Julien Duvivier, maker of French classics

Duvivier left a strong and lasting mark on French cinema between 1930 and 1960 and the Festival will screen a restored version of his classic Escape from Yesterday (La Bandera, 1935).  Among his most original films were Pépé le Moko (1937), Panic (Panique, 1937) and Deadlier Than the Male (Voici le temps des assassins, 1956).

Born in Lille in 1896, he started out in films at Gaumont in 1918 as a scriptwriter and assistant to André Antoine, Louis Feuillade and Marcel L'Herbier.  He made his first film, Haceldama ou le prix du sang, a year later.

He was at his peak in the 1930s and was hired by the Film d'Art production company founded by Marcel Vandal and Charles Delac.  He stayed nine years.  His first success was David Golder (1930), the first talkie for him, and for the star, Harry Baur.

He first worked with Jean Gabin in 1934, directing him in Maria Chapdelaine.  For Escape from Yesterday, he hired as scriptwriter Charles Spaak, who had worked until then with Feyder, Grémillon, Allégret and L'Herbier.  They collaborated often from then on.

In 1936, he made the great classic They Were Five (La Belle Équipe) with Gabin and Charles Vanel.  The original ending was considered too gloomy so a more cheerful one was filmed.  Both versions still exist.

Three films followed – The Man of the Hour (L'Homme du jour, 1936), Pépé le Moko and Life Dances On (Carnet de bal, 1937).  The gangster film Pépé le Moko made Gabin an international star.

See biography

Duvivier;  and with Jean-Pierre Léaud during the shooting of Boulevard (1960)

© DR / Coll. Institut Lumière