KAST, PIERRE

(1920-1984)

Director, film critic, and screenwriter. After fighting in the French Resistance during World War II, Pierre Kast established the Paris University ciné-club in 1945. He also worked for theCinémathèque françaiseand wrote essays forCahiers du cinéma. In the late 1940s, he worked as an assistant director toJean Grémillon. He also assistedJean Renoiron the filmFrench Cancan(1955).

Kast's own directorial debut came in 1949, with the filmCharmes de l'existence(1949), codirected with Grémillon. Kast went on to make a number of other documentaries on his own, includingArithmétique(1951),Les Femmes du Louvre(1951),Je sème à tout vent(1952),L'architecte maudit:Claude-Nicholas Ledoux(1954), andLe Corbusier,l'architecte du bonheur(1957).

In the late 1950s, Kast began directing feature-length films.His feature debut,Un Amour de poche(1957), reflected Kast's interest in science fiction. His next film, the intellectualLe Bel Age(1960), was cowritten withJacques Doniol-Valcroze, a cofounder ofCahiers du cinéma. Kast's portrayals of intellectuals inLa morte-saison des amours(1961),Vacances portugaises(1963), andLe soleil en face(1978) have received accolades from arguably elite critics and mixed reviews from popular audiences. His continued passion for science fiction emerged inLes soleils de l'Ile de Pâques(1972). He also di-rectedUn animal doué de déraison(1976) andLa guérilléra(1982).

In addition to directing, Kast has also worked as a screenwriter. He wrote the screenplays to his own films, as well as those of Jean-Daniel Pollet'sUne balle au Coeur(1965) andLe Maître du temps(1970) andEdouard Molinaro'sL'Ironie du sort(1974). He also did some short stints as an actor, appearing in an uncredited role in Molinaro'sLa Mort de Belle(1961) and another inClaude Lelouch'sL'Aventure c'est l'aventure(1972). Kast was also known as a novelist, and as such was the author of three novels.