Philippe Clair
1930 - 2020Philippe Clair moved to Paris in 1950 to study acting at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts of Paris. He won the Bernstein and College Stars awards, honors given to the best young Parisian actors. He performed on stage and television with major directors and writers in shows such as L'Affaire des poisons [Affair of the Poisons] directed by Raymond Rouleau, Une femme libre [A free woman] by Armand Salacrou, and Les Îles fortunées [The Prosperous Islands] by Simon Gantillon. Eventually he got a show of his own and became an important French humorist, mounting such works as the Judeo-Arabic Purée de nous z'otres [Mashed we z'otres], and Le Cid in Oued Bel [Parody of El Cid] based on the book by Edmond Brua. He specialized in improvisation and in writing comedy sketches.
In 1965 Clair directed his first film, Déclic et des claques [Clicks and Slaps] with Annie Girardot, the comic misadventures of a young pied-noir [French Algerian] in Paris. He continued his work as a singer: in 1967, his sketch Rien Nasser de courir which satirized the Six-Day War was banned because of its political overtones.
In 1970, Philippe Clair became the leading director of popular comedy. His humor usually had a French Algerian flavor. Most of his films were commercial successes, although sometimes they were panned by critics who called them vulgar or overacted. His films were often plagiarized by other directors with typical French disrespect or–as the French call it–franchouillards.
His 1971 film La Grande Java [Great Java] launched the comedy careers of the members of the French band Les Charlots. He went on to use band member Aldo Maccione in The Great Maffia, Plus beau que moi, tu meurs [More beautiful than me, you die], and Tais-toi quand tu parles! [Shut up when you talk]. He made several surreal films, such as Le Führer en folie [The Fuhrer Runs Amok], which featured Henri Tisot in the role of Adolf Hitler and in which Michel Galabru plays the role of a football referee. In 1984, he managed the greatest coup of his career by casting Jerry Lewis in the film Par où t'es rentré? On t'a pas vu sortir [How Did You Get In? We Didn't See You Leave].
In 2013 journalist and filmmaker Gilles Botineau joined with Philippe Clair to produce a documentary portrait titled, Plus drôle que lui, tu meurs [Funnier than him, you die]. The film, lasting 55 minutes covered Clair's entire career, focusing especially on his vision of comedy. Clair retired in 1990 at the age of 60. However, he returned with a production he wrote in 2013 titled, Help, Philippe Clair returns.
Philippe Clair was not always treated kindly by the critics. Critic John Tulard in the "Dictionary of French directors" said, "His work is incredibly stupid and vulgar". The weekly French magazineTélérama opined, "Every film by Philippe Clair is worse than the last, and yet it never stops". ...
Source: Article "Philippe Clair" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Olhar Estrangeiro
Lúcia Murat
Michael Caine, Jon Voight
Fantasies and clichés about Brazil and Brazilians as reinforced by international films, even those actually shot in Brazil. This documentary features interviews with non-Brazilian directors, writers and stars who have been involved in some of those films.
The Foreign Eye
Armiamoci e partite!
Nando Cicero
Franco Franchi, Ciccio Ingrassia
Franco and Ciccio work as waiters in an inn in France. The day Ciccio officially takes French citizenship, the First World War breaks out between Germany and France and all citizens are forced to enlist.
Armiamoci e partite!
Du rififi à Paname
Denys de La Patellière
Jean Gabin, Gert Fröbe
In Paris, a gold smuggler is at war with other local gangsters who want piece of the action. Then the mob shows up and makes things worse. And an undercover US Treasury Department agent is trying to infiltrate the smuggling business.
The Upper Hand
Si t'as besoin de rien, fais-moi signe
Philippe Clair
Manuel Gélin, François Perrot
Once inseparable, Charles the artist and Daniel the schemer reunite after 15 years of separation and confess their mutual misfortune. Determined to start over, the two friends and Sylvie, a friend of Charles, take on the movie business. But they come up against the well-established laws of the business and create havoc wherever they go. But their optimism will save them.
Si t'as besoin de rien, fais-moi signe
Tais-toi quand tu parles
Philippe Clair
Aldo Maccione, Edwige Fenech
Giacomo has an idol: James Bond. When he dreams, he dreams of himself, his fabulous adventures, especially in Tunisia, and a beautiful wife, Belle. In reality he is unemployed, overwhelmed by an obsessive mother who continually called to see if he wore his woolen tank top and is treated by a doctor who thinks he is Einstein. Finally Giacomo is followed by bizarre characters, kidnapped and taken to Tunisia to live a wonderful adventure of her dreams, from the dangers of any kind ... and he met Beatrice
Shut Up When You Speak!
Si tu vas à Rio... tu meurs
Philippe Clair
Aldo Maccione, Roberta Close
Twin brothers arrive in Rio during the Carnival. One is a priest and is going to work in a parish; the other, a drug-dealer, in a business trip to sell cocaine. They’re not aware of each other’s presence. People expecting them always get in touch with the wrong guy.
Si tu vas à Rio... tu meurs
Rodriguez au pays des merguez
Philippe Clair
Geneviève Fontanel, Philippe Clair
In Bab El Oued, during the French colonization, the action takes place against the backdrop of elections. The unemployed Roro, son of skewer merchant Dodièze likes Chipette, daughter of hairdresser Gongormatz.
Rodriguez au pays des merguez
Par où t'es rentré? On t'a pas vu sortir
Philippe Clair
Jerry Lewis, Philippe Clair
Clovis Blaireau is a private detective. It is charged by Nadège de Courtaboeuf wife knew wealthy industrialist Prosper de Courtaboeuf, to obtain evidence of the infidelity of her husband. Clovis managed to penetrate the intimacy of Prosper, and became his friend. Following diverse Clovis and Prosper adventures will find themselves in Tunisis pursued by a band of Mafioso and by members of the Front of breaking load of Couscous.
Par où t'es rentré? On t'a pas vu sortir
Comment se faire réformer
Philippe Clair
Michel Melki, Christine abt
Two friends, Philippe and Jeannot, are drafted the same day and assigned to the same place. They have no taste for military life and during the conscription visit they try all they can to be declared unfit for service. They fail and land in barrack room 13, where a bunch of other "rebels" is gathered together, under the approximate control of a stupid warrant officer and a depressing captain.They all still have hopes of returning home soon.Besides Philippe and Jeannot, this motley crew consists of a rich allegedly kleptomaniac snob, a phony queen, an orthodox Jew, a yogi, a hippie, a Belgian, a hermetic poet, an Arab, and that's not the half of it...
Comment se faire réformer
Les réformés se portent bien
Philippe Clair
Philippe Clair, Richard Anconina
In order to subdue the conscripts of Chamber 13, a new captain is assigned. He is an adventurer, a nostalgic of his warrior past and the resistance is quickly born within the young soldiers.
Les réformés se portent bien
