Berri, Claude

(Claude Beri Langmann / July I, 1934, Paris, France - January 12, 2009, Paris, France)

   He briefly was apprentice furrier before entering films as actor (a dozen movies from 1953 Rue de l'Estrapade / UK and USA: Françoise Steps Out, Jacques Becker, to 1966 La Ligne de Démarcation, Claude Chabrol).The first movie he directed, a short (Le Pou­let) received an Oscar in Hollywood. His first feature film (Le Vieil Homme et l'Enfant) won the Berlin Festi­val Golden Bear. In 1962, he produced Janine (short, also co-dialogist, actor, Maurice Pialat) and created his production company, Renn Productions, four years later. From 1966 (Le Vieil Homme et l'Enfant / UK: The Old Man and the Boy / USA: The Two of Us, Claude Berri) to 2008 (L'Ombre des Autres, Eric Barbier), he financed almost sixty movies, including L'Enfance nue / UK: Me / USA: Naked Childhood (Maurice Pialat, 1968), Tess (Roman Polanski, France / UK, 1979), L'Homme blessé / UK and USA: The Wounded Man (also actor, Patrice Chéreau), L'Ours / The Bear (Jean-Jacques Annaud, France / USA), La Reine Margot / La Regina Margot / Die Bartholomausnacht / USA: Queen Margot (Patrice Chéreau, France / Italy / West Germany), and the greatest French box office hit in film history (2008 Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis, Dany Boon). In 2003, he published an autobiographical book (Autoportrait, Editions Léo Scheer). He is the father of actor Julien Rassam (1968-2002) and actor-producer Thomas Langmann (b. 1972).

 Filmography

1962 ◘ Le Poulet / UK and USA: The Chicken (short; also screenwriter, dialogist, producer)

        ◘ La Chance et l'Amour / L'amore e la chance (segment "La Chance du Guerrier"; also screenwriter, dialogist; France / Italy)

        ◘ Les Baisers / I baci / Una voglia matta di donna (segment "Baiser de Seize Ans"; also screenwriter, dialogist; France / Italy; shot in 1963)

        ◘ Le Vieil Homme et l'Enfant / UK: The Old Man and the Boy / USA: The Two of Us (also screenwriter, co-adapter, dialogist, producer)

        ◘ Mazel Tov ou le Mariage / UK and USA: Marry Me! Marry Me! (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist, delegate producer, actor)

1970 ◘ Le Pistonné / UK and USA: The Man with Con­nections (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist, producer, actor)

        ◘ Le Cinéma de Papa (also screenwriter, dialogist, producer, actor)

1972 ◘ Sex Shop / Quello che già conosci del sesso e non prendi più sul serio / USA: Le Sex Shop (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist, producer, actor; France / Italy)

        ◘ Le Mâle du Siècle / UK and USA: Male of the Century (also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist, producer, actor)

        ◘ La Première Fois / USA: The First Time (also screenwriter, dialogist, producer)

        ◘ Un Moment d'Egarement / UK: A Summer Affair / USA: In a Wild Moment / One Wild Moment (also screenwriter, dialogist, producer)

        ◘ Je vous aime (also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist, producer)

        ◘ Le Maître d'Ecole (also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist, producer)

1983 ◘ Tchao Pantin (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, producer)

1986 ◘ Jean de Florette (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, producer; France / Italy)

        ◘ Manon des Sources / Manon delle sorgenti / USA: Manon of the Spring (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, producer; France / Italy)

1990 ◘ Uranus (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist, producer)

1993 ◘ Germinal (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist, producer; France / Belgium / Italy)

1997 ◘ Lucie Aubrac (also screenwriter, dialogist, producer; shot in 1995-1996)

1999 ◘ La Débandande (also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist, producer, actor)

2002 ◘ Une Femme de Ménage / USA: The House­keeper (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist, producer)

2005 ◘ L'un reste, l'autre part (also co-screenwriter, producer)

2007 ◘ Ensemble, c'est tout (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist, producer)