Director and screenwriter Jean-Charles Tacchella died on Thursday, August 30, “in his sleep”at his home in Versailles, at the age of 98, Agence France-Presse learned from his family on Friday.
Author of 11 feature films, this former president of the Cinémathèque française obtained, for his most famous film, Cousinin 1975, an Oscar nomination and the Louis Delluc Prize.
Author of numerous screenplays, he notably wrote the first version of The Great Stroll. He has also written plays and worked for television, participating in the writing of the series Long live the life and episodes of the series At Maupassant’s. He considered his work to be “on the fringes of waves and fashions” and that he “mixed laughter and emotion” and had declared: “I can’t imagine that one day, when I make a film noir, I won’t be able to add some humor to it.”.
Late access to realization
Born on September 23, 1925 in Cherbourg (Manche), Jean-Charles Tacchella spent his adolescence in Marseille with his family originally from Genoa, Italy. The war did not prevent him from frequenting dark rooms. At the Liberation, the young man moved to Paris to make films, his vocation. When L’Ecran Français was created, he jumped at the opportunity and became a critic for this weekly.
He would later become one of the pillars of “Objectif-49”, an avant-garde film club chaired by Jean Cocteau, at the origin of the future New Wave. He entered directing late in life: “I have much more [scénarios de] films not shot than shot, I sometimes film in my dreams, but in the end, it doesn’t go very far”.
His career began with a short film, The last winters (1969), which won the Jean-Vigo 71 prize. It was not until 1973, at almost 50 years old, that he completed his first feature film, Journey to Great Tartary with Jean-Luc Bideau.
A fan of stories involving a profusion of characters, Tacchella will film endearing characters but capable of ferocity, whose bonds are made and unmade according to infidelities and love at first sight. This is evidenced by his most famous film, Cousina whirlwind of feelings punctuated by birthdays, weddings and funerals. This story of a trouble between a young woman and her cousin that will disorganize the family is nominated for the 1977 Oscars in the categories of best foreign film, screenplay and actress (Marie-Christine Barrault). It will be the subject of a remake (Cousins) by Joel Schumacher in 1989.
The Blue Country (1977, with Brigitte Fossey), I have loved you for a long time (1979, with Jean Carmet) or Bite into life (1981, with Carole Laure and Bernard Giraudeau) have the same tone, both jovial and ironic. Staircase C (1985, with Robin Renucci and Jean-Pierre Bacri) is also one of his most notable films, between popular cinema and auteur cinema. Twice nominated for a César, it tells the story of life in a Parisian building where several stories – of love, of contempt… – intertwine.
After a short stint in historical film with Gallant ladies (1990, inspired by Brantôme’s memoirs), he returned to comedy with The man of my life (1992) et Everyday Sunday (1995), with less success.
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