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Philippe de Broca
Director

Philippe de Broca

15 Mar 1933Born
26 Nov 2004Died
71Age at death
48Credits

Biography

Philippe Claude Alex de Broca de Ferrussac (15 March 1933 – 26 November 2004) was a French film director.

He directed 30 full-length feature films, including the highly successful That Man from Rio (L'Homme de Rio), The Man from Acapulco (Le Magnifique) and On Guard (Le Bossu). His works include historical, romantic epics such as Chouans! and King of Hearts (Le Roi de cœur), as well as comedies with a charismatic, breezy hero ready to embark upon any adventure which comes his way, so long as it means escaping everyday modern life: Practice Makes Perfect (Le Cavaleur), The Devil by the Tail (Le Diable par la queue), The African (L'Africain).

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He had links with the actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, with whom he made six films, as well as with Jean-Pierre Cassel, Philippe Noiret and Jean Rochefort.

Philippe de Broca was born on 15 March 1933 in Paris. He was the son of a cinema set designer and the grandson of a well-known painter, Alexis de Broca. He studied at the Paris Photography and Cinematography School (école Vaugirard), graduating in 1953. He carried out his military service with the French Army's service cinématographique des armées (army film service) in Germany and then in Algeria, directing or acting as head cameraman on short films. Greatly affected by the war he witnessed in Algeria, he vowed to show life in its best light in his future films "because laughter is the best defence against upsets in life". After his discharge from the military, he set off on a journey taking in the length of Africa in Berliet trucks before returning to Paris.

He began working as an intern with Henri Decoin, before finding assistant positions with Claude Chabrol: Bitter Reunion (Le Beau Serge), The Cousins (Les Cousins), Web of Passion (À Double Tour), François Truffaut: The 400 Blows (Les 400 Coups) and Pierre Schoendoerffer: Ramuntcho. In 1959, Claude Chabrol produced de Broca's first film for him, The Love Game (Les jeux de l'amour) with Jean-Pierre Cassel. De Broca went on to work with Cassel again in The Joker (Le Farceur, 1960), Five Day Lover (L'Amant de cinq jours, 1961), and Male Companion (Un Monsieur de Compagnie, 1964).

De Broca's first commercial success came with Swords of Blood (Cartouche), filmed in 1962. This film also saw two more names become associated with de Broca: the actor Jean-Paul Belmondo and the producer Alexandre Mnouchkine. International acclaim came with That Man from Rio (L'Homme de Rio) in 1964, Up to His Ears (Les tribulations d'un Chinois en Chine) in 1965, The Man from Acapulco (Le Magnifique) in 1973 and Incorrigible (L'Incorrigible) in 1975.

In 1966, he co-wrote, directed and produced King of Hearts (Le Roi de Cœur). This parody of the Great War, which some cinema-lovers consider his masterpiece, was a commercial and personal failure, to de Broca's dismay. Yet it eventually achieved genuine cult-film status during the mid 1970s when it was presented in repertory movie theaters as well as non-theatrical college and university film series across the United States, eventually running for five years at the now defunct film house, the Central Square Cinemas [2] in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ...

Source: Article "Philippe de Broca" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Known for

Filmography

  1. TBARegarde-moi quand je te quitteFilm: Director
  2. 2022Belmondo: The IncorrigibleFilm
  3. 2004Viper in the FistFilm: Director, Writer
  4. 2003Un amour en kitFilm: Director
  5. 2003Y aura pas école demainFilm: Director
  6. 2002Madame Sans-GêneFilm: Director
  7. 2000AmazonFilm: Director, Writer
  8. 1997On GuardFilm: Director, Screenplay
  9. 1996Le Veilleur de nuitFilm: Director
  10. 1995Les hommes et les femmes sont faits pour vivre heureux… mais pas ensembleFilm: Director
  11. 1994Tales from the ZooFilm: Director
  12. 1991Les Clés du ParadisFilm: Director, Writer
  13. 19901001 NightsFilm: Director, Writer
  14. 1988Chouans !Film: Director
  15. 1986The GypsyFilm: Director, Writer
  16. 1984LouisianaFilm: Director
  17. 1983The AfricanFilm: Director, Writer
  18. 1981PsyFilm: Director
  19. 1980Jupiter's ThighFilm: Director
  20. 1979The Skirt ChaserFilm: Director, Writer
  21. 1978Dear InspectorFilm: Director
  22. 1977Julie pot-de-colleFilm: Director
  23. 1975IncorrigibleFilm: Director, Writer
  24. 1973The Magnificent OneFilm: Second Plumber (uncredited), Director, Writer
  25. 1972Dear LouiseFilm: Director
  26. 1971Touch and GoFilm: Director, Writer
  27. 1971Le Cinema de PapaFilm: Jean Timent
  28. 1970Give Her the MoonFilm: Director, Screenplay
  29. 1969The Devil by the TailFilm: Un passant suédois, Director
  30. 1967The Oldest ProfessionFilm: Director
  31. 1966King of HeartsFilm: Adolf Hitler, Director
  32. 1965Up to His EarsFilm: Director
  33. 1964Male CompanionFilm: Director, Writer
  34. 1964Les Pieds nickelésFilm: le chauffeur de taxi
  35. 1964The Little MissesFilm: Le timide
  36. 1964That Man from RioFilm: Director, Writer
  37. 1963People in LuckFilm: Le passant qui reçoit l'affiche (segment "Une nuit avec la vedette"), Director, Writer
  38. 1962The Girls of La RochelleFilm
  39. 1962CartoucheFilm: L'homme qui crie 'les aristocrates à la lanterne', Director, Writer
  40. 1962The Seven Deadly SinsFilm: Director
  41. 1962La GourmandiseFilm: Director
  42. 1961Five Day LoverFilm: Director, Screenplay
  43. 1961The JokerFilm: Director
  44. 1960The Love GameFilm: L'homme au cabaret Le Bateau Mouche, Director, Screenplay
  45. 1960BreathlessFilm: A Journalist (uncredited)
  46. 1959The 400 BlowsFilm: Homme dans une fête foraine (non crédité)
  47. 1959Le Beau SergeFilm: Jacques Rivette de la Chasuble
  48. 1953Three DatesFilm: Alex, le peintre, Director, Screenplay

Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.