If the journalist and writer Philippe Durant is a cinephile of the enlightened species, he nevertheless has his faces: those of our cinema of yesteryear, of Michel Audiard, Jean Gabin, Lino Ventura, Jean-Paul Belmondo and other eminently Franco-French stars , For example. But behind the scene, there are of course the little secrets of the seventh art. Hence the title of his new essay, The little secrets of great French films (The Rock).
Ces « little secrets », he explains in the preface, are the ordinary of the profession: “ The perfect film does not exist. You have to make a reason for it. Even masterpieces have their faults, even their authors had to make concessions before offering the result on the big screen. » And the author appeals to a filmmaker, an American one, the immense William Friedkin, known for The Exorcist (1973) and the diptych French Connection (1971 and 1975); which admits: “ Even if it means demystifying all the stupid beliefs surrounding cinema: to make a film, you need ambition, luck, and the grace of God. »
The Professionala miracle film?
The Professionalone of the late Bebel's greatest successes? A film that was off to a bad start even before the first turn of the crank. Michel Audiard's screenplay is not worth a damn and it is Francis Veber, the man of The Goat a you Dinner for idiotswho rewrote it from top to bottom, without being cited in the credits for contractual reasons. In his films, Belmondo never dies; but there, he demands to give up the ghost in the last minutes. The producers cry crazy, but the star, who is also… co-producer, ends up having the last word, largely thanks to music by Ennio Morricone, which has fallen into oblivion, but including René Château, the press officer of Bebel, remembers by chance. Her name is Who Never and 45s will soon be sold by the carload. Note that Who Never will be broadcast at the Cannes Film Festival, when Jean-Paul Belmondo will receive his Palme d'Honneur. This shows that a series of accidents can sometimes lead to a public triumph.
Of the anecdotes from this barrel, there are exactly a hundred in this precious one, each more fascinating than the last.
Three men and a bassinet : a predicted failure?
We learn, for example, that no one wanted to finance Three men and a bassinet (1985), the immense success of Coline Serreau, who originally envisaged a simple TV film. Shunned by the television channels of the time, she tried everything on the big screen, without much success. It was finally a certain Jean-François Petit, an unknown producer with only two films to his credit, who managed to raise nine million francs, a miserable sum, even at the time. He therefore needed inexpensive actors, and it was no surprise that the stars of the time (Gérard Depardieu, Christophe Lambert, Thierry Lhermitte among others) refused. It will therefore be three almost unknowns, André Dussolier, at the time only familiar to fans of the cinema of Alain Resnais, Roland Giraud and Michel Boujenah, only too happy to be able to add a film to their modest pedigree. Result ? Ten million admissions, six César™ nominations and three trophies, a film which represents France at the Oscars™ and an American remake, directed by Leonard Nimoy, the Mr Spock of the series Star Trek !
It is not known whether producer Jean-François Petit later called himself Jean-François Grand, but he might have.
The wisdom of Robert Mitchum
A plebiscite that will end up weighing on Roland Giraud, Philippe Durant reveals to us: “ Whatever he plays next, the audience keeps talking to him about Three Men and a Bassinet. During a festival, he met the great Robert Mitchum who explained to him: “You will be talking about this film all your life. Be neither surprised nor tired of it; it was a great and great success. For my part, I have participated in more than 120 films, many of which have been huge worldwide successes. Now, they only talk to me about one, always the same, The Night of the Hunter ! Be happy that people remember you, even if it’s just through one title!” » Shows that humility is often the mark of great people.
There are still 98 such stories to discover. So, let's not divulge the better to leave the reader the pleasure of savoring them all. Afterwards, all that will remain for the most maluches of the latter is to take advantage of it to shine inexpensively in social dinners!
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