Leenhardt, Roger

(July 23, 1903, Montpellier, Hérault, France - December 4, 1985, Paris, France)

   After studying literature and philosophy at the Sorbonne, he edited newsreels for Éclair Journal and a few movies (1933 Crainquebille, Jacques de Baron-celli; 1934 En Crête sans les Dieux, short, René Zuber) before producing and directing shorts. An influential film critic and theoretician, he published his texts in Esprit, Les Lettre françaises, Les Cahiers du Cinéma, Fontaine, and L'Ecran français and was the spiritual father of the French New Wave. He collaborated as a screenwriter on several movies (1946 L'Amour autour de la Maison, as screenwriter, adapter, co-dialogist, Pierre de Hérain; La Flûte magique, animated short, Paul Grimault), played small parts in films (1948 Aller et Retour, short, Alexandre Astruc; 1964 Une Femme mariée: Suite de fragments d'un Film tourné en 1964, Jean-Luc Godard; 1977 L'Homme qui aimait les Femmes / USA: The Man Who Loved Women, François Truffaut), produced (1960 Demain Paris, Michel Boschet, An­dré Martin; Patamorphose / Le Désespoir du Peintre, Michel Boschet, André Martin; 1962 Les Roses de la Vie, Paul Vecchiali; 1980 Alexeïeff et Claire Parker réali­sant "Trois Thèmes", also distributor), released shorts (1972 Tableaux d'une Exposition, Alexandre Alexeïeff, Claire Parker; Trois Thèmes, Alexandre Alexeïeff, Claire Parker), and appeared as himself in TV documentaries (1965 Cinéastes de notre Temps, documentary, episode "Roger Leenhardt ou Le Dernier Humaniste", André S. Labarthe; 1966 Cinéastes de notre Temps, documentary, episode "Marcel Pagnol ou Le Cinéma tel qu'on le parle", André S. Labarthe; 1974 Histoire du Cinéma français par ceux qui l'ont fait, Armand Panigel). Books: 1979 Les Yeux ouverts: entretiens avec Jean Lacouture (Le Seuil); 1986 Chroniques de Cinéma / Roger Leen-hardt (Editions de l'Etoile: Cahiers du Cinéma).

 Filmography

1934 ◘ Le Tapis moqueur (documentary; short)

        ◘ R.N. 37 (documentary; short)

        ◘ La Course au Pétrole (documentary; short)

        ◘ Revêtements routiers (documentary; short)

1940 ◘ Fêtes de France (documentary; short; co-director with René Zuber)

1943 ◘ Le Chant des Ondes (documentary; short)

        ◘ A la Poursuite du Vent (documentary; short)

        ◘ Suite française (documentary; short)

        ◘ Le Chantier des Ruines (short)

        ◘ Lettre de Paris (short)

        ◘ Naissance du Cinéma (medium-length; documentary; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Départs pour l'Allemagne (documentary; short)

        ◘ Reconstruction des Ponts routiers (documentary; short)

        ◘ Les Dernières Vacances / USA: The Last Vacation (also screenwriter, adapter, co-dialogist)

        ◘ La Côte d'Azur (documentary; short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Entrez dans la Danse (documentary; short)

1949 ◘ Le Pain de Barbarie (documentary; short)

        ◘ Sur la Côte d'Azur (documentary; short)

        ◘ Victor Hugo (documentary; co-director with G. Gerber; short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Du Charbon et des Hommes (documentary; short)

        ◘ La France est un Jardin (documentary; short)

        ◘ Ordinations (documentary; medium-length)

        ◘ François Mauriac (documentary; medium-length)

        ◘ Louis Capet (documentary; medium-length; co-director with Jean-Pierre Vivet)

1955 ◘ Le Bruit (documentary; short)

        ◘ La Conquête de l'Angleterre (documentary; short)

        ◘ La Fugue de Mahmoud (short; also cinematographer; shot in 1950)

        ◘ Notre Sang (short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Jean-Jacques (documentary; short)

        ◘ Bâtir à notre Âge (documentary; short)

        ◘ Daumier (documentary; short; co-director with Henri Sarrade; also screenwriter)

        ◘ En plein Midi (short; co-director with Sidney Jézéquel)

        ◘ Paris et le Désert français (documentary; short)

        ◘ Paul Valéry (documentary; short; also screenwriter, producer)

        ◘ Jean-Jacques Rousseau (documentary; short; co-director with Jean-Pierre Vivet)

        ◘ Le Rendez-vous de Minuit / UK: Rendezvous at Midnight / USA: Midnight Meeting (also screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist)

        ◘ Le Maître de Montpellier (documentary; short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Entre Seine et Mer (documentary; short)

        ◘ Des Hommes et des Fleurs (documentary; short)

        ◘ Monsieur de Voltaire (documentary; short)

        ◘ Courbet, l'Homme à la Pipe (documentary; short; also screenwriter; shot in 1962)

        ◘ Daguerre ou La Naissance de Photographie (documentary; short)

        ◘ Corrot (documentary; short)

        ◘ Des Femmes et des Fleurs (documentary; short)

        ◘ 1989 (documentary; short)

1966 ◘ Le Cœur de la France (documentary; short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Jacques Copeau (documentary; short)

1967 ◘ Le Beatnik et le Minet (short; also screenwriter, actor; shot in 1965)

        ◘ Monsieur Ingres (documentary; short)

1977 ◘ Jean Renoir ou Du Plaisir à la Joie (documentary; short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Pissaro (documentary; short; also screenwriter; shot in 1975)

 Television Filmography

1964 ◘ Une Fille dans le Montagne (also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist)