Breillat, Catherine

(July 13, 1948, Bressuire, Deux-Sèvres, France - )

   She settled in Paris at age sixteen with her sister, actress Marie-Hélène Breillat (b. 1947), and published her first novel, L'Homme facile (Editions Christian Bourgois) in 1968. She occasionally appeared as ac­tress in films (1973 L'ultimo tango a Parigi / Le Dernier Tango à Paris / UK and USA: Last Tango in Paris, Ber­nardo Bertolucci, Italy / France; 1976 Dracula, Père et Fils / USA: Dracula and Son, Edouard Molinaro; 1982 Dérapage, short, Marie-Christine Questerbert; 2002 Une Femme de Ménage / UK: A Housekeeper / USA: The Housekeeper, Claude Berri) and on TV (1973 Le Dialogue dans le Marécage, Michel Hermant). Her first directing effort, an adaptation of her novel Une Vraie jeune Fille, was shot in 1975, but the producer, André Génovès, went bankrupt, and the movie remained unreleased until 2000. Parallel to her directing career, she co-wrote screenplays for cinema (1975 Catherine et Cie / Un letto in società / USA: Catherine & Co, Michel Boisrond, France / Italy; 1977 Bilitis, also co-adapter, dialogist, David Hamilton; 1981 La Peau / La pelle / UK and USA: The Skin, Liliana Cavani, France / Italy; 1983 E la nave va / Et vogue le Navire / USA: And the Ship Sails On, Federico Fellini, Italy / France; 1984 L'Araignée de Satin, as literary collaborator, Jacques Baratier; 1985 Police, also co-adapter, co-dialogist, Maurice Pialat; 1987 Milan noir, also co-dialogist, Ronald Cham-mah; 1989 Zanzibar, also co-dialogist, Christine Pascal, France / Switzerland; 1990 Les Aventures de Catherine C. / USA: Adventure of Catherine C., also co-dialogist, Pierre Beuchot; 1991 La Thune, also original story, co-dialogist, Philippe Galland; 1992 La Nuit de l'Océan, also co-dialogist, Antoine Perset; 1994 Couples et Amants, also co-dialogist, John Lvoff; 1998 Si je t'aime . . . prends garde à toi! / USA: Beware of My Love, as col­laborator to screenplay, Jeanne Labrune; 2001 Selon Mathieu, Xavier Beauvois) and TV (1990 Le Diable au Corps, Gérard Vergez; 1993 Le Secret d'Elissa Rhaïs, also co-adapter, Jacques Otmezguine; 1997 Viens jouer dans la Cour des Grands, as screenwriter, dialogist, Caroline Huppert). Other credit (as assistant editor): 1982 Gli occhi, la bocca / Les Yeux, la Bouche / UK: Those Eyes, That Mouth / USA: The Eyes, the Mouth (Marco Bellocchio, Italy / France).

 Filmography

1979 ◘ Tapage nocturne (also screenwriter, dialogist)

1988 ◘ 36 Fillette / UK: Virgin / Canada: Junior Size 36 (also original novel, screenwriter, adapter, dialogist)

1991 ◘ Sale comme un Ange (also screenwriter, dialogist)

        ◘ A propos de Nice, la Suite (segment "Aux Niçois qui mal y pensent")

        ◘ Parfait Amour! / US DVD: Perfect Love (also screenwriter, dialogist)

        ◘ Romance (also screenwriter, dialogist)

        ◘ Une Vraie jeune Fille / UK: A Real Young Lady / USA: A Real Young Girl (also original novel, screenwriter, adapter, dialogist, producer, editor, production designer, makeup, lyricist)

        ◘ A ma Soeur! / A mia sorella! / USA: Fat Girl /

        ◘ Australia: For My Sister (also screenwriter, dialogist, lyricist; France / Italy)

2002 ◘ Sex Is Comedy (also screenwriter, dialogist; France / Portugal)

2004 ◘ Anatomie de l'Enfer / USA: Anatomy of Hell (also original novel, screenwriter, adapter, dialogist, narrator; France / Portugal)

2007 ◘ Une Vieille Maîtresse / USA: The Last Mistress / Australia: An Old Mistress (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist; France / Italy)