An eight-part series on the history of French cinema from the postwar era to New Wave and beyond. Unearths the stories behind the films’ creation through live and archival interviews with the producers of the films in the series, as well as colleagues, family members, and experts on French cinema. Interlaced throughout is footage from a wealth of classic French films.
Ended
The Last Tycoons
January 18, 2022
January 18, 2022
1
8
French
Risk-taking producers at the tail end of a wide-open period of French cinema. Jean-Pierre Rassam lavished money on filmmakers he trusted, and didn’t bother reading scripts. (He also lived a life of true excess, and claimed ties to Saudi bankers and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.) Christian Fechner had to manage a shoot with a star who had just had a heart attack and nobody wanted to insure. And producer and part-time magician Claude Berri was put to the test by Roman Polanski and the sprawling production of Tess.
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