- Séchan, Edmond
- (September 20, 1919, Montpellier, Hérault, France - June 7, 2002, Courbevoie, Hauts-de-Seine, France)Having graduated from the Ecole Louis Lumière in 1944 and from the IDHEC in 1946 (first class), he took part in a journey to Africa with the Musée de l'Homme and made his debut as a cinematographer on a documentary short (Les Pygmées et Pirogues sur l'Ogoué). From 1947 to 1987, he was one of the busiest French cinematographers (1948 Paysans noirs, Georges Régnier; 1950 Savage Africa / Congolaise, documentary, Jacques Dupont; 1952 Crin-Blanc / UK: Wild Stallion / USA: White Mane, Albert Lamorisse; 1955 Nagana, Hervé Bromberger; 1956 Le Monde du Silence / Il mondo del silenzio / UK and USA: The Silent World, documentary, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Louis Malle, France / Italy; Les Possédées / L'isola delle donne sole / L'isola delle capre / USA: Passionate Summer, Charles Brabant, France / Italy; Le Ballon rouge / UK and USA: The Red Balloon, short, Albert Lam-orisse; La Bête noire, short, Georges Rouquier; 1957 Les Aventures d'Arsène Lupin / Le avventure di Arsenio Lupin / USA: The Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Jacques Becker, France / Italy; Mort en Fraude / USA: Fugitive in Saigon, Marcel Camus; 1958 Tamango / La rivolta dell'esperenza, John Berry, France / Italy; Le Piège / La trappola si chiude / USA: No Escape / Any Man's Woman, Charles Brabant, France / Italy; 1959 Le Soleil de Pierre, documentary, short, Daniel Lecomte; Les Dragueurs / UK: Young Have No Morals / The Dredgers / USA: The Chaser, Jean-Pierre Mocky; 1961 Le Triomphe de Michel Strogoff / Il trionfo di Michele Strogoff / UK and USA: The Triumph of Michael Strogoff, Victor Tourjansky, France / Italy; 1962 Ton Ombre est la mienne / USA: Your Shadow Is Mine, André Michel; 1963 Love Is a Ball / UK: All This and Money Too, David Swift, USA; 1964 L'Homme de Rio / L'uomo di Rio / UK: That Man from Rio, Philippe de Broca, France / Italy; Echappement libre / Scappamento aperto / A escape libre / Der Boss hat sich was ausgedacht / USA: Backfire, Jacques De-ray, France / Italy / Spain / West Germany; La Grande Frousse / La Cité de l'indicible Peur / USA: The Big Scare, Jean-Pierre Mocky; 1965 Le Ciel sur la Tête / Allarme dal cielo / Il cielo sulla testa / UK: Heaven on One's Head / USA: Skies Above / US TV: Sky Above Heaven, Yves Ciampi, France / Italy; Le Gendarme à New York / Tre gendarme a New York, Jean Girault, France / Italy; Les Tribulations d'un Chinois en Chine / L'uomo di Hong Kong / UK: Up to His Ears / USA: Chinese Adventures in China, Philippe de Broca, France / Italy; 1966 Monsieur le Président-Directeur-Général, Jean Girault; Monnaie de Singe / I sette falsari / La viuda soltera / UK: Money Money, Yves Robert, France / Italy / Spain; Tendre Voyou / Un avventuriere a Tahiti / USA: Tender Scoundrel, Jean Becker, France / Italy; 1967 Toutes Folles de lui, Norbert Carbonnaux; A Cœur Joie / UK and USA: Two Weeks in September, Serge Bourguignon, France / UK; Le Lis de Mer, Jacqueline Audry; La Pince à Ongles / UK: The Nail Clippers, short, Jean-Claude Carrière; La Peau de Torpédo / Dossier 212—Destinazione morte / Der Mann mit der Torpedohaut / UK: Pill of Death / USA: Only the Cool, Jean Delannoy, France / Italy / West Germany; 1971 Sur un Arbre perché, Serge Korber, France / Italy; La Grande Maffia / Un matto, due matti, tutti matti, Philippe Clair, France / Italy; 1973 Le Mataf / Tre per una granda rapina, Serge Leroy, France / Italy; The Day of the Jackal / Chacal, as second unit cinematographer, Fred Zinnemann, UK / France; 1974 Piaf / USA: Piaf: The Early Years, Guy Casaril; 1976 Le Pays bleu / UK and USA: Blue Country, Jean-Charles Tacchella; D'Amour et d'Eau fraîche, Jean-Pierre Blanc; 1977 Monsieur Papa, Philippe Monnier; 1978 Les Petits Câlins, Jean-Marie Poiré; La Carapate / USA: Out of It, Gérard Oury; 1979 L'Esprit de Famille, Jean-Pierre Blanc; 1980 La Boum / USA: The Party, Claude Pinoteau; 1982 Juste avant le Mariage, Daniel Ceccaldi; La Boum 2, Claude Pinoteau; 1983 Femmes / Mujeres, Tana Kaleya, France / Spain; 1984 Les Morfa-lous, Henri Verneuil;Joyeuses Pâques, Georges Lautner; La Septième Cible, Claude Pinoteau; 1987 L'Âge de Monsieur est avancé, Pierre Etaix). He also worked for TV (1974 A Dossiers ouverts, 25x13', Claude Bois-sol; 1981 Nana, 4 X 90', Maurice Cazeneuve, France / Belgium / Switzerland) and was once a second unit director (1970 Le Gendarme en Balade / 6 gendarmi in fuga, Jean Girault, France / Italy).Filmography1953 ◘ Mano I (short; also cinematographer)1957 ◘ Niok l'Elephant / USA: Niok l'Elephant (short; also screenwriter)◘ Histoire d'un Poisson rouge / USA: The Golden Fish (short)◘ L'Ours / Daniele nella gabbia d'orso / USA: The Bear (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter; France / Italy)1962 ◘ Le Haricot (short; author of commemtary)1968 ◘ Pour un Amour lointain (also co-screenwriter)1974 ◘ . . . Les Borgnes sont Rois / UK: The One-Eyed Are Kings / USA: One-Eyed Men Are Kings (short; co-director with Michel Leroy; also screenwriter, producer)◘ Toine (short)◘ La Plume magique (short)Television Filmography1978 ◘ Photo-Souvenir (also co-screenwriter)1980 ◘ Lundi1987 ◘ Les Travailleurs de la Mer (2 X 90'; France / USSR)
Encyclopedia of French film directors . Philippe Rège. 2011.