Jean-paul Rappeneau


Director, Screenwriter

About

Birth Place
France
Born
April 08, 1932

Biography

Celebrated French director and screenwriter who has been known to take five years or more in between projects and who, while being a national treasure in his native land, does not seem concerned that directors less acclaimed in France have a greater international profile. Jean-Paul Rappeneau began to be a name dropped by cineastes in the U.S. only after his heralded adaptation of de Rost...

Family & Companions

Claude-Lise Cornely
Wife
Married in 1971.

Notes

"I need to invest myself completely in a project. To really find something that will create my passion for the next three years. I can only start shooting when my life depends on it." --Jean-Paul Rappeneau in Empire February 1996.

Biography

Celebrated French director and screenwriter who has been known to take five years or more in between projects and who, while being a national treasure in his native land, does not seem concerned that directors less acclaimed in France have a greater international profile. Jean-Paul Rappeneau began to be a name dropped by cineastes in the U.S. only after his heralded adaptation of de Rostand's "Cyrano de Bergerac" (1990), and his "The Horseman on the Roof" (1995), which told of heroics during a cholera epidemic. Although he directed a few short films in the late 1950s, Rappeneau broke into motion picture work as Louis Malle's screenplay collaborator on "Zazie/Zazie in the Underground" (1960), an adaptation of a tale about an 11-year old who goes to Paris to visit with her female impersonator uncle and desperately wants a chance to ride le Metro. Rappeneau again collaborated with Malle on "La Vie privee/A Very Private Affair" (1961), about an actress having an affair with her best friend's husband. With Ariane Mnouchkine, Daniel Boulanger, and Phillipe de Broca, Rappeneau co-wrote the James Bond spoof "That Man From Rio" (1964), which earned an Academy Award nomination for best original screenplay. Directing began in 1967 with "La Vie de chateau/A Matter of Resistance," which Rappeneau also wrote with Daniel Boulanger, Alain Cavalier, and Claude Sautet. It was the story of a bored housewife who welcomes the German soldiers into her Normandy town prior to D-Day. The film starred Catherine Deneuve, as did "Lovers Like Us" (1975), in which she was teamed with Yves Montand in a globe-trotting screwball comedy. His 1990 "Cyrano" is considered by some critics to be the definitive screen version of the classic play. Starring Gerard Depardieu, Rappeneau took some unlikely chances, such as staging the key balcony scene in a light rain. Rappeneau also wrote the screenplay with Jean-Claude Carriere.

Life Events

1958

Directed short film, "La Maison dur la place"

1960

First screenwriting credit, "Zazie"

1964

Received Academy Award nomination for co-writing "L'Homme de Rio/That Man From Rio"

1967

Made feature directorial debut with "La Vie de chateau/A Matter of Resistance"

1990

Adapted and directed a celebrated version of "Cyrano de Bergerac", starring Gerard Depardieu

1995

Directed the period epic "The Horseman on the Roof", starring Juliette Binoche

Videos

Movie Clip

That Man From Rio (1964) -- (Movie Clip) A Week's Leave Chomping baguettes and cheese, cloaks but no daggers, director Philippe De Broca introduces his leading man Jean-Paul Belmondo, the famous Musee de l’Homme in Paris, an unknown thief and Francoise Dorleac as Agnes, opening the international hit That Man From Rio, 1964.
That Man From Rio (1964) -- (Movie Clip) Stop Shaking Me! Intrepid on-leave airman Adrien (Jean-Paul Belmondo) has followed his kidnapped and drugged archeologist girl Agnes (Francoise Dorleac) from Paris to Rio, improvising to rescue her from maybe cultish thugs, in Philippe De Broca’s That Man From Rio, 1964.
That Man From Rio (1964) -- (Movie Clip) This Is The Police! Museum curator Agnes (Francoise Dorleac) commiserates and flirts with her late father’s colleague (Jean Servais) over a stolen statue, who is kidnapped, and her on-leave pilot beau Adrien (Jean-Paul Belmondo) catches up in time for the police interview, in That Man From Rio, 1964.
That Man From Rio (1964) -- (Movie Clip) Pink With Small Green Stars Discouraged because his girl Agnes (Francois Dorleac), whom he rescued from kidnappers, seems more interested in a Samba in a Rio favela with their sidekick (Ubiracy de Oliveira), Frenchman Adrien (Jean-Paul Belmondo) comes around when she realizes he’s found a clue, in That Man From Rio, 1964.
Zazie Dans Le Metro (1960) -- (Movie Clip) I'll Make Their Lives Hell Arrived in Paris, at the apartments of Uncle Gabriel (Philippe Noiret), the title character (Catherine Demongeot) meets the landlord (Hubert Deschamps) and Mado (Annie Fratellini) and Albertine (Carla Marlier), director Louis Malle borrowing New Wave tricks, in Zazie Dans Le Metro, 1960.
Zazie Dans Le Metro (1960) -- (Movie Clip) Are You A Hormosessual? From director Louis Malle’s Eiffel Tower sequence, the title character (Catherine Demongeot), visiting Paris, is more pursued than accompanied by Uncle Gabriel (Philippe Noiret) and their cabbie pal Charles (Antoine Robiot), with deliberate jokes in the subtitles, in Zazie Dans Le Metro, 1960.
Zazie Dans Le Metro (1960) -- (Movie Clip) You Smell Funny Louis Malle’s opening, chat about body odor in the Gare de l’Est, from Philippe Noiret as Parisian Uncle Gabriel, meeting the title character (Catherine Demongeot) and her mother (Odette Picquet), in the director’s comical raid on his New Wave contemporaries, Zadie Dans Le Metro, 1960.
Zazie Dans Le Metro (1960) -- (Movie Clip) Mussels And Fries The title character (Catherine Demongeot) has slipped her minders on her Paris visit but is being pursued by Trouscallion (Vittorio Caprioli), whom we will learn is a policeman, and imparts a tale that drew some commentary at the time, in Louis Malle’s nutty Zazie Dans Le Metro, 1960.
Le Sauvage (1975) -- (Movie Clip) I Don't Make The Laws Caracas Italian gangster Vittorio (Luigi Vanucchi) enters the night club where his runaway girlfriend Nelly (Catherine Deneuve) has come to ask ex-boss Alex (Tony Roberts, with flawless French), for cash, in Jean-Paul Rappeneau's Le Sauvage, 1975, co-starring Yves Montand.
Le Sauvage (1975) -- (Movie Clip) Are You French? French Nelly (Catherine Deneuve) in a Caracas hotel having sneaked out of her gangster boyfriend's bed, panics when he (Luigi Vanucchi) shows up and in chasing her, involves the French guy staying next door (Yves Montand), early in Jean-Paul Rappeneau's crime-comedy Le Sauvage, 1975.
Le Sauvage (1975) -- (Movie Clip) It's Got Emotional Value Martin (Yves Montand) floats back to the island off Venezuela where he makes perfume and finds Nelly (Catherine Deneuve), the runaway gang moll whom he just rescued with a plane ticket to Paris, waiting, with her stolen Tolouse-Lautrec, in Jean-Paul Rappeneau's comical Le Sauvage, 1975.
Cyrano De Bergerac (1990) -- (Movie Clip) My Nose Is Enormous! Having cleared the theater, Gerard Depardieu (title character) discusses his nose with a manager (Pierre Triboulet) then delivers his famous tirade to Valvert (Philippe Volter), early in Cyrano De Bergerac, 1990.

Family

Jean Rappeneau
Father
Anne-Marie Rappeneau
Mother
Julien Rappeneau
Son
Screenwriter.

Companions

Claude-Lise Cornely
Wife
Married in 1971.

Bibliography

Notes

"I need to invest myself completely in a project. To really find something that will create my passion for the next three years. I can only start shooting when my life depends on it." --Jean-Paul Rappeneau in Empire February 1996.