Jean-Claude Carrière Explained

Jean-Claude Carrière
Birth Date:	17 September 1931
Birth Place:	Colombières-sur-Orb, France
Death Place:	Paris, France
Occupation:	Novelist, screenwriter, actor, director
Years Active:	1957–2021

Jean-Claude Carrière (in French ka.ʁjɛʁ/; 17 September 1931 – 8 February 2021) was a French novelist, screenwriter and actor. He received an Academy Award for best short film for co-writing Heureux Anniversaire (1963), and was later conferred an Honorary Oscar in 2014. He was nominated for the Academy Award three other times for his work in The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972), That Obscure Object of Desire (1977), and The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988). He also won a César Award for Best Original Screenplay in The Return of Martin Guerre (1983).

Carrière was an alumnus of the École normale supérieure de Saint-Cloud and was president of La Fémis, the French state film school that he helped establish. He was noted as a frequent collaborator with Luis Buñuel on the screenplays of the latter's late French films.^[1]

Early life

Carrière was born in Colombières-sur-Orb in southwestern France on 17 September 1931.^[2] His family worked as vintners, and his parents subsequently moved to Montreuil, in the suburbs of Paris, in 1945 to start a coffeehouse.^{[2] [3]} Carrière was a gifted student,^[2] and attended Lycée Lakanal before studying literature and history at the École normale supérieure de Saint-Cloud,^[3] a grande école.^[2] He went on to publish his first novel, Lézard, in 1957 at the age of 26.^[2] Consequently, he was introduced to Jacques Tati,^[4] who employed Carrière to write novels based on his movies.^[5]

Career

Carrière met Pierre Étaix, who worked as Tati's first assistant. Carrière and Étaix went on to write and direct several films, including Heureux Anniversaire (1962). That film ultimately won the 1963 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Live Action). That same year, Carrière's nineteen-year collaboration with Luis Buñuel began with the film Diary of a Chambermaid (1964). He co-wrote the screenplay with Buñuel and also played the part of a village priest. They subsequently collaborated on the scripts of nearly all Buñuel's later films, including Belle de Jour (1967), The Milky Way (1969), and The Phantom of Liberty (1974). Their teamwork in writing The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and the film ultimately won the Best Foreign Language Film.^{[2] [6]} They earned their second Oscar nomination five years later for Best Adapted Screenplay in That Obscure Object of Desire (1977).^[7] Carrière also penned screenplay for The Tin Drum (1979), which won both the Palme d'Or at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival and Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars a year later.^{[2] [8]} His work in The Return of Martin Guerre (1983) won the 1983 César Award for Best Original Screenplay.^[2] He received his third Academy Award nomination six years later for writing the script of The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) with Philip Kaufman.^[9]

Carrière co-founded La Fémis, the French state film school, in 1986. He taught screenwriting there, and served as its president for ten years.^[10] He collaborated with Peter Brook on a nine hour long stage version of the ancient Sanskrit epic The Mahabharata, and a five-hour film version.^[2] He also provided the libretto for Hans Gefors' fifth opera Clara, which was premiered at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1998.^[11] He was credited as a script consultant in The White Ribbon, which won the Palme d'Or in 2009.

Later life and death

Carrière and Umberto Eco published This Is Not the End of the Book in 2012, a book of conversations on the future of information carriers.^[12] Carrière also wrote comics for Bernard Yslaire and Pierre Étaix.^[13] He was given an Academy Honorary Award in 2014, for his lifetime work in writing approximately 80 screenplays, as well as his essays, fiction, translations and interviews.^[2]

Carrière died in his sleep on 8 February 2021 at his home in Paris^[2] of natural causes.^{[3] [5]}

Awards and honors

• Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film (1963) for Heureux Anniversaire, shared with Pierre Étaix^[14]
• Academy Honorary Award (2014) for lifetime achievement (at Governors Awards)^[15]
• Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement (2000)
• Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of India (2015)^[16]
• Asteroid 347266 Carrière, discovered by amateur astronomer Bernard Christophe at Saint-Sulpice Observatory in 2004, was named in his memory. The was announced by the International Astronomical Union on 16 June 2021.

Filmography

Writer

• The Suitor (1962)^[17]
• Rupture (1962, Short)^[18]
• Heureux Anniversaire (1962, Short)^[18]
• The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1964, TV Series)^[18]
• La reine verte (1964, TV Movie)^[19]
• Diary of a Chambermaid (1964)^{[17] [18]}
• Yo Yo (1965)^{[17] [18]}
• Viva Maria! (1965)^{[17] [18]}
• The Diabolical Dr. Z (1965) aka Miss Muerte^{[17] [20]}
• Tant qu'on a la santé (1966)^{[17] [18]}
• Attack of the Robots (1966) aka Cartes sur Table^[21]
• Hotel Paradiso (1966)^{[17] [22]}
• The Thief of Paris (1967)^[17]
• Belle de Jour (1967)^{[17] [18]}
• Pour un amour lointain (1968)^[18]
• The Great Love (1969)^{[17] [18]}
• The Milky Way (1969)^{[17] [18]}
• La Piscine (1969)^{[17] [18]}
• La pince à ongles (1969, Short, also director)^[18]
• Borsalino (1970)^{[17] [18]}
• Un peu de soleil dans l'eau froide (1971)^[18]
• The Wedding Ring (1971)^[17]
• Taking Off (1971)^{[17] [22]}
• The Outside Man (1972)^{[17] [22]}
• The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)^{[17] [18]}
• Liza (1972)^[17]
• Le Moine (1972)^[18]
• France, Inc. (1973)^[19]
• The Phantom of Liberty (1974)^[17]
• Serious as Pleasure (1975)^[23]
• La Chair de l'orchidée (1975)^[18]
• That Obscure Object of Desire (1977)^{[17] [18]}
• Le gang (1977)^[18]
• Le Diable dans la boîte (1977)^[24]
• Julie pot de colle (1977)^[18]
• Butterfly on the Shoulder (1978)^[17]
• The Tin Drum (1979)^[18]
• Return to the Beloved (1979)^[25]
• The Associate (1979)^[18]
• Sauve qui peut (la vie) (1980)^[18]
• The Return of Martin Guerre (1982)^[18]
• Passion (1982)^[26]
• The General of the Dead Army (1983)^{[17] [18]}
• La Tragédie de Carmen (1983)^[18]
• Danton (1983)^[18]
• Credo (1983, TV Movie)^[17]
• Un amour de Swann (1984)^{[17] [18]}
• Max, Mon Amour (1986)^[18]
• Les Exploits d'un jeune Don Juan (1987)^[27]
• The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)^{[18] [22]}
• The Possessed (1988)^[19]
• The Bengali Night (1988)^{[17] [18]}
• Valmont (1989)^{[18] [22]}
• Hard to Be a God (1989)^[17]
• The Mahabharata (1989)^[18]
• Bouvard et Pécuchet (1989)^[17]
• May Fools (1990)^[18]
• Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)^[18]
• At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991)^{[17] [22]}
• The Return of Casanova (1992)^{[17] [18]}
• La Controverse de Valladolid (1992, TV Movie)^[18]
• C'était la guerre (1993, TV Movie)^[28]
• Priez pour nous (1994)^[29]
• The Night and the Moment (1995)^[17]
• The Horseman on the Roof (1995)^[18]
• La duchesse de Langeais (1995, TV Movie)^[19]
• Associations de bienfaiteurs (1995)^[30]
• The Ogre (1996)^[17]
• The Associate (1996)^[17]
• Le parfum de Jeannette (1996, TV Movie)^[30]
• Golden Boy (1996)^[18]
• Chinese Box (1997)^{[17] [22]}
• (1998, TV Movie)^[18]
• La Guerre dans le Haut Pays (1999)^[18]
• Salsa (2000)^{[17] [18]}
• Madame De... (2001)^[18]
• Letter from an Unknown Woman (2001, TV Movie)^[18]
• La Bataille d'Hernani (2002, TV Movie)^[18]
• Ruy Blas (2002, TV Movie)^{[17] [18]}
• Rien, voilà l'ordre (2003)^[31]
• Les Thibault (2003, TV mini series)^[18]
• Father Goriot (2004)^[17]
• Birth (2004)^{[17] [22]}
• Galilée ou L'amour de Dieu (2005, TV Movie)^[19]
• Goya's Ghosts (2006)^{[17] [22]}
• Ulzhan (2007)^[18]
• The 4th Wall (2010), based on his play L'Aide-Mémoire (1968)^[19]
• Memories of My Melancholy Whores (2011)^[32]
• The Artist and the Model (2012)^{[17] [18]}
• In the Shadow of Women (2015)^{[17] [18]}
• Lover for a Day (2017)^{[17] [18]}
• A Faithful Man (2018)^{[17] [18]}
• At Eternity's Gate (2018)^{[17] [18]}
• Le sel des larmes (2019)^[17]
• The Crusade (2021)
• Land of Dreams (2021)^[33]

Actor

• Diary of a Chambermaid (1964) – Le curé^[17]
• The Milky Way (1969) – Priscillian^[18]
• Alliance (1969) – Hugues^[18]
• Un peu de soleil dans l'eau froide (1971) – François, le mari de Nathalie^[18]
• Serious as Pleasure (1975) – Le chef d'étage (uncredited)^[34]
• Le jeu du solitaire (1976) – Luc^[18]
• Le jardin des supplices (1976) – Le commandant du navire^[18]

• Surprise Sock (1978) – Fournier
• Ils sont grands, ces petits (1979) – Le psychiatre (uncredited)

• Die Blechtrommel (1979) – Grigori Rasputin (extended cut, uncredited)^[35]
• L'amour nu (1981) – Le professeur^[18]
• Vive les femmes! (1984) – Le sourd-muet^[18]
• The Night and the Moment (1994) – The Governor^[18]
• Jaya Ganga (1996) – Professor^[18]
• Buñuel y la mesa del rey Salomón (2001) – David Goldman^[18]
• Paris Brothel (2003) - self
• Avida (2006) – Le riche paranoîaque^[17]
• Tajnata kniga (2006) – Pierre Reymond^[36]
• Certified Copy (2010) – L'homme de la place^[17]
• La fameuse invasion des ours en Sicile (2019) – Vieil Ours (voice)^[17]

See also

• Conference of the Birds (play)

References

Specific

Bibliography

• Book: Prédal, René. Jean-Claude Carrière, scénariste: l'art de raconter des histoires. Editions du Cerf. 1994. 9782204049719.

External links

• • In-depth interview with Carrière from 1999
• Jean-Claude Carrière tells his life story at Web of Stories

Notes and References

1. Web site: Sinha-Roy. Piya. 28 August 2014. Belafonte, Miyazaki to receive Academy's Governors Awards. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150605110926/http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/08/28/us-film-governorsawards-idINKBN0GS2G820140828. 5 June 2015. Reuters.
2. News: Jean-Claude Carrière, screenwriter of Cyrano de Bergerac and Belle de Jour, dies aged 89. 9 February 2021. 9 February 2021. The Guardian. London. Agence France-Presse.
3. News: Jean-Claude Carrière, scénariste et écrivain, est mort à l'âge de 89 ans. Jean-Luc. Douin. 8 February 2021. 9 February 2021. Le Monde. Paris.
4. News: Jean-Claude Carrière Dies: French Screenwriter Known For 'That Obscure Object of Desire,' 'Belle De Jour' Was 89. Alexandra. Del Rosario. 8 February 2021. 9 February 2021. Deadline Hollywood.
5. News: Jean-Claude Carriere, 'Unbearable Lightness of Being' Screenwriter, Dies at 89. Pat. Saperstein. 8 February 2021. 9 February 2021. Variety.
6. Web site: The 45th Academy Awards – 1973. 9 February 2021. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
7. Web site: The 50th Academy Awards – 1978. 9 February 2021. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
8. Web site: The 52nd Academy Awards – 1980. 9 February 2021. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
9. Web site: The 61st Academy Awards – 1989. 9 February 2021. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
10. News: Mort du scénariste et écrivain Jean-Claude Carrière. 8 February 2021. 9 February 2021. La Presse. Montreal. Agence France-Presse.
11. Mälhammar, Åsa. Report from Stockholm, Sweden. Opera, October 2001, Vol 52 No.10, p1247.
12. News: This is Not the End of the Book by Umberto Eco and Jean-Claude Carrière – review. Clee. Nicholas. 27 May 2012. The Guardian. 21 February 2016.
13. Web site: Carrière, Jean-Claude - Bibliographie, BD, photo, biographie. Philippe. MAGNERON. bedetheque.com.
14. Web site: The 35th Academy Awards – 1963. 9 February 2021. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
15. Web site: Honorary Award. 9 February 2021. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
16. Web site: Padma Awards 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150128022143/http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=114952 . Press Information Bureau . 25 January 2015 . 28 January 2015 . dead .
17. Web site: Jean-Claude Carrière. Rotten Tomatoes. 9 February 2021.
18. Web site: Jean-Claude Carrière. https://web.archive.org/web/20170826140055/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba13431c6. dead. 26 August 2017. British Film Institute. 9 February 2021.
19. Book: Thomson, David. The New Biographical Dictionary of Film. Alfred A. Knopf. 2014. 163. 9780375711848.
20. Stephen Thrower, Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesús Franco (2015)
21. Stephen Thrower, Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesús Franco (2015)
22. Web site: Jean-Claude Carriere. American Film Institute. 9 February 2021.
23. Web site: Serieux comme le plaisir (1975) – Credits. Turner Classic Movies. 9 February 2021.
24. Web site: Le Diable Dans La Boite – Full Cast & Crew. TV Guide. 9 February 2021.
25. News: "Retour a la bien-aimée" de Jean-François Adam. Jean. de Baroncelli. 7 May 1979. 9 February 2021. Le Monde. Paris.
26. News: Jean-Claude Carriere, 'Belle de Jour,' 'Tin Drum' Screenwriter, Dies at 89. Jordan. Mintzer. 9 February 2021. 9 February 2021. The Hollywood Reporter.
27. Web site: Les Exploits d'un jeune Don Juan (1987) – Credits. Turner Classic Movies. 9 February 2021.
28. Web site: C'était la guerre (It Was War). 1993. Directed by Maurice Failevic, Ahmed Rachedi. May 2019. Museum of Modern Art. New York City. 9 February 2021.
29. Book: L'Express. Groupe Express. 1997. 92.
30. Book: McGilligan, Patrick. Backstory 5: Interviews with Screenwriters of the 1990s. University of California Press. 2010. 9780520251052.
31. Web site: Rien, voilà l'ordre (Jacques Baratier, 2001). Cinémathèque Française. 9 February 2021.
32. News: Memories of My Melancholy Whores. Jonathan. Holland. 18 May 2012. 9 February 2021. Variety.
33. Gyarke. Lovia. Sheila Vand and Matt Dillon in 'Land of Dreams': Film Review; Venice 2021. September 2, 2021. The Hollywood Reporter. September 18, 2021.
34. News: "Sérieux comme le plaisir" de R. Benayoun. Jacques. Sicilier. 18 January 1975. 9 February 2021. Le Monde. Paris.
35. Web site: The Tin Drum: The Director's Cut. Janus Films. 3. 9 February 2021.
36. Web site: The Secret Book (2006). Mubi. 9 February 2021.