René Clément | |
|---|---|
 Clément in 1995 | |
| Born | (1913-03-18)18 March 1913 Bordeaux, France |
| Died | 17 March 1996(1996-03-17) (aged 82) |
| Awards | Best Director Award (Cannes Film Festival) 1946The Battle of the Rails 1949Beyond the Gates Golden Lion 1952Forbidden Games |
René Clément (French:[ʁəneklemɑ̃]; 18 March 1913 – 17 March 1996) was a Frenchfilm director andscreenwriter. He is known for directing the filmsThe Battle of the Rails (1946),Forbidden Games (1952),Gervaise (1956),Purple Noon (1960), andIs Paris Burning (1966). He received numerous accolades including five prizes at theCannes Film Festival and theHonorary César in 1984.
Clément studied architecture at theÉcole des Beaux-Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. In 1936, he directed his first film, a 20-minute short written by and featuringJacques Tati. Clément spent the latter part of the 1930s making documentaries in parts of the Middle East and Africa. In 1937, he and archaeologist Jules Barthou were inYemen making preparations to film adocumentary, the first ever of that country and one that includes the only known film image ofImam Yahya.
Almost ten years passed before Clément directed a feature but hisFrench Resistance film,La Bataille du rail (1945), gained much critical and commercial success. From there Clément became one of his country's most successful and respected directors, garnering numerous awards including two films that won theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the first in 1950 forThe Walls of Malapaga (Au-delà des grilles) and the second time two years later forForbidden Games (Jeux interdits). Clément had international success with several films, but his star-studded 1966 epicIs Paris Burning?, written byGore Vidal andFrancis Ford Coppola, and produced byPaul Graetz, was a costly box office failure.
He began directingPlay Dirty (a.k.a.Written in the Sand), but quit early in production due to disputes with the film's producer,Harry Saltzman.[1] He directed the thrillerJoy House (1964) withJane Fonda andAlain Delon. In May 2023 onWatch What Happens Live! withAndy Cohen, Fonda alleged that Clémentsexually harassed her during the film's production telling her that the film involved a love scene and that she needed to sleep with him so that he could judge herorgasm. During the production he was 51 and she was 27.[2]
In 1973 he was a member of the jury at the8th Moscow International Film Festival.[3] Clément continued to make a few films until his retirement in 1975, including an international success withRider on the Rain that starredCharles Bronson andMarlène Jobert. In 1984 the French motion picture industry honored his lifetime contribution to film with a specialCésar Award.
Clément's second wife was Irish screenwriterJohanna Harwood, whom he had met on the set of his 1954 filmMonsieur Ripois.[4]
Clément died on 17 March 1996, a day before his 83rd birthday, and was buried in the local cemetery inMenton on theFrench Riviera where he had spent his years in retirement.
