Encyclopedia of French Film Directors

224 • CLAIR, PHILIPPE
2006 Mon Prince charmant (short; also co-screenwriter)
Ma Belle Rebelle (short; also co-screenwriter)
CLAIR, PHILIPPE (Charles Bensoussan / September
14, 1930, Martimprey-du-Kiss, Morocco–)
At age twenty-three, he settled in Paris and attended
the Conservatoire d’Art Dramatique de Paris. Having
graduated with two best young actor fi rst prizes
in 1956, he began working with such prestigious
stage directors as Raymond Rouleau. He specialized
in Algerian-born Jewish humor and directed and
performed several plays (Les Îles fortunées; Purée de
nous z’ôtres; La Parodie du Cid). Seen as an actor in
fi lms (1962 Les Petits Matins, Jacqueline Audry; 1964
Donnez-moi dix Hommes désespérés, Pierre Zimmer,
shot in 1961; 1966 Du Rifi fi à Paname / Rifi fi internazionale
/ Der Boss von Paris / UK: Rifi fi in Paris /
USA: The Upper Hand, Denys de La Patellière, France
/ Italy / West Germany; 1987 Cayenne Palace, Alain
Maline) and on TV (1960 Cyrano de Bergerac, Claude
Barma; 1962 L’Inspecteur Leclerc enquête, episodes
“Le Taxi,” “La Trahison de Leclerc”; Les Cinq dernières
Minutes, episode “C’était écrit,” Claude Loursais;
1963 Les Cinq dernières Minutes, episode “Une Affaire
de Famille,” Jean-Pierre Marchand; 1964 La Caravane
Pacouli, 13 26', Louis Soulanes; 1982 Les Sept Jours
du Marié, Serge Moati; 1985 Les Mondes engloutis,
voice only, Michel Gauthier, France / South Korea
/ Lebanon), he directed comedies that were often
commercial successes.
Filmography
1965 Déclic . . . et des Claques (also screenwriter, coadapter,
dialogist, actor; France / Italy)
1971 La Grande Java (also co-screenwriter, coadapter,
co-dialogist)
La Grande Maffi a / Un matto, due matti, tutti
matti (also screenwriter, actor; France / Italy)
1973 La Brigade en Folie (also screenwriter, actor)
1974 Le Führer en Folie / Tre ramazze in fuori gioco
(also co-screenwriter, adapter, actor; France /
Italy / West Germany)
1976 Le Grand Fanfaron / Les Bidasses en Cavale (also
co-screenwriter)
1978 Comment se faire réformer (also screenwriter,
editor, actor)
Les Réformés se portent bien (also screenwriter,
co-adapter, actor, associate producer)
1979 Ces Flics étranges venus d’ailleurs (also coscreenwriter,
co-adapter, co-dialogist, actor)
1980 Rodriguez au Pays des Merguez / La Parodie du
Cid (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist, actor;
France / Tunisia)
1981 Tais-toi quand tu parles / Zitto, quando parli (also
co-screenwriter, co-dialogist, actor; France /
Italy)
1982 Plus beau que moi, tu meurs . . . (also screenwriter,
co-adapter, actor)
1984 Par où t’es rentré, on t’a pas vu sortir? / USA:
How Did You Get In? We Didn’t See You Leave
(also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist, actor)
1986 Si t’as besoin de rien, fais-moi signe (also screenwriter,
co-adapter, dialogist, actor)
1987 Si tu vas à Rio . . . tu meurs / No Rio vale tudo
(also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist, actor;
France / Brazil)
1990 L’Aventure extraordinaire d’un Papa peu ordinaire
(also screenwriter, co-dialogist)
CLAIR, RENÉ (René Chomette / November 11,
1898, Paris, France–March 15, 1981, Neuilly-sur-Seine,
Hauts-de-Seine, France)
The son of a soap merchant, he grew up in the Les
Halles area. In 1917, he took part in World War I as
an ambulance driver. He authored two unpublished
collection of poems (1917 La Tête de l’Homme;
1918–1919 Terre). Then he became a reporter at
L’Intransigeant under the pseudonym of René Desprès
and wrote songs for Damia. Thanks to the
singer, he entered fi lms as an actor (1921 Le Lys de
la Vie, Georgette Sorrère, Loïe Fuller; L’Orpheline,
twelve episodes: “Malheurs de Mémorin,” “Orpheline,”
“Le Complot,” “L’Intruse,” “Délivrance,” “Le
Traquenard,” “A l’Ombre du Clocher,” “La Conquête
d’un Héritage,” “Soirs de Paris,” “Chagrin
d’Amour,” “Le Revenant,” “Vers le Bonheur,” Louis
Feuillade; Le Sens de la Mort / USA: The Meaning of
Death, Jacob Protozanoff; Parisette, twelve episodes:
“Manoela,” “Le Secret de Mme Stefan,” “L’Affaire de
Neuilly,” “L’Enquête,” “La Piste,” “Grand-Père,” “Le
Faux Révérend,” “Family House,” “L’Impasse,” “Le
Triomphe de Cogolin,” “La Fortune de Joaquim,”
“Le Secret de Costabella,” Louis Feuillade, 1953 Le
Rouge est mis, short, Hubert Knapp, Igor Barrère). In
1922, he published fi lm reviews in Paris-Journal and
Théâtre et Comoedia illustrés. Jacques de Baroncelli,
for whom he worked as assistant director (1923 Le
Carillon de Minuit / De Beiaard van Middernacht / USA: