Jacques Doniol-Valcroze | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1920-03-15)15 March 1920 |
| Died | 6 October 1989(1989-10-06) (aged 69) |
| Occupations | Film critic,Film director,screenwriter,actor |
Jacques Doniol-Valcroze (French:[ʒakdɔnjɔlvalkʁoz]; 15 March 1920 – 6 October 1989) was a French actor, critic, screenwriter, and director. In 1951, Doniol-Valcroze was a co-founder of the renowned film magazineCahiers du cinéma, along withAndré Bazin andJoseph-Marie Lo Duca. The magazine was initially edited by Doniol-Valcroze between 1951–1957. As critic, he championed numerous filmmakers includingOrson Welles,Howard Hawks, andNicholas Ray.In 1955, then 23-year-oldFrançois Truffaut made a short film in Doniol-Valcroze's apartment,Une Visite. Jacques's daughter Florence played a minor part in it.[1]
In 1955, he was a member of the jury at the16th Venice International Film Festival,[2] and in 1964 a member of the jury at the14th Berlin International Film Festival.[3]
In his thirties he played a pivotal role in theFrench New Wave, discussing the beginnings of "the new cinema" as the co-founder ofCahiers du cinéma and defendedAlain Robbe-Grillet.[4]Jean Douchet wrote that no one had a better New Wave profile, but his work "was overshadowed by the immediate influence of the second generation" of New Wave directors: "His first feature film,l'Eau à la bouche (1960), arrived too late. Not strong enough to surprise, the film earned him only 'sympathetic' reviews. From then on ... criticism displayed a certain distance from the man. Wrongly, it seems."[5]
In 1963 he appeared inL'Immortelle, an international co-produceddramaart film[6] directed byAlain Robbe-Grillet.
His own works in this area include directing the filmL'eau a la bouche and acting in some New Wave films, includingChantal Akerman'scult classicJeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles. Additionally he was friends withFrançois Truffaut who shot his first filmUne Visite in his apartment.[7] He was married toFrançoise Brion.[8]
TheDirector’s Fortnight, founded in 1968 during the nationwide strikes which closed down theCannes Film Festival that year, was the brainchild of Jacques Doniol-Valcroze. The event was sponsored by his fledgling Société des Réalisateurs de Films (Film Directors Society) with the intention of "...opening up the Cannes Festival to little-known filmmakers and national cinemas, without concern for budgets or shooting formats."[9]
He died of a ruptured aneurysm in 1989.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Orphée | young man at Café des Poètes | uncredited |
| 1956 | Le Coup du berger | Jean | short; credited as Étienne Loinod |
| 1957 | Les Surmenés | director | short |
| 1960 | L'eau a la bouche | director | short |
| 1960 | Le bel âge | Jacques | |
| 1962 | And Satan Calls the Turns | Éric | |
| 1963 | L'Immortelle | N, the Man | |
| 1963 | Portuguese Vacation | Jacques | |
| 1963 | Los felices sesenta | Víctor | |
| 1968 | Je t'aime, je t'aime | the editor | |
| 1970 | Le Voyou | the banker | |
| 1971 | L'amour c'est gai, l'amour c'est triste | first client | |
| 1971 | Out 1 | Etienne | |
| 1973 | Elle court, elle court la banlieue | first dentist | |
| 1973 | A Full Day's Work | the juror Jacquemont, the actor playing Hamlet | |
| 1975 | Playing with Fire | commissaire Laurent | |
| 1975 | Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles | 2nd caller | |
| 1977 | The Apprentice Heel | Deputy Mayor Forelon | |
| 1977 | Goodbye Emmanuelle | Michel Cordier | |
| 1978 | En l'autre bord | ||
| 1979 | Memoirs of a French Whore | ||
| 1980 | Le soleil en face | a guest on the TV debate | |
| 1980 | Je vais craquer!!! | Maxence, literary critic | |
| 1984 | Le Bon Plaisir | lawyer |
Movies
TV films and series
1989: La Vie en couleurs (film)
