BLIER, BERTRAND

(1939- )

Actor, director, and screenwriter. In the late 1950s, Bertrand Blier assisted directors such as John Berry andJean Delannoy. In the early 1960s he worked as a second assistant toGeorge Lautnerbefore directing his first two films, the shortsHitler,connais pas(1963) andLa Grimace(1966). His first feature film was the thrillerSi j'étais un espion(1967), starring his father, the great actorBernard Blier. Bertrand Blier emerged as a significant filmmaker in the 1970s after the release ofLes Valseuses(1974), which was based on his own novel.It was followed byCalmos(1976) andPréparez vos mouchoirs(1977), which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 1978. BothLes ValseusesandPréparez vos mouchoirshelped to launchGérardDepardieu's career and both costarredPatrick Dewaere.

Depardieu played leading roles in several of Blier's films, includingBuffet Froid(1979) — which also featured Bernard Blier—Tenue de soirée(1986),Trop belle pour toi(1989),Merci la vie(1991), andLes Acteurs(2000).Trop belle pour toiwon Césars for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Scenario, in addition to the Grand Prize of the Jury atCannes. Blier is also an accomplished screenwriter, having won Césars for Best Scenario forBuffet FroidandNotre Histoire(1984). In the 1990s films, Blier worked with actress Anouk Grinberg, who played leading roles inMerci La Vie,Un,deux,trois soleil(1993) andMon homme(1996). His other films includeBeau-père(1981), starring Dewaere;La femme de mon pote(1983), featuringColucheandIsabelle Huppert;Les côtelettes(2003), with Philippe Noiret andMichel Bouquet; andCombien tu m'aimes? (2005), with Monica Bellucci and Bernard Campan.

Critics have observed that Blier's films are grounded in theater. His work has been compared especially to the theater of the absurd. Scholars have noted several characteristics of the absurd in Blier's work, such as the use of incongruous plots and audience alienation, or the abandonment of traditional conflict resolutions and character development. He also worked with actors whose careers were fostered in France'scafé-théâtres, such as Michel Blanc andJosiane Balasko. Blier has often been accused of misogyny because of the recurrent scenes of violence against women and the negative portrayals of female characters. Other critics have recognized his reversal of conventional gender roles that complicate established notions of femininity and masculinity.