Jean Delannoy, Director: 1908 - 2008
French filmmaker Jean Delannoy died on Wednesday at the age of 100. Though his film career lasted more than 60 years, he will always be inextricably intertwined with the French New Wave because he exemplified everything its proponents were fighting against.
François Truffaut famously said that even the worst of Jean Renoir’s films would be more interesting than the best of Jean Delannoy’s. At 21, Truffaut was rebelling against the stagnation of the post-War French film industry, mired in lavishly mounted, cookie cutter dramas popular with audiences but not critics.
To Truffaut and others writing at the time for Cahiers du cinema, Delannoy was the anti-auteur who believed in the primacy of the screenplay. The auteurists on the other hand believed in the importance of the director. They elevated those who had a distinct personal style - Renoir, Ophuls, Bresson, Becker, Tati - above those, like Delannoy, who were perceived to be cogs in a broken system; nevermind that Delannoy had been making films since before Truffaut was born.
Every revolution is a rebellion against the status quo and the representatives of that status quo are all too often overly demonized. Delannoy’s films are pretty square and I’m not a huge fan, but they’re not bad. La Symphonie Pastorale (1946), the film for which Delannoy won the Palme d’Or, is too melodramatic to my taste with its story of a blind orphan girl cared for by a kindly pastor who falls in love with her, but it’s got Michelle Morgan and that’s reason enough to check it out.
More interesting is L’Eternel Retour (1943), Delannoy’s modernatization of the Tristan and Isolde legend written by Jean Cocteau. Like Cocteau’s wonderful version of Beauty and the Beast (1946), L’Eternel Retour is full of a certain fantastical mysticism and it even shares star Jean Marais. Of course it’s assumed that Cocteau made the film what it was, but it seems unfair to dismiss Delannoy’s role entirely.
Despite the criticisms levied against him by a younger generation, Delannoy’s career continued in features and on television throughout the 1990’s. His last film was 1995’s Mary of Nazareth.
Filed under: News, Obituaries
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Wow, 100 years old. We should all be drinking French wine.
RIP.
Tip a glass to old Jean for fomenting revolution.
Great point, Alison, aha. 100 years old. I guess he wasn’t cheated.
“Every revolution is a rebellion against the status quo and the representatives of that status quo are all too often demonized.” Very true words, Craig. Poor Delannoy–whose films have all gone unseen by me thus far–has indeed been overshadowed by the New Wave filmmakers in our time (here I am, just having rented Band of Outsiders and Masculin Feminine to see them yet again, and I haven’t even seen a Delannoy film) but as an integral part of that aforementioned status quo, I’ve wanted to check into him more, for contrast if for nothing else.
What’s funny is La Symphonie Pastorale, along with Pelle the Conqueror (I know, I know…) one of only a couple of Palm d’Or winners I haven’t seen. Need to fix that. L’Eternel Retour sounds interesting as well.
The only reason I ever saw the two films I mentioned is that I was trying to get a fuller appreciation of what the New Wave was all about, once upon a time. They’re not exactly my cup of tea, but I’d sooner watch one again than anything by Michael Bay.
Where’s the next New Wave that will carry us away from crap like Bay and Bruckheimer?
I’ve totally let the New Wave overshadow my seeing this gentleman’s work also. I’ve been recently reading Truffaut’s criticism and its funny how dif., in certain ways, his voice as a film critic is from his as a filmmaker. The man, as a critic, could be vicious. Wonderful writing though.
Alexander, I havent seen Band of Outsiders in a few years but I always remember that scene of the three characters dancing (in a cafe?). Its a great fuck-it Godard moment-one I wouldnt hesitate to rip off if I ever made a film.
I’ve got several left unseen but my favorite Godard at the moment is a photo-finish between Masculin Feminin and Weekend.
This is stating the baldly obvious, but it’s not something I consider every day: what an amazing time the New Wave was with these 20-somethings taking shots at their parents’ generation and then actually doing something about it…and then people listening.
I’m not prepared to assert a favorite Godard and stick by it, but I’m going to toss out My Life to Live and Pierrot le Fou.
Yeah, favorite Godard is an ever constantly changing thing, good point Craig. And saying that about the New Wave might be obvious, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s the absolute truth.
I’m just thinking out loud. Where are the revolutionaries?
For me it’s a Contempt/Weekend tie.
Please god, I hope there’s a more interesting revolution out there than Mumblecore.
“We should all be drinking French wine.”
Word, Alison. And respecting the primacy of screenplays.
The auteur theory gave Pauline Kael palpitations too.
“La Symphonie Pastorale (1946), the film for which Delannoy won the Palme d’Or, is too melodramatic to my taste with its story of a blind orphan girl cared for by a kindly pastor who falls in love with her…”
shhh… Eastwood is probably groping around for the next Haggis thing to cough up.
Or Larry Clark.
ha! jeff!
[involuntary shiver of eww]
Hahahah Jeff.
Also, Contempt will be playing the Nuart starting July 11 which is coincidentally my birthday.
jeffmcm-your mumblecore remark triggered a rare LOL from this side of the computer. I think some of the filmmakers in that annoyingly named phase are promising, but could somebody, like tell, them, like (pregnant, ungodly long pause) that young people kinda (stutter, stutter) sometimes, you know, have coherent thoughts too?
Craig…
What do you want for that particular birthday, poochie pie?
Would you like me to suggest something…?
s’prise me.
I don’t know if you could handle it….
But we’ll see…
Get ready for the best colonic of your life!
Yeah, I just grossed myself out too.