Alain Resnais Bio (Biography)
Real name:
Alain Resnais
Date of birth:
June 3. 1922
Place of birth:
Vannes, Morbihan, Bretagne, France
Astrology Sign:
Gemini
Tags:
Biography
For critics and actors alike, the realm of director Alain Resnais is one that often goes untouched by their talents, or pens. And for those of us outside the world of entertainment, it's one that also goes misunderstood. Alain Resnais is not only one of the greatest directors of all time, but is artistically insane as well. It is extremely difficult for actors to live up to and critics to criticize him when is both stunningly brilliant and intuitively out of his mind at the same time.
Although Resnais has had a long and fruitful career, he is interestingly enough only well-known for three of his forty seven films, Night and Fog, produced in 1955, Hisroshima Mon Amour, produced in 1959, and L'Annee Derniere a Marienbad, produced in 1961. His film, Providence, produced in 1977, won him seven awards at the 1978 Cesar Awards, and yet, ironically, does not appear on this short list of his most famous films, proving, especially for Resnais, the difference between professional critics and the mass critic.
Aside from directing and writing films that led to his own stardom, Alain has led dozens of actors to stardom once or more times during their careers. He has directed such well-known, Cesar-nominated (the Cesar is the European equivalent of the Oscar) performers as Andre Dussollier (nominated twice in Resnais films), Pierre Arditi (nominated twice in Resnais films), and Sabine Azema (nominated four times in Resnais films), who consequently, was nominated to win an award even the critics couldn't predict: the heart of Alain Resnais, which she still holds to this day, as his life companion. Of those under Resnais' direction, more than a handful have won the coveted Cesar, a feat many other directors, European and American alike, can claim fame for, giving Resnais the right to flip his colleagues and competitors the bird (of peace) at every award ceremony.
Born in Vannes, Morbihan, Bretagne, France on June 3, 1922, Alain was well acquainted with the topic of many of his films: World War II. Alain began making films in the 1940s, always keeping a sense of realism about his visual imagery, a tough feat for any documentary film-maker who must work with images of the past by not showing them.
Alain's first big break came with the film L'Annee Derniere a Marienbad, which earned him critical acclaim and cemented his filming fate in the French Cinema hall of fame forever, probably a win that is continuously aiding and abetting his less than prolific, although oddly successful career.
Alain has often been lumped in with the directors of the French New Wave, although he reportedly has always fancied himself a member of the Left Bank-film makers who were committed to producing modernism and who watched the American cinema changes like a kid with a magnifying glass on an ant hill, ready to burn the little beasts on sight.
So whether you know Alain, or you don't, hate him or live him, agree he is a visionary or see him as a lunatic, one thing is clear: no matter what group he belongs to, Alain and his provocative war-time films certainly make the world "do the wave."
Although Resnais has had a long and fruitful career, he is interestingly enough only well-known for three of his forty seven films, Night and Fog, produced in 1955, Hisroshima Mon Amour, produced in 1959, and L'Annee Derniere a Marienbad, produced in 1961. His film, Providence, produced in 1977, won him seven awards at the 1978 Cesar Awards, and yet, ironically, does not appear on this short list of his most famous films, proving, especially for Resnais, the difference between professional critics and the mass critic.
Aside from directing and writing films that led to his own stardom, Alain has led dozens of actors to stardom once or more times during their careers. He has directed such well-known, Cesar-nominated (the Cesar is the European equivalent of the Oscar) performers as Andre Dussollier (nominated twice in Resnais films), Pierre Arditi (nominated twice in Resnais films), and Sabine Azema (nominated four times in Resnais films), who consequently, was nominated to win an award even the critics couldn't predict: the heart of Alain Resnais, which she still holds to this day, as his life companion. Of those under Resnais' direction, more than a handful have won the coveted Cesar, a feat many other directors, European and American alike, can claim fame for, giving Resnais the right to flip his colleagues and competitors the bird (of peace) at every award ceremony.
Born in Vannes, Morbihan, Bretagne, France on June 3, 1922, Alain was well acquainted with the topic of many of his films: World War II. Alain began making films in the 1940s, always keeping a sense of realism about his visual imagery, a tough feat for any documentary film-maker who must work with images of the past by not showing them.
Alain's first big break came with the film L'Annee Derniere a Marienbad, which earned him critical acclaim and cemented his filming fate in the French Cinema hall of fame forever, probably a win that is continuously aiding and abetting his less than prolific, although oddly successful career.
Alain has often been lumped in with the directors of the French New Wave, although he reportedly has always fancied himself a member of the Left Bank-film makers who were committed to producing modernism and who watched the American cinema changes like a kid with a magnifying glass on an ant hill, ready to burn the little beasts on sight.
So whether you know Alain, or you don't, hate him or live him, agree he is a visionary or see him as a lunatic, one thing is clear: no matter what group he belongs to, Alain and his provocative war-time films certainly make the world "do the wave."
