Giovanni, José

(June 22, 1923, Paris, France - April 24, 2004, Lausanne, Switzerland)

   His secondary studies were interrupted by World War II. He earned a living working in a coal mine and as a lumberjack. From 1942 to 1944, he was a moun­tain guide with the movement Jeunesse et Montagne. After the liberation of France, he was involved with his brother and an uncle in a racketeering affair that went wrong (three people were killed by his accom­plices). Sentenced to death in 1948, he was pardoned by President Vincent Auriol and released from jail in 1956. He wrote his first novel in 1957 (Le TrouF Série noire) and soon began working as co-screenwriter and co-adapter (1959 Du Rififi chez les Femmes / Rififi tra le donne / USA: The Riff Raff Girs Alex Joffé, France / Italy). He collaborated on many movies as author of original novel, co-screenwriter, co-adapter, and co-dialogist (1960 Le Trou / Il buco / UK: The Hole / USA: The Night Watch, Jacques Becker, France / Italy; 1963 Symphonie pour un Massacre / Sinfonia per un massacro / UK: The Corrupt / USA: Symphony for a Massacre / The Mystifiers, also actor, Jacques Deray, France / Italy); author of original novel, co-screenwriter, co-adapter, and dialogist (1960 Classe tous Risques / Asfalto che scotta / USA: The Big Risk, Claude Sautet, France / Italy; 1961 Un Nommé La Rocca / Quello che spara per primo / USA: A Man Named Rocca / A Man Called Rocca, Jean Becker, France / Italy; 1963 Du Rififi à Tokyo / Rififi a Tokyo / USA: Rififi in Tokyo, Jacques Deray, shot in 1961-1962, France / Italy; 1966 Les Grandes Gueules / Una vampata di violenza / UK: Jailbird's Vacation / USA: The Wise GuysF Robert Enrico, France / Italy; 1967 Les Aventuriers / I tre avventurieri / UK and USA: The Last Adventure, Robert Enrico, France / Italy); co-screenwriter, co-adapter, and dialogist (1966 L'Homme de Marrakech / L'uomo di Casablanca / El hombre de Marrakech / UK and USA: That Man George, Jacques Deray; France / Italy / Spain; 1968 Avec la Peau des Autres / Sciarada per quattro spie / UK: To Skin a Spy, Jacques Deray, France / Italy / Spain; 1969 Le Clan des Siciliens / USA: The Sicilian Clan, Henri Verneuil); author of an original novel and dialogist (1966 Le Deuxième Souffle / UK and USA: Second Breath, Jean-Pierre Melville); and author of original novel (1968 Ho! / Criminal Face, Robert Enrico, France / Italy; 1988 Umi e, See You, Kareyoshi Kuhara, Japan). He appeared as himself in documentaries for TV (1967 Cinéastes de notre TempsF episode "Jacques Becker", Claude de Givray; 1996 Lino: Un Portrait de Lino Ventura, Dominique Cazenave, Doug Headline; 2001 Gabin, Gueule d'AmourF Michel Viotte; Le Retour des "Grandes Gueules", Roger Viry-Babel; 2002 Michel Audiard et le Mystère du Triangle des Bermudes, François-Régis Jeanne, Stéphane Roux; 2003 Claude Sautet ou La Magie invisible / Claude Sau-tet oder Die unsichtbare Magie, Noah T. Binh). Other credit (as actor): 2002 La Repentie (Laetitia Masson). Autobiography: 2002 Mes Grandes Gueules (Editions Fayard). He died of a brain hemorrhage.

 Filmography

        ◘ La Loi du Survivant (with Paul Vecchiali as su­pervisor; also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist)

        ◘ Le Rapace / Il rapace / El Rapaz (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist; France / Italy / Mexico)

        ◘ Dernier Domicile connu / Ultimo domicilio con-osciuto (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist; France / Italy)

        ◘ Un Aller simple / Solo andata / La puerta cerrada (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist; France / Italy / Spain)

        ◘ Où est passé Tom? (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist; France / Italy)

1972 ◘ La Scoumoune / Il clan degli Marsigliesi / Lo scomunicato / UK: Hit Man / USA: Scoumoune / US video: The Pariah (also original novel, screenwriter, adapter, dialogist; France / Italy)

1973 ◘ Deux Hommes dans la Ville / Due contro la città / UK: Two Against the Law / USA: Two Men in Town (also screenwriter, dialogist; France / Italy)

        ◘ Le Gitan / Lo Zingaro (also original novel, screenwriter, adapter, dialogist; France / Italy)

        ◘ Comme un Boomerang / Il figlio del gangster / USA: Boomerang (also original story; co-screenwriter, co-adapter, dialogist; France / Italy)

1979 ◘ Les Egouts du Paradis / US video: The Sewers of Paradise (also screenwriter)

1981 ◘ Une Robe noire pour un Tueur (also screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist)

1983 ◘ Le Ruffian (also screenwriter, dialogist; France / Canada)

1985 ◘ Les Loups entre eux (also co-author of original novel, co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist)

1988 ◘ Mon Ami le Traître (also screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist, actor)

2001 ◘ Mon Père . . . il m'a sauvé la Vie (also original novel, co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist)

 Television Filmography

1977 ◘ Der Allte / UK: The Old Fox (episode "Der Alte schlàgt zweimal zu"; also screenwriter, dialogist; West Germany)

1980 ◘ L'Alibi

1985 ◘ Série noire (episode "Le Tueur du Dimanche"; France / Italy / Switzerland / Luxembourg / Hungary)

1988 ◘ Série noire (episode "La Louve"; also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist; France / Italy / Swit­zerland / Luxembourg / Hungary)

1991 ◘ L'Irlandaise

1996 ◘ Crime à l'Altimètre (also screenwriter, dialogist; France / Switzerland / Canada / Germany)