une Femme en blanc◘ Le plus vieux Métier du Monde / L'amore at-traverso i secoli / Das àlteste Gewerbe der Welt / UK: The Oldest Profession in the World / USA: The Oldest Profession (co-director only; episode "Aujourd'hui"; France / Italy / West Germany)◘ Le Franciscain de Bourges / USA: Franciscan of Bourges◘ Les Patates / USA: Potatoes (also co-screenwriter)1977 ◘ Gloria (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist)Television Filmography1973 ◘ Lucien Leuwen (4 X 90')
Encyclopedia of French film directors . Philippe Rège. 2011.
