Claire Denis is French film-maker who has had a significant impact on not just French cinema but also European cinema as a whole. Much of her body of work is concerned with either colonial and post-colonial West Africa or modern French issues, but it should be noted that she is famous for making movies within a wide range of genres.
Here are five things that you may or may not have known about Claire Denis:
Raised in Colonial French Africa
Denis was born in Paris. However, she was raised in French Africa because her father was a French civil servant. Furthermore, her father wanted his children to learn more about geographical matters, which was why he decided to move his family on a biennial basis. Given Denis’s background, it should come as no surprise to learn that she was influenced a great deal by this background, which can be seen in her movies.
Started Out Studying Economics
Initially, Denis set out to study economics. However, she found that the Dismal Science lived up to its name, which upset her. As a result, she decided to study at a French film school called IDHEC with some support from her husband, which seems to have paid off. After all, Denis is not just a well-known filmmaker but also a Professor of Film at the European Graduate School.
First Film Was Chocolat
In 1988, Denis released Chocolat, which happened to be her first feature film. Interestingly, Chocolat was a semi-autobiographical movie, which is perhaps unsurprising considering that it was centered around a French family living in colonial Cameroon. Furthermore, it should be mentioned that the name of the movie was chosen with considerable care, with the result that it refers to a number of things. For example, it is a reference to a racist term, a reference to French slang for being cheated, and a reference to the exploitative system used to bring cocoa to Europe.
Famous For Beau Travail
One of Denis’s most famous movies is Beau Travail, which was based on to some extent on a Herman Melville novel called Billy Budd. For those who are curious, the movie is about an ex-member of the French Foreign Legion named Sergent Galoup, whose envy towards a fellow soldier causes him to destroy his own career. Beau Travail wasn’t just popular in France but also in the United States, where it received a lot of praise from a lot of movie critics.
Collaborates a Lot with Other People in Filmmaking
It is interesting to note that Denis is fond of collaborating with other people when it comes to film-making. For example, she likes to work with the same screenwriter, the same cinematographer, and the same actors, so much so that she often writes parts in her movies with particular people in mind for them. For that matter, Denis likes to collaborate with other people on their movies as well, whether by appearing in them, helping with the screenwriting, or helping with the directing as an assistant director.
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