''A Self-Made Hero'' (french: Un héros très discret) is a 1996 French film directed by
Jacques Audiard
Jacques Audiard (; born 30 April 1952) is a French film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is the son of Michel Audiard, also a film director and screenwriter.
He has won both the César Award for Best Film and the BAFTA Award for Best Fi ...
. It is based on the novel by
Jean-François Deniau
Jean-François Deniau (31 October 1928 – 24 January 2007) was a French politician, diplomat, essayist and novelist. Until 1998, he was a member of the Union for French Democracy (UDF).
Biography
Minister and diplomat
In 1958, he became th ...
.
Synopsis
Albert Dehousse has grown up on
heroic novels, unfortunately his life isn't quite so exciting. Albert lives in a village in Northern France with his mother, who lives in memory of her husband, who she claims died a hero in the First World War. World War Two passes the pair by, as Albert is not called up as he is the only child of a war widow, denying him of his chance to become a hero. Having married the daughter of a member of the resistance, he leaves his family and his marriage for
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
where heroes are truly celebrated.
About the film
"''Les vies les plus belles sont celles qu'on s'invente''", (the most beautiful lives are those we invent) announces an older Albert Dehousse at the beginning of the film. ''Un héros très discret'' is a film which investigates the divide between fantasy and reality.
Cast
*
Mathieu Kassovitz
Mathieu Kassovitz (; born 3 August 1967) is a French actor, film director, film producer and screenwriter. He is the founder of MNP Entreprise, a film production company. He has won three César Awards: Most Promising Actor for '' See How They ...
: Albert Dehousse
*
Albert Dupontel
Albert Dupontel (; born 11 January 1964) is a French actor, film director and screenwriter. Following his father's path, he studied medicine but eventually switched to theater, disillusioned by hospital life. He started his career as a stand-up c ...
: Dionnet
*
Anouk Grinberg
Anouk Grinberg (born 20 March 1963) is a French actress. She is the daughter of Michel Vinaver, born Michel Grinberg, a French writer and dramatist, and the great-granddaughter of the pre-1917 Russian politician Maxim Vinaver.
She has appeared ...
: Servane
*
Sandrine Kiberlain
Sandrine Kiberlain (born Sandrine Kiberlajn; 25 February 1968) is a French actress and singer. Her most notable roles were in the films '' The Patriots'' (1994), '' A Self Made Hero'' (1996), ''For Sale'' (1998), ''Alias Betty'' (2001), ''Madem ...
: Yvette
*
Nadia Barentin
Nadia Barentin (17 October 1936 – 22 March 2011) was a French actress, known for her theatre and film roles, including ''Les Blessures assassines'' in 2000.
She was nominated for the Molière Award for Best Supporting Actress for '' Mons ...
: General's wife
*
Bernard Bloch : Ernst
*
François Chattot
François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis.
People with the given name
* Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters"
* Francis II of France, Kin ...
: Louvier
*
Philippe Duclos Philippe is a masculine sometimes feminin given name, cognate to Philip. It may refer to:
* Philippe of Belgium (born 1960), King of the Belgians (2013–present)
* Philippe (footballer) (born 2000), Brazilian footballer
* Prince Philippe, Count o ...
: Caron
*
Danièle Lebrun
Danièle Lebrun (born 24 July 1937) is a French actress.
Theater
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lebrun, Daniele
1937 births
Living people
French film actresses
French stage actresses
People from Ardèche
2 ...
: Madame Dehousse
*
Clotilde Mollet
Clotilde Mollet is a French actress.
Theatre
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
French film actresses
20th-century French actresses
21st-century French actresses
Actresses from Paris
Living people
French stage actresses
Fr ...
: Odette
*
François Berléand
François Berléand (; born 22 April 1952) is a French actor.
He plays Gilles Triquet, the officer manager and equivalent of David Brent in ''Le Bureau'', the French version of ''The Office'', produced by Canal+. He also appeared in the 2002 fil ...
: Monsieur Jo
*
Philippe Nahon
Philippe Nahon (; 24 December 1938 – 19 April 2020) was a French actor.
Best known films
Nahon was best known for his roles in French horror and thriller films, including '' I Stand Alone'', '' Humains'', '' Calvaire'', ''The Pack'' and ''H ...
: The General
*
Jean-Louis Trintignant
Jean-Louis Xavier Trintignant (; 11 December 1930 – 17 June 2022) was a French actor. He made his theatrical debut in 1951, and went on to be regarded as one of the best French dramatic actors of the post-war era. He starred in many classic fi ...
: Albert Dehousse (old)
*
Bruno Putzulu
Bruno Putzulu (born 24 May 1967) is a French actor, born in Toutainville, France.
Life and career
Born to a Sardinian father, Bruno Putzulu was born and raised in Toutainville, Haute-Normandie. Although he liked football, he chose an acting ...
: Meyer
*
François Levantal
François Levantal (born 14 October 1960) is a French actor. He has appeared in more than one hundred films since 1986.
Filmography
Theater
Music videos
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levantal, Francois
1960 births
Living people
F ...
: Delavelle
*
Armand de Baudry d'Asson : Englishman
*
Wilfred Benaïche : Nervoix
Awards and nominations
*
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
(France)
**Won:
Best Screenplay
Best or The Best may refer to:
People
* Best (surname), people with the surname Best
* Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer
Companies and organizations
* Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain
* Best Lock Corporatio ...
(Jacques Audiard and Alain Le Henry)
**Nominated:
Golden Palm
The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...
(Jacques Audiard)
*
César Awards
The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the ' ceremony and was first awarded in 1976. The nominations are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals and supported by the French Min ...
(France)
**Nominated:
Best Actor – Supporting Role (Albert Dupontel)
**Nominated:
Best Actress – Supporting Role (Sandrine Kiberlain)
**Nominated:
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to:
Film awards
* AACTA Award for Best Direction
* Academy Award for Best Director
* BA ...
(Jacques Audiard)
**Nominated:
Best Editing (Juliette Welfling)
**Nominated:
Best Music
Best or The Best may refer to:
People
* Best (surname), people with the surname Best
* Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer
Companies and organizations
* Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain
* Best Lock Corporation ...
(Alexandre Desplat)
**Nominated:
Best Writing (Jacques Audiard and Alain Le Henry)
*
Stockholm Film Festival
The Stockholm International Film Festival ( sv, Stockholms filmfestival, italic=no) is an annual film festival held in Stockholm, Sweden. It was launched in 1990 and has been held every year since then during the second half of November.
The w ...
(Sweden)
**Won: Best Screenplay (Jacques Audiard and Alain Le Henry)
**Nominated:
Bronze Horse
*
Valladolid Film Festival
The Valladolid International Film Festival, popularly known as Seminci (short for ; ), is a film festival held annually in Valladolid, Spain. First held in 1956 as ('Valladolid Religious Film Week'), the Seminci is one of the longest-standing fi ...
(Spain)
**Won: Silver Spike (Jacques Audiard)
**Nominated:
Golden Spike
The golden spike (also known as The Last Spike) is the ceremonial 17.6-karat gold final spike driven by Leland Stanford to join the rails of the first transcontinental railroad across the United States connecting the Central Pacific Railroad ...
(Jacques Audiard)
See also
* ''
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind''
References
External links
*
''A Self-Made Hero''at Alice Cinéma (French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Self-Made Hero
1996 films
French comedy-drama films
1990s French-language films
Films directed by Jacques Audiard
Films with screenplays by Jacques Audiard