Henri Alekan

Golem: The Petrified Garden (1993)

Danny Cornish, a sort of stateless man who arranges art exhibits, is called from Tel Aviv to Paris with the news that a great uncle has died, in Birobidjan, the autonomous Jewish zone in Russia, leaving him a valuable art collection and the hand of a huge ...

Golem, the Spirit of Exile (1992)

An allegory of the Golem, a Jewish mythical creature personifying displacement and exile, this film tells the story of a woman (similar to the biblical Ruth) and her sisters, who are forced into exile after the death of their husbands. It is set in 1990s P ...

paint'o jazz (1991)

A short film, shot in a long take, interpreted, drawn and directed by Jean-Louis Bompoint, with the precious collaboration of Hélène Bromberg; but especially Henri Alekan, who was the Director of Photography of the film. ...

Cézanne: Conversation with Joachim Gasquet (1990)

A landmark work of symbolistic imagery. The words that the filmmakers speak offscreen are imaginary conversation with Cézanne quoted from a critique by Joachim Gasquet. An exchange of memories spanning over 250 years interweaves everything from the philos ...

J'écris dans l'espace (1989)

Berlin-Jerusalem (1989)

Two interconnected stories in the 1930s, one set in Berlin, the other in Palestine: Mania Vilbouchevich Shohat (1880-1961), called Tania, a Russian Jew and revolutionary, goes from Minsk to Palestine to live on a collective. She promotes feminism and lamen ...

Wings of Desire (1987)

Two angels, Damiel and Cassiel, glide through the streets of Berlin, observing the bustling population, providing invisible rays of hope to the distressed but never interacting with them. When Damiel falls in love with lonely trapeze artist Marion, the ang ...

Esther (1986)

Ahasverus, king of Persia and Media, puts aside Vashti and makes Esther his queen, choosing her among maidens in a kingdom stretching from India to Ethiopia. Esther, using information from Mordecai, her uncle and patron, saves the king from assassination. ...

A Strange Love Affair (1985)

Film professor Michael falls in love with one of his students and is confronted with his pupil's father, with whom he had an affair over 15 years ago. This unexpected meeting abruptly overturns the lives of all the characters. When the tutor decides to und ...

Wundkanal (1984)

An old man is kidnapped. His interrogation uncovers the biography of a mass murderer: The 80 years old man was a SS leader and responsible for the killing of thousands of people in the Soviet Union. He also "invented" an evil technique of eliminating polit ...

Our Nazi (1984)

In Our Nazi, we are plunged into a situation we barely, and only slowly, understand: the filming of Thomas Harlan's experimental feature Wundkanal (1984), in which true-life ex-SS officer Alfred Filbert, now very old, is 'put on trial' for the camera, with ...

A Stone in the Mouth (1983)

A fugitive takes refuge in a manor where a blind retired thespian lives. ...

The Beautiful Prisoner (1983)

Walter is told by his boss, Sara, to deliver an urgent letter to Henri de Corinthe. On the way he finds a beautiful woman he had been eying in a nightclub, lying in the road, bound up. He takes her to a villa to get a doctor, and ends up being locked in a ...

En rachâchant (1982)

The child Ernesto doesn't want to go to school any more because, as he says, all he is taught there is things he doesn't know. ...

The Trout (1982)

The sexual and social dysfunctional behaviour of the corporate elite are further aggravated when a naive married woman becomes the obsession of two wealthy suitors. ...

The State of Things (1982)

On location in Portugal, a film crew runs out of film while making their own version of Roger Corman's The Day the World Ended (1956). The producer is nowhere to be found and director Munro attempts to find him in hopes of being able to finish the film. ...

On Top of the Whale (1982)

A parody of anthropology, linguistics, and cultural imperialism. The film follows an unlikely team of linguists into the wilds of an ersatz Patagonia to study the last speakers of a dying language. That language apparently consists of a single word, which ...

The Territory (1981)

A small group of well-to-do vacationers go on a hiking trip into the woods just to find themselves mysteriously lost. ...

La Dame de Monte-Carlo (1979)

On the banks of the Seine and in the metro, Édith Stockhausen performs a poem by Jean Cocteau. ...

The Divisions of Nature (1978)

Ruiz on the film: "Les Divisions is a documentary about the Château de Chambord and the title comes from the Divisione of Johannes Scotus (Erigena), the ninth century Irish philosopher (who was a 'realist', although the film is more 'nominalist' in charac ...

Gun Moll (1975)

A happy-go-lucky prostitute gets mixed up with the Mafia. ...

Red Sun (1971)

In 1870, Japanese ambassador Sakaguchi and his entourage travel by train to Washington to deliver a valuable sword to the President of the United States, a gift from the Emperor of Japan. ...

Figures in a Landscape (1970)

Two escaped convicts are on the run in an unnamed Latin American country. But everywhere they go, they are followed and hounded by a menacing black helicopter. ...

Fun and Games for Everyone (1969)

"FUN AND GAMES (FOR EVERYONE): a pitch black and milky white film shot during one of Olivier Mosset's exhibition openings. A psychedelic game of improvisation joins the Zanzibar group with Salvador Dalí, Barbet Schroeder and Jean Mascolo... the solarized ...

The Christmas Tree (1969)

A French-American millionaire, his girlfriend and his war buddy try to grant his dying son's every wish. ...

Ici et maintenant (1969)

Maddening and mysterious,with the elements—ocean, wind, rocky terrain—dominating the scenes. ...

Mayerling (1968)

Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria clashes with his father, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, over implementing progressive policies for their country. Rudolf soon feels he is a man born at the wrong time in a country that doesn't realize the need for social ...

Triple Cross (1966)

Safecracker Eddie Chapman is languishing in prison on the island of Jersey when the Nazis arrive. An adept manipulator of situations, Chapman convinces the Germans to use him to spy on the British. And when the would-be traitor arrives home, he convinces t ...

The Poppy Is Also a Flower (1966)

A special United Nations bureau organises a campaign to trace a drug-smuggling ring across Europe to its source on the Afghanistan-Iran border. ...

Lady L (1965)

Lady L is an elegant 80-year-old woman who recalls her amorous life story, including past loves and lusty, scandalous adventures she has lived through. ...

Topkapi (1964)

Arthur Simon Simpson is a small-time crook biding his time in Greece. One of his potential victims turns out to be a gentleman thief planning to steal the emerald-encrusted dagger of the Mehmed II from Istanbul's Topkapi Museum. ...

The Story of Rebecca (1964)

An adaptation of Jan Potocki's The Manuscript Found in Saragossa. ...

The Other Christopher (1963)

The dictator Anastasio rules with an iron fist backed by business-men making deals and speeches about building canals, completely disconnected from the chaos amongst the population. Anastasio is rumored to have died after an incident with a mirror and a vi ...

Five Miles to Midnight (1962)

American ex-Air Force man and current businessman Bob Macklin is married to the impoverished Italian-born Lisa. Bob's jealousy and immaturity irks Lisa, who tells him she's planning to file for a divorce before his plane departs on a business trip for Casa ...

Black Tights (1961)

Lively scenes of Paris, all narrated by Maurice Chevalier, link together four dramatic ballet choreographies by Roland Petit: La Croqueuse de diamants (The Gold Digger), Cyrano de Bergerac, Deuil en 24 heures (A Merry Mourning), and Carmen. ...

The Battle of Austerlitz (1960)

Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself emperor and fights the English, Austrians and Russians in 1802. ...

The Great Deception (1959)

Burgundy 1728. Old count Antoine d'Eon is overjoyed. His daughter-in-law has finally given birth to a boy and he will at long last be able to transmit his inheritance to his son Pascal. At least this is what he thinks, for Pascal has concealed from his fat ...

Twelve Hours by the Clock (1959)

Three criminals escape from a French prison and hide in a coastal village where they have to wait for 12 hours until the boat that is supposed to take them to freedom arrives. ...

Rodin's Hell (1959)

The work of Rodin imagined in the form of a ballet. It is the journey of man in his life, in his loves, until his death. In the second part, it is the fall to hell as Rodin carved it in his "Door of Hell". ...

The Magic of the Kite (1958)

Come fly with Peter and Nicole and the Chinese wizard on an exciting adventure to the ends of the earth. ...

Would-Be Gentleman (1958)

M. Jourdain is a cloth merchant who wants to become a gentleman, learning dance, music, fencing and philosophy. Mme Jourdain is worried about Dorante's expenses and prefers her daughter Lucile to marry Cléonte. The two young men's servants use subterfuge ...

Paris Casino (1957)

Catherine Miller's triumph at the Casino de Paris leads fashionable playwright Alexandre Gordi to ask her to create his next play. Flattered, Catherine moves into Gordi's villa near Cannes, escorted by her entire family. Only Jacques Merval, Gordi's secret ...

The Case of Dr. Laurent (1957)

A Paris-based doctor tries to spread the gospel of Natural Childbirth. Working in a cloistered rural community, Gabin runs up against the stone walls of fear and prejudice. His theories are proven sound when unwed mother Nicole Courcel gives birth within G ...

Typhoon Over Nagasaki (1957)

Pierre Marsac, a French engineer working for the Nagasaki shipbuilding yards, has fallen in love both with Japan and a charming Japanese girl named Noriko. But Françoise Fabre, a French journalist and Pierre's former lover, contacts him while visiting the ...

The Best Part (1955)

Philippe Perrin, a young engineer passionate about his work, leads the construction of a huge dam in the High Alps. Like all the men who work on the building site, he gives the best part of himself. Unfortunately, his health deteriorates but he refuses to ...

Heroes and Sinners (1955)

A good cast smooths over the rough spots of Les Heros sont Fatigues. The scene is the African republic of Liberia, which in this film proves to be a stopping-off point for a number of shady characters. Yves Montand plays a French ex-pilot who becomes invol ...

Frou-Frou (1955)

A story of the love of Frou-Frou - an actress and singer in the in the beginning of her career. ...

Queen Margot (1954)

Marguerite de Valois, daughter of Catherine de Médicis, celebrates her wedding with Henri de Navarre. Officially, it's a rapprochement between the League and the Huguenots. In fact, it was an opportunity to bring all the Huguenots to Paris and kill them a ...

The Impure Ones (1954)

When Mario, a bad boy, is released from prison, he plans to live honestly with his wife Geneviève. But the latter has not waited for him and Mario, out of spite, accepts to work as a tout for Mr. Charlie, the boss of a white slave trade gang. His first as ...

Roman Holiday (1953)

Overwhelmed by her suffocating schedule, touring European princess Ann takes off for a night while in Rome. When a sedative she took from her doctor kicks in, however, she falls asleep on a park bench and is found by an American reporter, Joe Bradley, who ...

When You Read This Letter (1953)

After a novice nun learns of the sudden death of her parents, she leaves the convent to manage the family business and look after her teenage sister. Both of them fall prey to a womanizing mechanic with psychopathic tendencies. ...

Julietta (1953)

Julietta Valendor is in love with lawyer André Landrecourt. He is unaware of her feelings. He puts her up one day when he has his fiancée, Rosie, staying with him... Based on a novel of Louise de Vilmorin. ...

Forbidden Fruit (1952)

A doctor, leading an agreed life of the provincial petty bourgeoisie, falls in love with a young woman. As their relationship deepens, he becomes violently jealous and blames her for her dating and friendships. ...

Three Women (1952)

The short stories of Guy de Maupassant enjoyed a renaissance in the early 1950s, thanks in great part to the Max Ophuls production Le Plaisir. In Trois Femmes, three De Maupassant stories are dramatized, each conveying the central theme of women falling in ...

Stranger on the Prowl (1952)

A down-and-out crook on the lam befriends a young street urchin, in an Italian port city. At first amused that the boy is a sneak thief, he tries to deflects the kid from a life of crime. Tipped off by a woman anxious to collect the reward for him (who is ...

Paris Is Always Paris (1951)

A group of Italian soccer fans arrive in Paris for a match, but most of them go their separate ways to explore the sights, have a bit of an adventure, and maybe even find some romance. ...

Trip to America (1951)

As part of the fascination in post World War II France with American culture, a young French couple here travel to the US to see for themselves the prosperity they have heard about. ...

Juliette, or Key of Dreams (1951)

Michel has stolen from his employer, Mr Bellanger, for the love of Juliette. He is now in jail. One night, while sleeping in his cell, he wakes up all of a sudden, the gates open and he finds himself in a strange village where all the inhabitants have lost ...

Just Me (1950)

Maurice Vallier, nicknamed "Ma Pomme"(which means "myself" in slang), is a cheerful man, well aware that money does not make happiness and who, of all things, prices freedom. Which is why he has become a tramp and he has never regretted his choice of life. ...

Marie of the Port (1950)

Henri Chatelard is well into his forties, owns a restaurant and a cinema in the city, and appreciates women. When he meets Marie, an 18-ish strong-head who just lost her father in a small fishing village, it is not clear who is the hunter and who is the pr ...

The Lovers of Verona (1949)

Angelo, a glass-blower from Murano, and Georgia Maglia, the pretty daughter of a fallen fascist magistrate, are chosen to be the stand-ins for the stars of a film version of "Romeo and Juliet" being shot on location in Venice and Verona. It is not long bef ...

Such a Pretty Little Beach (1949)

During the cold and rainy off-season a man arrives in a seaside town and, giving his name only as Pierre, checks into the only hotel which remains open. His arrival arouses curiosity and a degree of suspicion, as people note that he appears to know the are ...

Anna Karenina (1948)

In Imperial Russia, Anna, wife of the officer Karenin, goes to Moscow to visit her brother. On the way, she meets charming cavalry officer Vronsky, to whom she's immediately attracted. But in St. Petersburg's high society, a relationship like this could de ...

Woman of Evil (1947)

Laurent meets Louvaine and brings her back to his island. ...

The Damned (1947)

A group of Nazis and sympathizers board a submarine bound for South America in the hopes of finding shelter. ...

Beauty and the Beast (1946)

The story of a gentle-hearted beast in love with a simple and beautiful girl. She is drawn to the repellent but strangely fascinating Beast, who tests her fidelity by giving her a key, telling her that if she doesn't return it to him by a specific time, he ...

The Battle of the Rails (1946)

A dramatized account of the French Resistance, this wartime film depicts how railway workers sabotaged German trains to disrupt troop movements and supply lines during the Nazi occupation. Blending documentary realism with fiction, it pays tribute to the c ...

The Little Ones of the Flower Platform (1944)

A brave bookseller raises his four daughters alone, all of whom he employs in his shop. They are especially interested in their sentimental stories. Rosine, the youngest, falls in love with Francis, fiancé of Edith, the eldest. But Francis pushes her away ...

Les Chevaux du Vercors (1943)

Blind Venus (1941)

Vénus aveugle (Blind Venus) is a 1941 French film melodrama, directed by Abel Gance, and one of the first films to be undertaken in France during the German occupation. Although the film is not set in any specified period, Gance wanted it to be seen as re ...

The Musicians of the Sky (1940)

A would be blind hoodlum redeems himself in the Salvation Army just for a lovely lieutenant. ...

The Shanghai Drama (1938)

A Russian emigrant sings in a Shanghai nightclub under the assumed name of Kay Murphy. All she dreams of is a peaceful life with her daughter Vera. But this is only a pipe dream as she has been forced by her former lover Ivan to work for a secret criminal ...

Port of Shadows (1938)

Down a foggy, desolate road to the port city of Le Havre travels Jean, an army deserter looking for another chance to make good on life. Fate, however, has a different plan for him, as acts of both revenge and kindness render him front-page news. ...

Hatred (1938)

Captain Justin Mollenard works for a company that sells armaments to the Far East. After an eventful stay in Shanghai, where he and his cargo are the victim of a malicious attack, he returns to his hometown of Dunkirk. Mollenard receives a frosty welcome f ...

La Danseuse rouge (1937)

Tania, a young girl from Central Europe, leaves her home because of her abusive father. Trained, in spite of herself, in the nets of the secret services, she becomes a renowned dancer who travels the major capitals, in search of military information. In 19 ...

Street of Shadows (1937)

A slippery femme fatale, a spy for Germany during the Great War, is sent to Thessaloniki in Greece and becomes involved with a man on the other side, a French military officer. ...

Life Is Ours (1936)

A propaganda film of the communist party of France, showing how the comrades help the proletariat against the capitalists. ...

Fanny (1932)

Soon after Marius's departure, Fanny learns that she is pregnant with his child, to the disappointment of her mother and of Marius's father, César. To secure a better life for her unborn child, she accepts a marriage proposal from the aging widower Honorà ...

Jean Cocteau, cinéaste (2001)

Jean Cocteau: Lies and Truths (1997)

This documentary consists mainly of archive interviews of Jean Cocteau, and it features interesting contributions by Jean Marais and especially Jean-Luc Godard, who discusses Cocteau's foray into cinema. The film documents all the artistic media explored b ...

Screening at the Majestic (1997)

More than fifty years after its making, we return to the set of Jean Cocteau's 1946 film "La Belle et la Bete" (Beauty and the Beast). Included are interviews with the the lead actors, the cinematographer, along with excerpts read from the director's journ ...

Le travail d'un cinéaste : Julien Duvivier, 1896-1967 (1996)

Carné, You Said Carné? (1994)

A primer on French film director Marcel Carne's career through interviews with critics and close creative collaborators. ...

Faraway, So Close! (1993)

A group of angels look longingly upon the life of humans. Berlin now is a very different place: unified in name but overrun with crime, corruption, and—in what turns out to be a key theme here—Americans. ...

The Other Eye (1991)

This film essay explores the strange case of G.W. Pabst, the Austrian filmmaker who was considered a giant of early cinema before his reputation went behind a cloud. ...

Max Ophüls - Den schönen guten Waren (1990)

Employees remember the director Max Ophüls, who was forced to emigrate in 1933 - his fifth film "Liebelei" was a great success in cinemas. After an odyssey through France, Italy, the Netherlands and the USA, he returned to work in France and Germany in th ...

Alekan, la lumière (1988)

An episode of the show "Océaniques " about the craft and lighting techniques of the legendary French cinematographer Henri Alekan ...

7 False Connections (1984)

Short film showing cinematographer Henri Alekan, director Raúl Ruiz and actress Olimpia Carlisi at work creating sublime visual effects of the sort seen in City of Pirates. ...

Cinématon XXXIV (1984)

Reel 34 of Gérard Courant's on-going Cinematon series. ...

Cinématon n°330 : Henri Alekan (1984)

Our Nazi (1984)

In Our Nazi, we are plunged into a situation we barely, and only slowly, understand: the filming of Thomas Harlan's experimental feature Wundkanal (1984), in which true-life ex-SS officer Alfred Filbert, now very old, is 'put on trial' for the camera, with ...

Stranger on the Prowl (1952)

A down-and-out crook on the lam befriends a young street urchin, in an Italian port city. At first amused that the boy is a sneak thief, he tries to deflects the kid from a life of crime. Tipped off by a woman anxious to collect the reward for him (who is ...