Christian Matras

Director Of Photography

About

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Birth Place

France

Born

December 29, 1903

Biography

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Began his career as a newsreel cameraman and went on to shoot several French classics of the 1930s, including Renoir's "Grand Illusion" (1937). Matras was responsible for the critically celebrated, virtuosic camera movements of Max Ophuls' "La Ronde" (1950), "Le Plaisir" (1951), and "Madame de..." (1953) and added sumptuous color to his gliding camerawork on Ophuls' "Lola Montes" (1955)....

Filmography

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Montparnasse 19 (1993)

Director Of Photography

Pas Folle la Guepe (1972)

Director Of Photography

Varietes (1971)

Cinematographer

The Milky Way (1969)

Director of Photography

Birds in Peru (1968)

Photographer Director

The Desperate Ones (1968)

Director of Photography

Photos & Videos

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Olivia (1951) -- (Movie Clip) Before The Tragedy

Paris Blues (1961) -- (Movie Clip) Open, Take The A Train

Biography

Began his career as a newsreel cameraman and went on to shoot several French classics of the 1930s, including Renoir's "Grand Illusion" (1937). Matras was responsible for the critically celebrated, virtuosic camera movements of Max Ophuls' "La Ronde" (1950), "Le Plaisir" (1951), and "Madame de..." (1953) and added sumptuous color to his gliding camerawork on Ophuls' "Lola Montes" (1955). He also directed two short films, "De Babord a Tribord" (1926) and "Cent sous en balade" (1931).

Filmography

Cinematography (Feature Film)

Montparnasse 19 (1993)

Director Of Photography

Pas Folle la Guepe (1972)

Director Of Photography

Varietes (1971)

Cinematographer

The Milky Way (1969)

Director of Photography

Birds in Peru (1968)

Photographer Director

The Desperate Ones (1968)

Director of Photography

This Special Friendship (1967)

Director of Photography

Woman Times Seven (1967)

Director of Photography

Scheherazade (1965)

Director of Photography

The Lace Wars (1965)

Director Of Photography

Cartouche (1964)

Director of Photography

Thérèse (1963)

Director of Photography

Double Deception (1963)

Director of Photography

The French Game (1963)

Director of Photography

Crime Does Not Pay (1962)

Director of Photography

Director of Photography

Modigliani of Montparnasse (1961)

Director of Photography

Paris Blues (1961)

Le Chemin des ecoliers (1959)

Cinematographer

The Mirror Has Two Faces (1959)

Director Of Photography

La Bete a l'affut (1959)

Cinematographer

Beauty Up His Sleeve (1958)

Director Of Photography

Pourquoi viens-tu si tard? (1958)

Cinematographer

Director Of Photography

The Spies (1957)

Director Of Photography

The French They Are a Funny Race (1956)

Director Of Photography (Martine Carol Sequences)

Aventures de Till l'Espiegel, Les (1956)

Cinematographer

Lola Montes (1955)

Director Of Photography

The Earrings of Madame De... (1954)

Director Of Photography

Daughters of Destiny (1954)

Director Of Photography

Madame du Barry (1954)

Director Of Photography

Lucrece Borgia (1953)

Cinematographer

Adorable Creatures (1952)

Cinematographer

Fan-Fan the Tulip (1952)

Director Of Photography

Le Plaisir (1952)

Director Of Photography

La Ronde (1950)

Cinematographer

Film Production - Main (Feature Film)

The Eagle Has Two Heads (1948)

Jeux sont faits, Les (1947)

La Fin du Jour (1939)

Cafe De Paris (1938)

Grand Illusion (1937)

Le Chanteur de minuit (1937)

Mutines de l'Elseneur, Les (1936)

L' Argent (1936)

Reprouves, Les (1936)

La Marmaille (1935)

Maternite (1934)

La Paquebot 'Tenacity' (1934)

Life Events

1925

Entered film industry as assistant to brother, who was supervisor of a special effects studio

1926

Short film directing debut (also cinematographer; editor), "Da Babord a Tribord"; only other film as director (co with Emile Monniot), the short "Cent sous en balade" (1931)

1926

Newsreel cameraman for weekly "Eclair Journal"

1927

Worked as camera assistant on Jean Gremillon's "Maldone"

1932

First feature as director of photography, L'or des mers" (dir. Epstein)

Videos

Olivia (1951) -- (Movie Clip) Before The Tragedy After a prologue from the novel by Dorothy Bussy, we meet the English title character, Marie-Claire Olivia, riding with Victoire (Yvonne de Bray), the cook at the provincial French finishing school, referring to a troubled history, and meeting the headmistress Miss Julie (Edwige Feuillère), from director Jacqueline Audry's provocative Olivia, 1951.

Paris Blues (1961) -- (Movie Clip) Open, Take The A Train "Take The A Train" is the number with Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier pretending to play in the opening to the pretty-much all Duke Ellington jazz movie Paris Blues, 1961, directed by Martin Ritt, also starring Joanne Woodward and Diahann Carroll.

Paris Blues (1961) -- (Movie Clip) Mood Indigo Eddie (Sidney Poitier) conducts Lillian (Joanne Woodward) and Connie (Diahann Carroll) into "Marie's Cave" where band-mate Ram (Paul Newman) sets the hook with Ellington's "Mood Indigo" in Paris Blues, 1961.

Paris Blues (1961) -- (Movie Clip) Where's The Gypsy? American jazz-men Eddie (Sidney Poitier) and Ram (Paul Newman) with three French notables, actor-director Roger Blin as "the Gypsy," a guitar player probably derived from Django Reinhardt, rising star Françoise Brion as his girlfriend and legendary actress Hélène Dieudonne as a pusher, from Paris Blues, 1961.

Paris Blues (1961) -- (Movie Clip) Wild Man Moore Jazz ex-pat Ram (Paul Newman) arrives to meet "Wild Man Moore" (Louis Armstrong) at the train and is pleased to encounter tourists Connie (Diahann Carroll) and Lillian (Joanne Woodward) in Martin Ritt's Paris Blues, 1961.

Lola Montes (1955) -- (Movie Clip) Femme Fatale Wild spectacle with Peter Ustinov (as "Circus Master") in perfect French, introducing the central motif and the title character (Martine Carol), opening Max Ophuls' Lola Montes, 1955.

Grand Illusion (1937) -- (Movie Clip) All Your Old French Stock Observing drills in the courtyard, dividing up care packages, French POW's Rosenthal (Marcel Dalio), de Boldieu (Pierre Fresnay), Marechal (Jean Gabin) et al reflecting on their circumstances, a famous scene from Jean Renoir's Grand Illusion, 1937.

Grand Illusion (1937) -- (Movie Clip) May The Earth Lie Gently Second scene, German Captain Von Rauffenstein (Erich von Stroheim) returns from a sortie, announcing he expects French officers de Boldieu (Pierre Fresnay) and Marechal (Jean Gabin), introduced in the first scene, to arrive, in Jean Renoir's Grand Illusion, 1937.

Grand Illusion (1937) -- (Movie Clip) A Real Girl! Dumping dirt from their tunnel diggings, French POW officer de Boldieu (Pierre Fresnay) and Marechal (Jean Gabin), who joins fellow non-comms enjoying the womens' clothing provided for their theatrical project, in Jean Renoir's Grand Illusion, 1937.

Le Plaisir (a.k.a. House Of Pleasure) -- (Movie Clip) A Kind Of Aristocracy From the beginning of the second and longest segment of the film, introducing Rosa (Danielle Darrieux) and colleagues at the brothel, in Marcel Ophuls' Le Plaisir, (a.k.a. House Of Pleasure) 1952.

Le Plaisir (a.k.a. House Of Pleasure) -- (Movie Clip) And Above All, Girls After the prologue, the opening in the voice of author Guy de Maupassant, in the first segment, with incredible shots, from director Max Ophuls' Le Plaisir, (a.k.a. House Of Pleasure) 1952.

La Ronde (1950) -- (Movie Clip) Lads Like You Streetwalker Leocadie (Simone Signoret) waylays soldier Franz (Serge Reggiani), in the first dramatic scene from director Max Ophuls' La Ronde, 1950, from a play by Arthur Schnitzler.

Paris Blues - (Original Trailer) Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier play two jazz musicians blowing cool on the Left Bank in Martin Ritt's Paris Blues (1961).

Bibliography

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