DEVILLE, MICHEL

(1931- )

Director, producer, and screenwriter. Michel Deville was born in Boulogne-sur-Seine. He got his start in cinema as an assistant to directorHenri Decoinin the early 1950s before codirecting his first film, the crime dramaUne balle dans le canon(1958) with Charles Gérard. His first independently directed feature wasCe soir ou jamais(1961), starringAnna Karinaand co-written with Nina Companeez. Deville would collaborate with Companeez on the scripts of several comedies, includingAdorable menteuse(1962),L'Appartement des filles(1963),A cause,à cause d'une femme(1963),Lucky Jo(1964),On a volé la Jaconde(1965),Martin Soldat(1966),Benjamin ou Les Mémoires d'un puceau(1967), andBye bye,Barbara(1969). Karina starred again inTendres Requins(1967), another film he cowrote with Companeez. Many of Deville's films were commercially successful. HisBenjaminwas also critically successful, winning the prestigiousPrix Louis-Delluc.

Deville has some connection to FrenchNouvelle Vagueor New Wave directors, of whom he is a contemporary. He often worked, for example, with prominent New Wave actresses such as Karina andBrigitte Bardot. The latter starred in his comedyL 'Ours et la poupée(1970), a film emblematic of Deville's interest in sexual politics. However, Deville departed from the New Wave in his use of more traditional photography and his emphasis on creating entertaining films. While directors such asJacques Derayprofited from the use of male superstars, Deville is noted for his work with several major actresses.In the 1970s he castFrançoise Fabianand Brigitte Fossey inRaphaël ou le débâché(1971) and the legendaryRomy SchneiderinLe mouton enragé(1974) alongside British star Jane Birkin. He also collaborated with important French actors such asMichel PiccoliandJean-Louis Trintignant. Aside from his selection of fine actresses, Deville is known as a talented scenarist. In 1979 he won aCésarfor Best Writing with Gilles Perrault forLe Dossier 51. The film also received the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics Award for Best Film. Perrault later scripted Deville'sLa petite bande(1983).

In the 1980s, Deville's work continued to be critically lauded as well as popular. Much of what is appreciated in his films is his tendency to utilize postmodern techniques, particularly with respect to the blending of different art forms into his films, and for his play with genre. He won a César for Best Director and a second French Syndicate of Cinema Critics Award for Best Film forPéril en la demeure(1985), another detective thriller with decidedly postmodern traits. HisLa Lectrice(1988), which starsMiou-Miou, also plays with genre and blurs the boundaries between fiction and reality. It won the Prix Louis-Delluc and the Grand Prix des Amériques at the Montreal World Film Festival. Rosalinde Deville collaborated on the scripts for both films and continued this collaboration with Deville into the 1990s and beyond. BothLe Voyage en douce(1980) andPéril en la demeurewere also nominated for the Golden Berlin Bear.

No doubt because of his popular and critical standing, Deville has still been able to work with some of the best actors and directors in France. He cast Trintignant andIsabelle HuppertinEaux profondes(1981), and his filmLe Paltoquet(1986) featuresFanny Ardant,Daniel Auteuil,Richard Bohringer, andJeanne Moreau. His recent collaborations with French directors includeContre l'oubli(1991), a film about political prisoners initiated by Amnesty International. He has also cooperated with emerging French actors such as Jean-Hughes Anglade inNuit d'été en ville(1990) and Élodie Bouchez inLa Divine poursuite(1997). HisToutes peines confondues(1992) features celebrity singers Patrick Bruel and Jacques Dutronc. In the 1990s, Deville received further acclaim. His filmLa Maladie de Sachs(1999) received yet another French Syndicate of Cinema Critics Award for Best Film. It was also nominated for a César for Best Director. Deville subsequently directedUn monde presque paisible(2002) andUn fil à la patte(2005), a film starring Emmanuel Béart and Charles Berling.