Encyclopedia of French Film Directors

di Parigi / UK: The Mysteries of Paris / US TV: Devil of
Paris, André Hunebelle, France / Italy; Le Masque de
Fer / L’uomo dalla maschera di ferro, Henri Decoin,
France / Italy; 1964 Banco à Bangkok pour OSS 117
/ OSS 117 minaccia Bangkok / USA: Shadow of Evil
/ Panic in Bangkok, André Hunebelle, France / Italy;
Fantômas / Fantomas 70, André Hunebelle, France
/ Italy; 1965 Furia à Bahia pour OSS 117 / OSS 117
furia a Bahia / UK: Mission for a Killer / USA: OSS 117:
Mission for a Killer, André Hunebelle, France / Italy,
Fantômas se déchaîne / Fantomas minaccia il mondo,
André Hunebelle, France / Italy). He also was a
second team director (1971 La Folie des Grandeurs
/ Mania di grandezza / Delirios de grandeza / Die
Dummen Streiche der Reichen / Don Louis der Grössswahnsinnige
/ UK and USA: Delusions of Grandeur,
Gérard Oury, France / Italy / Spain / West Germany)
and co-screenwriter (1995 Un si joli Bouquet, TV,
Jean-Claude Sussfeld; 1996 Un Petit Grain de Folie, TV,
Sébastien Grall; 2005 L’Antidote, Vincent de Brus).
Filmography
1966 Le Grand Restaurant / USA: What’s Cooking in
Paris (also co-adapter)
1967 Estouffade à la Caraïbe / Avventurieri per una
rivolta / Pagati per morire / UK: The Looters
(France / Italy)
Le Fou du Labo 4 (also co-screenwriter, producer)
1973 La Belle Affaire
1975 C’est pas parce qu’on a rien à dire qu’il faut fermer
sa Gueule! (also co-adapter)
1976 La Situation est grave . . . mais pas désespérée
(also screenwriter)
Et si tu n’en veux pas / Baby Love (as Jacques
Treyens; also co-screenwriter)
Le Jour de Gloire / Ein Priester, ein Panzer und
ein Haufen müder Landser (also co-adapter, codialogist,
France / West Germany)
1978 Général . . . nous voilà! / Zwei Supertypen in Afrika
(also co-screenwriter, co-adapter; France /
West Germany)
1982 Te marre pas . . . c’est pour rire! (also co-screenwriter)
Television Filmography
1982 Joëlle et Pauline
1984 Allô Béatrice (6 55'; episodes “Soeur Béatrice
de l’Indice d’Ecoute,” “Charmant Week-End,”
“L’Affreux Séducteur,” “La Chèvre,” “Enquête
à l’Italienne,” “Agnès et ses Papas”)
BESSON, LUC • 97
1985 Hôtel de Police (24 52')
Appelez-moi Fouks
1988 La Belle Anglaise (episodes “S’il vous plaît
Chauffeur,” “On peut rêver,” “Une Vie de
Chien,” “Un Drôle de Client,” “Le Vrai et le
Faux,” “Très chères Vacances”)
1989 Le Retour d’Arsène Lupin (episode “La Camarade
Tatiana”)
1990 La Belle Anglaise (episodes “La Course contre
la Montre,” “Entre Collègues,” “Week-End
surprise,” “Une Idée fi xe,” “Sur le Sable,”
“L’Amour, toujours l’Amour”; also co-screenwriter)
1992 Feu Adrien Musset
1994 Avanti
BESSON, LUC (March 18, 1959, Paris, France–)
The son of SCUBA diving instructors, he intended to
become a marine biologist specializing in dolphins but
fi nally opted for cinema. He was a trainee assistant
director in France (1979 Moonraker, Lewis Gilbert,
UK / France; Loulou, Maurice Pialat) and Hollywood
(1980 Nude Bomb / Maxwell Smart and the Nude Bomb
/ US TV: The Return of Maxwell Smart, Clive Donner,
USA), then assistant director (1980 Deux Lions au
Soleil, Claude Faraldo; 1981 Les Bidasses aux grandes
Manœuvres, also casting director, Raphaël Delpard)
and second unit director (1983 Le Grand Carnaval, Alexandre
Arcady) before directing a critically praised
low-budget sci-fi movie fi lmed in black and white and
without dialogue (Le Dernier Combat). He shot several
box offi ce hits of the 1980s and 1990s and created
several fi lm production companies (Les Films du
Loup, Les Films du Dauphin, EuropaCorp). From 1978
(Les Petites Sirènes, short, Luc Besson) to 2008 (From
Paris with Love, Pierre Morel), he produced almost 100
movies. Other credit (as actor): 1984 Ne quittez pas
(short, Sophie Schmitt).
Filmography
1978 Les Petites Sirènes (short; also screenwriter,
producer)
1981 L’Avant-dernier (short; also co-screenwriter,
co-dialogist, producer, actor)
Formule (short; also screenwriter, producer)
1982 Voici . . . (short; also screenwriter, producer)
1983 Le Dernier Combat / UK: The Last Combat /
USA: The Final Combat / The Last Battle (also
co-screenwriter)
1985 Subway (also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist)