Patrice Leconte (1947 - )
Related: French cinema - director
Films: Ridicule (1996) - Monsieur Hire (1989) - Girl on the Bridge (1999)
Monsieur Hire (1989) - Patrice Leconte [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
His most penetrating film and the one that brought Leconte international acclaim. After a book by Georges Simenon.
Profile
Patrice Leconte (born November 12, 1947) is a French film director and screenwriter.
He was born in Paris, France.
He is sometimes credited as Patrice Lecomte. An avid reader of comics as a child, his first film was an adaptation of a comic book: "Les Včces Etaient Fermes de l'Interieur" (1975). His first live action film was "Les Bronzés", and its success led Leconte to direct a string of popular French comedies in the early 1980s, most of which have never been seen outside of France. Eventually Leconte made a name for himself in the US with films like "Monsieur Hire" (1989), "Le Mari de la Coiffeuse" (aka The Hairdresser's Husband, 1990), and the art-house smash "Ridicule" (1996). --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrice_Leconte [Jan 2005]
Les Bronzés (1978) - Patrice Leconte
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The stars of "Les Bronzes" were a group of friends who were part of a comedy troupe called 'Le Splendide'. They entertained patrons at 'cafe-theatres' in Paris, and when they decided to parody the Club Med craze of the late 70s they struck gold. The overwhelming success of "Les Bronzes" turned them all into the comic stars of the next decade.
The Widow of Saint-Pierre (2000) - Patrice Leconte
The Widow of Saint-Pierre (2000) - Patrice Leconte
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"The Widow of Saint-Pierre" is one of those brooding, romantic costume dramas that only the French seem to do well these days. Far from being escapist fare, it is a dark, often profound meditation on the human condition and the vagaries of the human heart. In 1849, on the remote French island of Saint-Pierre off the coast of Newfoundland, an illiterate fisherman commits a drunken, senseless murder and is sentenced to the guillotine. But since the island has no guillotine, the governor must send for one--a process that will take years. Meanwhile, the fisherman is imprisoned in the island fortress; the wife of the garrison commander takes pity on the condemned man, and sets out to rehabilitate him, with the help (at first reluctant, later wholehearted) of her loving husband. Soon the captain and his wife are defying the governor in their attempts to help the condemned man--with tragic consequences. "The Widow of Saint-Pierre" works on several levels: as a romantic drama; as a denunciation of capital punishment and the cruelty of confusing the letter of the law with justice; and as a brilliant delineation of the nature of love, courage and self-sacrifice. Eduardo Serra's photography of the wintry landscape of Saint-Pierre (actually Nova Scotia) is marvelous, and the acting deserves the highest praise. By now, of course, everyone knows how exquisite Juliette Binoche is, and she is as good as ever here. But the thespian honors in this movie go to Daniel Auteuil, an actor of masterful subtlety and power, who makes Gerard Depardieu look like a double order of "jambon a' l'os." --Miles D. Moore for amazon.com
Le Parfum d'Yvonne (1994) - Patrice Leconte
Le Parfum d'Yvonne (1994) - Patrice Leconte
[Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
Patrice Leconte is one of France's most elegant contemporary directors - and that is considerable praise. Le Parfum d'Yvonne (1994) is an exquisite, erotic movie experience.
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