Bertrand Tavernier

Lumière, Le Cinéma! (2024)

In one of those wonderful coincidences of history, lumière, the French word for "light," was also the last name of brothers Auguste and Louis, whose brilliant invention, the cinematograph, helped to inaugurate the most beloved art form of the last 130 yea ...

Jean Rochefort, l'irrésistible (2020)

If Jean Rochefort remains so dear to our hearts, it is because this extraordinary actor alone embodies a cinema and a France imbued with freedom and carelessness. Through his films, archives and the testimony of those close to him, we discover a complex ma ...

Les Secrets de la belle endormie (2020)

Executioners, Masks, Secrets: Italian Horror in the Sixties (2019)

An American Named Kazan (2019)

Elia Kazan represented the American dream. An immigrant who came without anything and who became the Prince of Hollywood and Broadway after World War II. Actor, theater director, filmmaker, writer, he is the founder of Actor's Studio, a collaborator of Art ...

Michel Legrand, sans demi-mesure (2018)

This documentary recounts the life of the late composer Michel Legrand, known for his works on Les Parapluies de Cherbourg or Les Demoiselles De Rochefort with the famous director Jacques Demy. ...

My Journey Through French Cinema (2016)

Famous French director Tavernier tells us about his fantastic voyage through the cinema of his country. ...

M présenté par Bertrand Tavernier (2016)

Bertrand Tavernier talks about Losey's M. ...

Eddy Mitchell, itinéraires (2016)

Divine Comédie, des planches à l'écran (2015)

Romy Schneider, à fleur de peau (2014)

The life and the films , not excluding the reference to Domage qu elle soit une putain, of Romy Scheiner recreated grace words of people who knows her in different circumstances. ...

The French Minister (2013)

Alexandre Taillard de Vorms is a force to be reckoned with. With his silver mane and tanned, athletic body, he stalks the world stage as Minister of Foreign Affairs for France, waging his own war backed up by the holy trinity of diplomatic concepts: legiti ...

In The Tracks of Lalo Schifrin (2012)

Il était une fois... « La règle du jeu » (2011)

Jean Aurenche, écrivain de cinéma (2010)

RKO, A Story made in Hollywood (2010)

The history of RKO - one of the legendary "Big Five" studios of the Hollywood's Golden Age, from its creation in 1928 (when the movies started talking) to its demise in 1956, largely due to the mismanagement by its last CEO, Howard Hughes. During this peri ...

Code Name: Melville (2010)

Mixing interviews, rare archival footage and film extracts, the film shows how Melville's works were impacted by what he experienced in his youth during WWII, and how it structured his whole approach to cinema, not only in its thematic but also in its aest ...

Romy Schneider: A Woman in Three Notes (2008)

Documentary portrait of the actress Romy Schneider, in which director Frederick Baker tries to form an overall picture from the facets of image, myth, real life and screen persona. ...

The Audacious Adventurer (2006)

Filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier is interviewed about his friend director Michael Powell and his stories about the making of BLACK NARCISSUS (1947). ...

Filmmakers in Action (2006)

What is the state of cinema and what being a filmmaker means? What are the measures taken to protect authors' copyright? What is their legal status in different countries? (Sequel to "Filmmakers vs. Tycoons. ...

Michael Powell (2005)

The first episode of a new arts documentary program from BBC Scotland was dedicated to Michael Powell in his centenary year. The program interviews many people who knew or worked with him or were influenced by his work. ...

The Strange Gaze of Mark Lewis (2004)

Interview with Bertrand Tavernier, Charles Drazin and Olivier Bouvet about Michael Powell's Peeping Tom. ...

Seuls sont les indomptés (2003)

Created in 1966 by Jean-Marie Rodon and Jean-Max Causse, the Action cinemas has succeeded in establishing itself as the leading group for the distribution of classic cinema in the world. ...

Claude Sautet or the Invisible Magic (2003)

Thanks to a series of unpublished interviews, recorded shortly before his death, director Claude Sautet gives us a fascinating lesson in cinema. Through his thirteen films, he tells about his career and his work as a director. ...

Jean-Pierre Melville and Army of Shadows (2002)

In this documentary, produced by Philippe Quinconneau for StudioCanal, editor Françoise Bonnot, actor Jean-Pierre Cassel, composer Éric Demarsan, writer and filmmaker Philippe Labro, cinematographer Pierre Lhomme, and filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier share i ...

Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows (2000)

Hollywood careers are full of make-or-break moments. For Clint Eastwood, one such moment came when studio powers agreed to let him make his directing debut. That story and others comprise this portrait of the famed Hollywood icon. His career is explored vi ...

In the Shadow of Hollywood (2000)

In the Shadow of Hollywood examines this assault on our senses through interviews with directors, producers, writers and other experts in the film industry. ...

The Other Side of the Tracks (1997)

The first part of a documentary made by Bertrand and Nils Tavernier, following a letter judged provocative by the Minister of Integration at the time, who spent several months in the Grands Pêchers housing estate in Montreuil, giving voice to its inhabita ...

Blue Note - A Story of Modern Jazz (1997)

"It must schwing!" was the motto of Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, two German Jewish immigrants who in 1939 set up Blue Note Records, the jazz label that was home to such greats as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, De ...

The Lumière Brothers' First Films (1996)

A collection of short films made by the Lumiere brothers, a team of pioneering filmmakers in turn-of-the-century France, narrated by Bertrand Tavernier. ...

The World of Jacques Demy (1995)

Agnès Varda's documentary portrait of her late husband, Jacques Demy. A companion piece to her Jacquot de Nantes. ...

The Cineastes' Exit (1995)

New film created for the 'Lumiere Brothers First Films' collection. ...

Jean Renoir: Part One - From La Belle Époque to World War II (1993)

Part one of a BBC documentary about Jean Renoir. ...

Gershwin (1993)

Documentary about George Gershwin directed by Alain Resnais with various celebrities speaking on their admiration and affection for Gershwin's music. ...

The Young Girls Turn 25 (1993)

Agnes Varda's documentary of the celebrations arising from the 25th anniversary of her husband Jacques Demy's film The Young Girls of Rochefort. ...

François Truffaut: Stolen Portraits (1993)

Twenty-six people - including two daughters, an ex-wife, his last lover, actors, fellow directors and writers, a neighbor, and boyhood friends - talk about François Truffaut. They discuss his attitudes toward wealth, his early writings about cinema, the u ...

The Undeclared War (1992)

Documentary on the French-Algerian conflict 1954-1962 which was never officially called a "war", including interviews with some of the survivors. ...

Daddy Nostalgia (1990)

A half English, half French screenwriter visits her parents on the Riviera after her father's heart surgery. Once there, she begins to connect with him in a way she never did before, as each member of the family tries to cope with his imminent death. ...

Pictures of Europe (1990)

What makes European cinema so special? Find out in Paul Joyce's feature-length documentary, Pictures of Europe, which examines the differences between American independent and Hollywood movies and films from European directors. ...

Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie (1988)

Marcel Ophuls' riveting film details the heinous legacy of the Gestapo head dubbed "The Butcher of Lyon." Responsible for over 4,000 deaths in occupied France during World War II, Barbie would escape—with U.S. help—to South America in 1951, where he li ...

Before Midnight (1986)

Filmmaker Jean Achache shot extensively on the set of 'Round Midnight. This documentary presents that material for the first time, including footage of director Bertrand Tavernier, production designer Alexandre Trauner, and other members of the cast and cr ...

A Sunday in the Country (1984)

In France, before WWI. As every Sunday, an old painter living in the country is visited by his son Gonzague, coming with his wife and his three children. Then his daugther Irene arrives. She is always in a hurry, she lives alone and does not come so often. ...

Don't Touch the White Woman! (1974)

A highly stylized surreal farce about the events leading up to Custer's Last Stand anachronistically reenacted in an urban renewal area in modern Paris. ...

The Bakery Girl of Monceau (1963)

Early new wave effort from Rohmer, which was the first of his six moral tales. It concerns a young man who approaches a girl in the street, but after several days without seeing her again, he becomes involved with the girl in the local bakery. Eventually, ...

My Journey Through French Cinema (2016)

Famous French director Tavernier tells us about his fantastic voyage through the cinema of his country. ...

Lumière! (2016)

A collection of restored prints from the Lumière Brothers. ...

The French Minister (2013)

Alexandre Taillard de Vorms is a force to be reckoned with. With his silver mane and tanned, athletic body, he stalks the world stage as Minister of Foreign Affairs for France, waging his own war backed up by the holy trinity of diplomatic concepts: legiti ...

The Princess of Montpensier (2010)

Set in the high courts of 16th Century France, where the wars of religion between Catholics and Protestants are raging. Marie de Mézières, a beautiful young aristocrat, is in love with Henri de Guise, but her hand in marriage is promised to the Prince of ...

In the Electric Mist (2009)

Lt. Dave Robicheaux, a detective in New Iberia, Louisiana, is trying to link the murder of a local hooker to New Orleans mobster Julie (Baby Feet) Balboni, who is co-producer of a Civil War film. At the same time, after Elrod Sykes, the star of the film, r ...

Holy Lola (2004)

The story of a young couple, Pierre and Geraldine, and their desire for a child, which leads them on a journey of initiation to Cambodia. On their difficult and transformative adventure, they must contend with obstructive authorities and the jealousies an ...

Jane Birkin... Mother of All Babes (2003)

A documentary directed by Birkin's friend, who produced the Birkin's Arabesque concert at the Odeon in Paris as well as published a book of photos of Birkin. ...

Safe Conduct (2002)

During the Nazi occupation of France, two filmmakers try to build a career without compromising their ideals. ...

Histoires de vies brisées: les 'double peine' de Lyon (2001)

In December 1997, Bertrand Tavernier supported a group of undocumented migrants in Lyon who went on hunger strike to protest against the double penalty. An agreement was reached, but the strike resumed a few months later, for lack of a real solution. The d ...

My Father Saved My Life (2001)

Novelist and filmmaker Jose Giovanni turned to the remarkable true story of how his father helped him escape a date with the guillotine for this drama, which is based closely on events from his own life. During World War II, Manu (Vincent Lecoeur, as a cha ...

Don't Make Trouble! (2001)

Twelve short stories about racism in every day life. ...

It All Starts Today (1999)

In a mining town which has been blighted by economic downturns, an elementary school headmaster struggles to obtain social services on behalf of his students. ...

The Other Side of the Tracks (1997)

The first part of a documentary made by Bertrand and Nils Tavernier, following a letter judged provocative by the Minister of Integration at the time, who spent several months in the Grands Pêchers housing estate in Montreuil, giving voice to its inhabita ...

Fred (1997)

Fred (Vincent Lindon) is a former crane driver who was a victim of the closure of his factory. He takes care of the little boy of his girlfriend (Clotilde Courau), does the housework and sometimes goes to the job center but boredom is inescapable. One day, ...

Captain Conan (1996)

The last days of World War I, Eastern front. Captain Conan, a lone wolf, a true warrior, leads a band of ruthless French fighters who love hand-to-hand combat; they are not fit for peacetime, they only feel really alive in the chaos of the battlefield. ...

Fresh Bait (1995)

With the ambition to start a boutique overseas but without the means to do so, Nathalie finds herself in a desperate situation, where she would do anything to acquire what she needs. Along with her boyfriend, Eric, and his friend Bruno, she concocts a plan ...

The Troubles We've Seen (1994)

We follow Marcel Ophuls' two journeys to Sarajevo in 1993. He is starting a documentary about war correspondants. But this also becomes a reflexion about truth and life. The form consists in many interviews of mostly French and American journalists and rep ...

D'Artagnan's Daughter (1994)

It is 1654, in the South of France. When horsemen follow a runaway slave into the convent where he's taken sanctuary and kill both the fugitive and the Mother Superior, they little realise that one of the novices is the spirited daughter of retired muskete ...

L.627 (1992)

In Paris, Lulu, a passionate policeman, works with the faith of a rookie, despite the sclerotic bureaucracy and the incompetence or negligence of some of his colleagues. In his new position as a narcotics inspector, he tries to keep his sanity as he witnes ...

The Undeclared War (1992)

Documentary on the French-Algerian conflict 1954-1962 which was never officially called a "war", including interviews with some of the survivors. ...

Lest We Forget (1991)

A compilation of 30 French filmmakers, Alain Resnais and Jean Luc Godard among them, who use film to make a plea on behalf of a political prisoner. Jean Luc Godard and Anne Marie Mieville's film concerns the plight of Thomas Wanggai, West Papuan activist w ...

Daddy Nostalgia (1990)

A half English, half French screenwriter visits her parents on the Riviera after her father's heart surgery. Once there, she begins to connect with him in a way she never did before, as each member of the family tries to cope with his imminent death. ...

Life and Nothing But (1989)

In 1920, Major Dellaplane, a man of honor and ethics, searches for missing French soldiers. He meets Madame Irène de Courtil, a politically connected Parisian, and their paths cross. ...

Beatrice (1987)

Somewhere in France during the Middle Ages. Béatrice is impatient to see her father return from English captivity. She doesn't expect however that the father whom she loves from distance will be the most hateful person who will submit her and her family t ...

'Round Midnight (1986)

Inside the Blue Note nightclub one night in 1959 Paris, an aged, ailing jazzman coaxes an eloquent wail from his tenor sax. Outside, a young Parisian too broke to buy a glass of wine strains to hear those notes. Soon they will form a friendship that sparks ...

Mississippi Blues (1984)

The two directors meander through rural Mississippi in search of the spirit of local music and society. Highlights the heritage of William Faulkner, the role of Black churches, and gospel and blues music. ...

A Sunday in the Country (1984)

In France, before WWI. As every Sunday, an old painter living in the country is visited by his son Gonzague, coming with his wife and his three children. Then his daugther Irene arrives. She is always in a hurry, she lives alone and does not come so often. ...

Coup de Torchon (1981)

A pathetic police chief, humiliated by everyone around him, suddenly wants a clean slate in life, and resorts to drastic means to achieve it. ...

A Week's Vacation (1980)

On the verge of an emotional collapse, schoolteacher Laurence takes a week off from work to figure out her life. She reconnects with friends and family and wrestles with everything from whether she should continue her job to whether she should have a child ...

Death Watch (1980)

In a future world where the disease has been finally defeated and everything can be sold, even the crude spectacle of death, the rare case of a dying woman becomes the morbid theme of a revolutionary reality show, broadcast through the curious eyes of a pe ...

Spoiled Children (1977)

Successful writer/director Bernard Rougerie is at a creative dead end and decides to isolate himself from his wife in order to complete the script for his next film. Bernard moves into an apartment building whose tenants are in the midst of a revolt agains ...

The Question (1977)

1957. For several months, Henri Charlègue, the ex-director of the newspaper "Alger democratic", banned, has been living in hiding. Suspected of belonging to the FLN, he is actively sought by paratroopers. ...

The Judge and the Assassin (1976)

France, 1893. Joseph Bouvier attempts to shoot his love who refused to marry him and to commit suicide. Upon release from the filthy asylum where he was placed, with bullets still remaining in his head, he wanders the country roads and rapes and murders ma ...

Let Joy Reign Supreme (1975)

A look at 18th-century France, when the depravity of the authorities contributed to social oppression, and the uprisings flared up one after another. ...

The Watchmaker of St. Paul (1974)

Lyons, France. Michel Descombes is a watchmaker who lives alone with his teenage son Bernard. When the police visit and informs him that Bernard killed a man and is on the run with a girl, Michel realizes that he knew far less about his son than he thought ...

Paranoia (1969)

Following the death of her wealthy husband, American widow Kathryn West migrates to Italy and takes up a reclusive existence in a luxurious villa. After quickly succumbing to the charms of a local man, she lets him move into the villa and the two are later ...

Guerilla Hellcats (1968)

Under the mundane guise of a public relations firm, Singrid Karaman is actually running an intelligence network. Her new mission is to foil an upcoming coup attempt in the African country of Myassaland, and to recover the large stock of diamonds that have ...

Mexican Slayride (1967)

Secret Agent Francis Coplan, is given the task of finding priceless artwork stolen by the Nazis' in 1943. The trail leads to Mexico, where Coplan challenges a "secret" organization in order to re-gain the paintings. ...

A Matter of Honor (1966)

Efisio Mulas is a meek laborer who lives with occasional work, especially in Don Leandro Sanna's salon, and rounds up the slim balance by betting with colleagues in strength with the game "head against head". In the village the Sanna and Porcu families' co ...

Chance at Love (1964)

Four sketches revolving around the themes of luck and love. ...

Les baisers (1964)

A portmanteau film in which the producer, instead of as usual using already well known directors with a commercial draw, allowed five new young directors to each have a crack at an episode about romance. ...

Contempt (1963)

A philistine in the art film business, Jeremy Prokosch is a producer unhappy with the work of his director. Prokosch has hired Fritz Lang to direct an adaptation of "The Odyssey," but when it seems that the legendary filmmaker is making a picture destined ...

Le Doulos (1962)

Enigmatic gangster Silien may or may not be responsible for informing on Faugel, who was just released from prison and is already involved in what should be a simple heist. By the end of this brutal, twisting, and multilayered policier, who will be left t ...

Léon Morin, Priest (1961)

Barny, although a Marxist, is intrigued by the mysteries of religion. In confession, she teases a priest, Léon Morin, but he is a young and intelligent man and ready to discuss anything. ...