BENOÎTLÉVY, JEAN
(1888-1959)
Director. Jean Benoît-Lévy was a film director during the classical era of French film. Although di-recting popular cinema was not his primary profession, Benoît-Lévy directed a number of fairly popular and critically well-received films during the 1930s and 1940s. His best-known films areLa Cygne(1937) andAltitude 3200(1938), aLord of the Flies-typestory of several friends who withdraw to the Alps and found their own republic. The film starsOdette JoyeuxandJean-Louis Barrault. He also codirected several films withMarie Epstein, the sister of renowned impressionist directorJean Epstein. Their collaborative films includeAmes d'enfants(1928), a history of decline and redemption between two families, andLa Maternelle(1933). Outside of narrative films, Benoît-Lévy also made a number of documentary films for various social and humanitarian agencies. He also taught film studies for a time in New York, and eventually went on to work for UNESCO.
Historical Dictionary of French Cinema by Dayna Oscherwitz & Mary Ellen Higgins
- benoîtlévy, jean—Director. Jean BenotLvy was a film director during the classical era of French film. Although directing popular cinema was not his primary profession BenotLvy directed a ...Historical Dictionary of French Cinema