French director Jean-Jacques Beineix died on January 13 at the age of 75. He had won the César for Best First Work for Diva (1981).
Jean-Jacques Beineix starts as assistant director to Jean Becker on the famous television series The holy darlings (1964-1967) then on Le Cinéma de papa by Claude Berri in 1970.
He remained assistant-director for about ten years, with René Clément for La Course du lièvre à travers les champs (1971) or Claude Zidi on L’Animal for example in 1977. That same year he directed his first short film : Le Chien de M. Michel awarded first prize at the Trouville Festival.
His first feature Diva made in 1980 was a popular success (2.28 million admissions) crowned with four César in 1982. His second film The Moon in the Gutter despite its selection at the Cannes Film Festival in 1983 will be a failure.
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Jean Jacques Beineix
In 1984, after reading Philippe Djian’s manuscript, he decided to produce 37°2 le matin, whose main actress was Béatrice Dalle, previously unknown. The cardboard of the film (which attracts 3.6 million curious people in theaters) and its interpretation propel it to the rank of star. He chose Isabelle Pasco to play the title role of Roselyne and the Lions in 1989 but without success.
In 1993, with IP5, he offered Yves Montand his ultimate interpretation. By adapting Jean-Pierre Cattégno’s psychoanalytical thriller Mortel Transfert, he suffered a critical and commercial setback. He will not return to the cinema until his death on January 13, 2022.
