Encyclopedia of French Film Directors

Histoires de Vies brisées: Les “double Peine” de
Lyon (documentary; also co-producer; codirector
with Nils Tavernier)
TAZIEFF, HAROUN (May 11, 1914, Warsaw, Poland–February
5, 1998, Paris, France)
The son of a Tatar Muslim doctor father, killed in
action in the early days of World War I, and a Polish
chemist and doctor in political sciences mother, he
was six years old when he went to Belgium with
his mother. Having graduated in agronomy from the
Faculty of Gembloux in 1938, he also earned a degree
in geology from the University of Liège. A volcanologist
since the late 1940s, he settled in France
in 1958. His documentaries made him famous the
world over. He appeared as himself in Contre l’Oubli
/ Ecrire contre l’Oubli / Against Oblivion / Lest We Forget
(documentary, segment “Pour Mulugetta Mosissa,
Ethiopie,” Jean-Michel Carré). Several fi lms used
documentary footage taken from his movies (1961
Ercole alla conquista di Atlantide / Hercule à la Conquête
de l’Atlantide / UK: Hercules Conquers Atlantis /
USA: Hercules and the Captive Women, Vittorio Cottafavi,
Italy / France; 1965 Crack in the World, Andrew
Marton, USA; 1972 Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii / Pink
Floyd à Pompéi / Pink Floyd in Pompeii / USA: Echoes:
Pink Floyd, Adrian Maben, Belgium / West Germany
/ France; 1983 Sans Soleil, documentary, Chris
Marker). Other credit (as cinematographer): 1973
National Geographic Specials (documentary; episode
“The Violent Earth,” Denis Azzarella, USA).
Filmography
1952 Grêle de Feu (documentary; short)
1953 Records au Gouffre de la Pierre Saint-Martin
(documentary; short)
1954 Stromboli (documentary; short)
L’Eruption de l’Etna (documentary; short)
1955 Au Milieu des Cratères en Feu (documentary;
short)
1956 Les Eaux souterraines (documentary; short)
1959 Les Rendez-vous du Diable / UK: Volcano / USA:
The Devil’s Blast (documentary; also actor as
himself)
1960 L’Exploration du Lac de Lave du Niragongo
(documentary; short)
1966 Le Volcan interdit (documentary; shot in 1948–
1966)
1977 L’Etna (documentary; medium-length)
TCHERNIA, PIERRE • 953
1981 Les Volcans (documentary; medium-length)
Afar ou La Dérive des Continents (documentary;
medium-length)
TCHERNIA, PIERRE (Pierre Tcherniakowski /
January 29, 1928, Paris, France–)
A movie buff since his childhood, he studied at the
Vaugirard cinema school (1945) and spent one year
at the IDHEC (1946). Unfortunately, cinema at the
time seemed an impregnable fortress, and he did not
fi nd any job in movies. In 1947, he joined French radio
(Radio-Diffusion Française) and its Club d’Essai,
a group of young writers and actors who created
radio plays, managed by poet Jean Tardieu. A French
TV pioneer, he co-founded TV news and was a
newsreader for six years (1949–1955) while directing
his fi rst TV programs (1952–1953 La Classe en
Images; Le Magazine des Explorateurs; Le Club des Inventeurs).
From 1955 to the early 1960s, he became
a famous reporter, notably for Cinq Colonnes à la
Une. His professionalism and amiable nature earned
him huge popularity. He hosted and sometimes produced
some of the most successful French programs
(1955–1960 La Boîte à Sel; 1958–1959 La Clé des
Champs; 1961–1978 L’Ami public No. 1; 1966–1967
7ème Art–7ème Case; 1967–1972 Monsieur Cinéma;
1972–1974 Le Dernier des Cinq; 1975–1977 Monsieur
Cinéma; 1977 Ces Messieurs nous disent; 1978–1980
Monsieur Cinéma; 1980–1981 Jeudi Cinéma; 1982–
1988 Mardi Cinéma). The fi rst fi lm he directed alone
(Le Viager) was a box offi ce hit. He played supporting
roles and small parts in several movies (1953 Les
Quatre Mousquetaires, medium-length, as Pierre de
Rochefort, Gilles Margaritis; 1960 La Brune que voilà,
Robert Lamoureux; 1962 Un Cheval pour Deux, Jean-
Marc Thibault; La Guerre des Boutons / USA: War of
the Buttons, Yves Robert; 1963 Carambolages, also coscreenwriter,
co-adapter, Marcel Bluwal; 1965 Pleins
Feux sur Stanislas / Rendezvous der Killer / USA: Killer
Spy, Jean-Charles Dudrumet; 1966 L’Anglais tel qu’on
le parle, short, Marcel Cravenne; 1967 Le Petit Baigneur
/ Si salvo chi puo, also co-screenwriter, Robert
Dhéry; La Bonne Peinture, TV, Philippe Agostini; 1974
La Gueule de l’Emploi, Jacques Rouland; 1981 Signé
Furax, Marc Simenon; 1985 Les Rois du Gag, Claude
Zidi; 1988 L’Enfance de l’Art, Francis Girod; La Table
tournante, animation, voice, Paul Grimault). He collaborated
as a co-screenwriter on several Astérix
and Lucky Luke cartoons (1967 Astérix et Cléopâtre