Claude Zidi | |
|---|---|
| Born | Claude Raymond Djemil Zidi (1934-07-25)25 July 1934 (age 91) |
| Occupations | Film director, screenwriter |
Claude Zidi (born 25 July 1934) is a Frenchfilm director andscreenwriter. From 1971, he became known as a director ofcomedies, the majority of which were box-office hits in France. He was one of France's most commercially successful directors between the 1970s and the 1990s.[1] In 1985, he won theCésar Award for Best Director for his filmMy New Partner (Les Ripoux).
Claude Raymond Djemil Zidi was born in Paris to a father ofAlgerian descent and a French mother. He graduated from theÉcole nationale de photographie et cinématographie. Following his studies, he was drafted to theAlgerian War, during which he worked in theFrench Armed Forces' audiovisual service.[2]
After returning to civilian life, he began his career in the film industry as acinematographer and acameraman. The directors he worked with includeJacques Demy (Bay of Angels, 1963) andClaude Chabrol (Line of Demarcation, 1966).[3]
In 1970, Zidi worked as a cameraman onLa Grande Java, the first film starring the comedy teamLes Charlots (known in the English-speaking world asThe Crazy Boys). He befriended the group of actors, to whom he submitted a synopsis for what would become their next film,Les Bidasses en folie (1971). Les Charlots specifically requested that Zidi be the director of that picture.Les Bidasses en folie was an immense and unexpected box-office success, turning Les Charlots into France's new comedy stars.[4] Zidi directed three more films with Les Charlots, produced byChristian Fechner andClaude Berri, which were also commercial hits:Les Fous du stade (1972),Le Grand Bazar (1973) andLes Bidasses s'en vont en guerre (1974), the latter being a sequel to their first film together.[5]
Now known as a specialist of mainstream burlesque comedies, Zidi continued his association with Fechner by directingPierre Richard, also at the time one of France's new comedy stars, inLa Moutarde me monte au nez (Lucky Pierre, 1974) andLa Course à l'échalote (1975). Both films paired Richard withJane Birkin. Zidi next directedLouis de Funès andColuche inL'Aile ou la cuisse (The Wing or the Thigh, 1976) which was a great box-office success and came to be regarded as a comedy classic in France.[6] The next year, Zidi directedL'Animal, starringJean-Paul Belmondo andRaquel Welch; in 1978, he directed Louis de Funès again inLa Zizanie.[3] While most of Zidi's films were very successful at the box-office, they were generally dismissed at the time by French critics.[1]
Zidi's next box-office hits, both released in 1980, wereLes Sous-doués, which wasDaniel Auteuil's film breakthrough, andInspecteur la Bavure (Inspector Blunder) starring Coluche andGérard Depardieu. These were followed byLes Sous-doués en vacances (1982), a sequel to his 1980 film, andBanzaï (1983), again with Coluche.[3]
In 1984, Zidi directedLes Ripoux (My New Partner) starringPhilippe Noiret andThierry Lhermitte, a cynical, less burlesque, comedy about police corruption which was a major box-office hit. For that film, he won theCésar Award for Best Director,[3] and was also nominated forBest Original Screenplay.
In 1987, Zidi directedAssociation de malfaiteurs (Association of Wrongdoers) a comedy with social undertones, which was commercially successful and also enjoyed a good critical reception. In 1989, he essayeddrama withDeux, a romance film starring Gérard Depardieu andMaruschka Detmers, which was a box-office failure. He then returned to comedy withRipoux contre ripoux (1989), a sequel toMy New Partner, andLa Totale! (1991), an action comedy which was later remade in Hollywood asJames Cameron'sTrue Lies.[3]
In 1993, the crime filmProfil bas, starring popular singerPatrick Bruel, was a box-office disappointment. This was followed by another failure, the comedyArlette starringJosiane Balasko andChristopher Lambert (1997). Zidi returned to success in 1999 by directing the firstlive actionAsterix film,Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar.[3]
In 2000, Zidi, and James Cameron with him, were sued by screenwriter Lucien Lambert, who claimed thatLa Totale ! (and consequentlyTrue Lies) had been plagiarized from one of his own unproduced screenplays. The court ruled in Zidi and Cameron's favor in 2001, but theCourt of Appeal of Paris reversed the ruling in favor of Lambert three years later. Zidi was ordered to pay Lambert US$15 million (his profit percentage for the box office receipts ofTrue Lies), while Cameron was found not liable for damages.[7][8]
Zidi's next directedLa Boîte (2001) andRipoux 3 (2003), a new sequel toMy New Partner with Noiret and Lhermitte again reprising their roles.[3] His last work as a director was a 2011television film co-directed with his son Julien, which was pitched as apilot for a series based onMy New Partner. The pilot was broadcast onTF1, but was not picked up for a series. Zidi then decided toretire, citing the lack of success of his later films, the evolution of the French film industry, and the personal stress he had experienced due to theLa Totale ! plagiarism lawsuit.[2]
Zidi married three times,[2] and had six children.[9] One of his sons, Julien Zidi, had a career as an assistant director, then as a television director: Julien died in 2001 following a motorcycle accident.[10] Another son, Claude Zidi Jr., is also a film director.[11] One daughter, Hélène Zidi, is an actress and acting coach. His granddaughter Lola Zidi (Hélène's daughter) is also an actress.[12]
| Year | Original title | English title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Les Bidasses en folie | Rookies Run Amok /The Five Crazy Boys | FeaturingLes Charlots |
| 1972 | Les Fous du Stade | Stadium Nuts | Featuring Les Charlots |
| 1973 | Le Grand bazar | The Big Store | Featuring Les Charlots |
| 1974 | Les Bidasses s'en vont en guerre | Featuring Les Charlots | |
| 1974 | La Moutarde me monte au nez | Lucky Pierre | |
| 1975 | La Course à l'échalote | ||
| 1976 | L'Aile ou la cuisse | The Wing or the Thigh | |
| 1977 | L'Animal | Animal /Stuntwoman | |
| 1978 | La Zizanie | The Spat | |
| 1979 | Bête mais discipliné | ||
| 1980 | Les Sous-doués | The Under-Gifted | |
| 1980 | Inspecteur la Bavure | Inspector Blunder | |
| 1982 | Les Sous-doués en vacances | ||
| 1983 | Banzaï | ||
| 1984 | Les Ripoux | My New Partner | César Award for Best Film César Award for Best Director |
| 1985 | Les Rois du gag | ||
| 1987 | Association de Malfaiteurs | Association of Wrongdoers | |
| 1989 | Deux [fr] | ||
| 1989 | Ripoux contre ripoux | My New Partner II | |
| 1991 | La Totale! | Remade asTrue Lies | |
| 1993 | Profil bas | ||
| 1997 | Arlette | ||
| 1999 | Astérix et Obélix contre César | Asterix and Obelix vs Caesar | |
| 2001 | La Boîte | ||
| 2003 | Ripoux 3 | My New Partner III | |
| 2011 | Les Ripoux anonymes | TV movie, co-director with Julien Zidi |
| Preceded by | César Award for Best Director 1985 My New Partner | Succeeded by |
