Fansten, Jacques

(January 13, 1946, Paris, France - )

   The son of Lithuanian immigrants settled in Paris in the 1920s, he grew up in the French capital. Having graduated from the IDHEC in 1967, he directed his first short the following year. He successively was an assistant director (1969 La Femme infidèle / Stephane, una moglie infedele / UK and USA: The Unfaithful Wife, Claude Chabrol, France / Italy; Que la Bête meure! / Uccidero un uomo / UK: Killer / USA: This Man Must Die / The Beast Must Die, Claude Chabrol, France / Italy; 1971 L'Araignée d'Eau, Jean-Daniel Verhaeghe, shot in 1968), co-screenwriter for film (1972 Les Fous du Stade, Claude Zidi) and TV (1982 La Tribu des vieux Enfants, Michel Favart; 2002 Marie-Marmaille, Jean-Louis Bertucelli), assistant producer for film (1991 Vincent & Theo / Vincent et Théo, Robert Altman, UK / France, shot in 1989; 1996 Lucky Punch / Le Montreur de Boxe, also technical adviser, Dominique Ladoge; 2000 Nationale 7, TV movie released theatrically, Jean-Pierre Sinapi; Les Yeux fermés, Olivier Py; 2001 La Chambre des Magiciennes, TV movie released theatrically, Claude Miller, shot in 1999; 2004 Tout pour l'Oseille, Bertrand Van Effenterre) and TV (1991 Sartre, documentary, Michel Favart, André Waksman; L'Homme qui voulait s'offrir Hollywood, documentary, Jean-Pierre Moscardo; 1992 Comme un Bateau, la Mer en moins, Dominique Ladoge; 1993 Les Epées de Diamants / Diamond Swords, Denys de La Patellière, France / USA; 1994 Hoffman's Hunger, Léon de Winter, Netherlands; 1995 Alla Turca, Macha Méril; 1996 D'Amour et d'Eau salée, Edwin Baily; 1998 Un Camion pour Deux, Dominique Tabuteau; 2000 La Bascule à Deux, Thierry Chabert; 2001 Sa Mère la Pute, Brigitte Rouan), technical adviser (1989 Outremer / USA: Overseas, Brigitte Rouan), and execu­tive producer (1994 Silent Tongue / Le Gardien des Es­prits, Sam Shepard, USA / France / UK / Netherlands). From 1972 to 1980, he shot many documentaries for French TV. He wrote a mononograph on actor Michel Simon (Michel Simon, Seghers, 1970) and several nov­els: 1991 La Fracture du Myocarde (Gallimard); 1993 Roulez Jeunesse! (Gallimard); 1997 C'est pour la bonne Cause (Seuil); 2003 Talion (co-authored with Christian de Montella and Louis Gardel, Seuil).

 Filmography

1968 ◘ L'Avant-Veille du Grand Soir (short; also screenwriter, dialogist)

1970 ◘ Les Voisins n'aiment pas la Musique (short; also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist)

1973 ◘ Mousquetaires, une première (short)

1976 ◘ Le Petit Marcel (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist)

1986 ◘ Etats d'Âme (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist, )

1991 ◘ La Fracture du Myocarde / UK and USA: Cross My Heart (TV movie released theatrically; also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist, delegate producer; shot in 1989)

1993 ◘ Roulez Jeunesse! (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist, producer)

1997 ◘ C'est pour la bonne Cause! (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist)

 Television Filmography

        ◘ Je dors comme un Bébé (also screenwriter; dialogist)

        ◘ Nous te mari-e-rons (also screenwriter)

        ◘ Mon Meilleur Noël (episode "Papa Maman Noël")

        ◘ Après tout ce qu'on a fait pour toi (also screenwriter; dialogist)

        ◘ Dorothée, Danseuse de Corde (3 X 90'; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Les Lendemains qui chantent (also co-screenwriter)

        ◘ Le Bord des Larmes (also screenwriter, dialogist)

        ◘ Souris noire (episodes "J'ai tué mon Prof", "Tchao Grumeau"; also co-screenwriter)

1988 ◘ Le Mouchoir de Joseph (also screenwriter)

1997 ◘ Les Parents modèles (also co-screenwriter)

        ◘ La Crèche (2 X 52'; also co-screenwriter, producer)

        ◘ Sur quel Pied danser (also co-screenwriter, producer)

2003 ◘ Maigret (episodes "Un Echec de Maigret", "Signé Picpus")

2005 ◘ Le Frangin d'Amérique (also screenwriter, dialogist)

2007 ◘ Zygs, le Secret des Disparus (also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist; France / Belgium)