Éric Gautier Explained

Éric Gautier
Birth Date:2 April 1961
Birth Place:Paris, France
Nationality:French
Occupation:Cinematographer
Yearsactive:1982–present

Éric Gautier (born 2 April 1961) is a French cinematographer. He has received numerous accolades for his work, including a César Award for Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train and an Independent Spirit Award for The Motorcycle Diaries.

Early life

Gautier was born and raised in Paris; he grew up in its eleventh, twelfth, nineteenth and twentieth arrondissements with his construction engineer father, mother, and younger sister.[1] During his youth he excelled in music, and from the age of eleven played the piano and organ. He originally aspired to become a professional musician before becoming disillusioned with the field and deciding to pursue a career in cinema instead, which he felt combined many different creative pursuits. He attended the film school of the Louis Lumière College.[2]

Career

After graduating from the in 1982, Gautier began work as an assistant camera operator director on Alain Resnais's film Life Is a Bed of Roses.[1] He left the job soon after, however, and chose instead to work as the director of photography on short films. He shot 60 films before returning to feature film work.[3] The first feature-length film he photographed was La Vie des morts, released in 1991 and directed by Arnaud Desplechin.[1] He won a César Award for his cinematography on Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train (1998), and received nominations for his work on Sentimental Destinies (2000), Clean (2004), Gabrielle (2005), Private Fears in Public Places (2006), and A Christmas Tale (2008).[4] He has worked on many other French films, collaborating most often with Resnais and the directors Olivier Assayas, Arnaud Desplechin, and Claude Berri.[4]

Gautier began working in the international film in the early 2000s, beginning with The Motorcycle Diaries, for which he won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography and the 2004 Cannes Film Festival Technical Grand Prize, and was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography.[4] After seeing The Motorcycle Diaries, American actor/filmmaker Sean Penn approached Gautier to shoot the 2007 film Into the Wild,[3] for which he won a Lumière Award.[4] He subsequently served as director of photography on the American films Taking Woodstock (2009) and Grace of Monaco (2014).[1]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleDirectorNote
1991La Vie des mortsArnaud Desplechin
1994The Favourite SonNicole Garcia
1995One Hundred and One NightsAgnès Varda
1996Irma VepOlivier Assayas
1996Tykho MoonEnki Bilal
1998Those Who Love Me Can Take the TrainPatrice ChéreauCésar Award for Best Cinematography
1999Pola XLeos Carax
2000Esther KahnArnaud Desplechin
2001IntimacyPatrice Chéreau
2001Brief CrossingCatherine Breillat
2001Savage SoulsRaúl Ruiz
2003His BrotherPatrice Chéreau
2004The Motorcycle DiariesWalter Salles
2004CleanOlivier Assayas
2004Kings and Queen Arnaud Desplechin
2006Paris, Je T’AimeWalter Salles and Daniela Thomas; Olivier AssayasSegments, "Loin du 16ème", "Quartier des Enfants Rouges"
2006NoiseOlivier AssayasDocumentary
2006A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints Dito Montiel
2006Quelques veuves de NoirmoutierAgnès VardaDocumentary
2006Alain Resnais
2007Into the WildSean Penn
2008Summer HoursOlivier Assayas
2008A Christmas TaleArnaud Desplechin
2009Wild GrassAlain Resnais
2009Taking WoodstockAng Lee
2010MiralJulian Schnabel
2012On the RoadWalter Salles
2012You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet Alain Resnais
2012Something in the AirOlivier Assayas
2014Grace of MonacoOlivier Dahan
2015Hitchcock/TruffautKent JonesCo-cinematographer with five others
2015AlohaCameron Crowe
2015Rabin, the Last DayAmos GitaiDocudrama
2017The Elephant and the ButterflyAmélie van Elmbt
2017The MercyJames Marsh
2018The ApparitionXavier Giannoli
2018Ash is Purest WhiteJia Zhangke
2018A Tramway in JerusalemAmos Gitai
2019The TruthHirokazu Koreeda
2022Both Sides of the BladeClaire Denis
Stars at NoonClaire Denis

Short films

YearTitleDirectorNote
1997Sans TitreLeos Carax
2014Incident UrbainJohn Lalor

Television

YearTitleDirectorNote
1994Personne ne m'aimeMarion VernouxTelevision film
1994Travolta and MePatricia MazuyTelevision filmPart of the "All the Boys and Girls of Their Age" anthology[5]

Personal life

Gautier was married until 1995, when his wife Valentine died from cancer at the age of 32. His current partner is Nathalie Boutefeu, an actress with whom he has two daughters, Suzanne and Angela.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Elément moteur. November 3, 2009. Sabrina. Champenois. Libération. February 14, 2015. French.
  2. Web site: Éric Gautier. November 1, 2011. Alexandre. Labarussiat. AlloCiné. February 14, 2015. French.
  3. News: Eric Gautier. Ryan. Mottesheard. October 31, 2007. Variety. February 14, 2015.
  4. Web site: Eric Gautier. Focus Features. 2009. February 14, 2015.
  5. Web site: Lincoln Center. 2020-07-27. www.lincolncenter.org.