Claude Jaeger (April 2, 1917 – September 16, 2004) was a Swiss-born French film producer and actor.

Life and career

Claude Jaeger was born on April 2, 1917, in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, Switzerland. He undertook his studies in Paris and briefly worked at the

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a part of the government in most countries that is responsible for matters related to the finance. Lists of current ministries of finance Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Finance (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Finance and Eco ...

, but was interrupted by

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and he served in the French Army. After the 1940 armistice with Nazi Germany, he joined the

Communist Party of Spain The Communist Party of Spain ( es, Partido Comunista de España; PCE) is a Marxist-Leninist party that, since 1986, has been part of the United Left coalition, which is part of Unidas Podemos. It currently has two of its politicians serving as ...

(PCE) at the suggestion of

Manuel Azcárate Manuel Azcárate Diz (7 October 1916 – 24 August 1998) was a Spanish journalist, politician and a leader of the Communist Party of Spain (Partido Comunista de España, PCE) in the 1960s and 1970s. Life Birth and education (1916–36) Manuel A ...

, a Spanish communist in exile in France after the Republican defeat in the Spanish Civil War. After the collapse of the Nazi-Soviet alliance, Germans began rounding up the exiled Spaniards in France in 1941. Jaeger and other communists sought refuge in the ''

Zone libre The ''zone libre'' (, ''free zone'') was a partition of the French metropolitan territory during World War II, established at the Second Armistice at Compiègne on 22 June 1940. It lay to the south of the demarcation line and was administered by ...

'' (free zone) in the southern section of Vichy France in 1942. He also began to discover his interest in the film industry and worked as an assistant director. In the ''Zone Libre'', Jaeger met

Gillo Pontecorvo Gilberto Pontecorvo (; 19 November 1919 – 12 October 2006) was an Italian filmmaker associated with the political cinema movement of the 1960s and 1970s. He is best known for directing the landmark war docudrama ''The Battle of Algiers'' (1966 ...

, an Italian filmmaker and fellow communist, and joined the

Italian Communist Party The Italian Communist Party ( it, Partito Comunista Italiano, PCI) was a communist political party in Italy. The PCI was founded as ''Communist Party of Italy'' on 21 January 1921 in Livorno by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI). ...

(PCI). By 1943, Jaeger also worked with the information service of the

Francs-Tireurs et Partisans The ''Francs-tireurs et partisans français'' (FTPF), or commonly the ''Francs-tireurs et partisans'' (FTP), was an armed resistance organization created by leaders of the French Communist Party during World War II (1939–45). The communist par ...

(FTP), the communist arm of the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

. His codename / pseudonym was "Michelin" and he was given a rank of colonel, and served in the FTP until the war's end. Jaeger briefly worked under General

Jean de Lattre de Tassigny Jean Joseph Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny (2 February 1889 – 11 January 1952) was a French général d'armée during World War II and the First Indochina War. He was posthumously elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France in 1952. As ...

's forces in 1945 after the FTP was merged with the Free French army. Afterward he joined the (OPC), the French regulator of cinema, which soon shed its Vichy origin by changing into the modern ''

Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

'' (CPC) in 1946. He worked as a production manager there until 1950, when his political leanings saw him dismissed. The

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (french: Parti communiste français, ''PCF'' ; ) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its MEPs sit in the European Unit ...

(PCF) put Jaeger in charge of Procinex, a corporation that would create short films for left-wing audiences and for the Soviet sphere of influence. As these films were commissioned by a political party, they tended to be intended more on the educational, inspirational, and/or propaganda style rather than as pure entertainment. In the mid-1950s, the PCF decided to slow its monetary support for Procinex. Jaeger obtained the approval of the Party to change Procinex into a more standard production company that would make money-making crowd pleasers. Jaeger would go on to produce many feature films at Procinex over decades. One of his most notable frequent collaborators was

Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish-Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico, and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians, and directors to be one of the greatest and m ...

, known for his distinctive surrealistic film style. He maintained his Italian contacts over his career and several of his productions were joint Franco-Italian projects. Jaeger also acted, although frequently in cameo or other minor roles due to his other duties. His production slowed in the 1980s until his eventual retirement, with his last produced film in 1982, and his last acting role in 1992.Site Ciné-Archive
Claude Jaeger (1917–2004)
/ref> Jaeger died on September 16, 2004, in Paris.

Filmography

; Producer * 1956 : ''

Cela s'appelle l'aurore ''Cela s'appelle l'aurore'' (English: ''This is Called Dawn'') is a 1956 Franco-Italian film, directed by Luis Buñuel. It was written by Buñuel and Jean Ferry, based on a novel by Emmanuel Roblès. Synopsis In a town in Corsica, Dr. Valerio ...

'',

(This is Called Dawn) * 1961 : ''

Une aussi longue absence ''The Long Absence'' (french: Une aussi longue absence, "Such a long absence") is a 1961 French film directed by Henri Colpi. It tells the story of Therese (Alida Valli), a Puteaux café owner mourning the mysterious disappearance of her husband s ...

'',

Henri Colpi Henri Colpi (; 15 July 1921 – 14 January 2006) was a French film editor and film director. Early life Colpi graduated from the IDHEC in 1947. During 1950 to 1960, he edited films for such notable French New Wave directors as Agnès Varda and G ...

(The Long Absence) * 1962 : ''

La Poupée ''La poupée'' (''The Doll'') is an opéra comique in a prelude and three acts composed by Edmond Audran with a libretto by Maurice Ordonneau. The libretto was based on E.T.A. Hoffmann's ''Der Sandmann'', about a friar who falsely promises to ...

'',

Jacques Baratier Jacques Baratier (8 March 1918 – 27 November 2009) was a French film director and screenwriter. He directed 21 films. His film ''Goha'' won the Jury Prize at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival. His 1962 film ''La poupée (film), La poupée'' wa ...

(The Doll) * 1962 : ''

Le Diable et les Dix Commandements ''Le Diable et les Dix Commandements'' ( en, The Devil and the Ten Commandments) is a French film from 1962 directed by Julien Duvivier that consists of seven sketches (eight in the versions shown in Germany and Japan) played by an ensemble cast ...

'',

Julien Duvivier Julien Duvivier (; 8 October 1896 – 29 October 1967) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930–1960. Amongst his most original films, chiefly notable are ''La Bandera (film), La Bandera'', ...

(The Devil and the Ten Commandments) * 1964 : ''

Une souris chez les hommes ''Une souris chez les hommes'' en, A Mouse with the Men, is a French comedy film from 1963, directed by Jacques Poitrenaud, written by Michel Audiard and Francis Ryck, starring Dany Saval and Louis de Funès Louis Germain David de Funès de ...

'',

Jacques Poitrenaud Jacques Poitrenaud (born 22 May 1922, Lille – died 5 April 2005, Paris) was a French film director and actor. Director *1956: '' Saint-Germain-en-Laye, cité royale'' (Short) *1957: '' Enfants, Touraine'' (Short) *1960: '' La revenante'' (Short ...

(A Mouse with the Men) * 1964 : '' La Chasse à l'homme'',

Édouard Molinaro Édouard Molinaro (13 May 1928 – 7 December 2013) was a French film director and screenwriter. Biography He was born in Bordeaux, Gironde. He is best known for his comedies with Louis de Funès (''Oscar'', ''Hibernatus''), '' My Uncle Benja ...

(Man Hunting) * 1966 : ''

La Voleuse ''La Voleuse'', meaning 'the thief', is a 1966 Franco-German film directed by Jean Chapot, with a screenplay by Marguerite Duras. In German, the film was titled ''Schornstein Nr. 4'' ("Chimney No. 4"). Set in Germany, it tells the story of a ch ...

'',

Jean Chapot Jean Chapot (15 November 1930 – 10 April 1998) was a French screenwriter and film director who began his career as an actor. In 1972, he was awarded the Short Film Palme d'Or for his film ''Le fusil à lunette'' at the 25th Cannes Film Fest ...

(The Thief) * 1967 : '' Le Mur'',

Serge Roullet Serge Roullet (6 July 1926 – 14 February 2023) was a French film director and screenwriter. He directed eight films from 1959. His 1967 film ''The Wall'' was entered into the 17th Berlin International Film Festival. Roullet died on 14 Februar ...

(The Wall) * 1974 : ''

La Femme aux bottes rouges ''The Woman in Red Boots'' (french: La Femme aux bottes rouges; it, La ragazza con gli stivali rossi; es, La mujer con botas rojas) is a 1974 Fantasy film, fantasy comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Juan Luis Buñuel. The film stars C ...

'',

Juan Luis Buñuel Juan Luis Buñuel (9 November 1934, Paris – 6 December 2017, Paris) was a film and television director, screenwriter, and actor. His films include ''Expulsion of the Devil'' (''Au rendez-vous de la mort joyeuse'', 1973) and ''La Femme aux ...

(The Woman with Red Boots) * 1982 : '' T'es folle ou quoi?'',

Michel Gérard Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...

(Are you crazy or what?) ;Actor *1961 : '' Un nommé La Rocca'', Jean Becker : Fernand (A Man Named Rocca) *1964 : '' Le Journal d'une femme de chambre'', Luis Buñuel : The judge (Diary of a Chambermaid) *1971 : ',

: The promoter *1972 : '' Le Charme discret de la bourgeoisie'', Luis Buñuel (The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie) *1977 : '' ''Cet obscur objet du dési''r'', Luis Buñuel : Bar owner (That Obscure Object of Desire) *1978 : ''

Perceval le Gallois ''Perceval le Gallois'' () is a 1978 historical drama film written and directed by Éric Rohmer, based on the 12th-century Arthurian romance ''Perceval, the Story of the Grail'' by Chrétien de Troyes. Synopsis The film chronicles Percival's kni ...

'', Éric Rohmer : Thiebaut of Tintaguel *1986 : '' Max mon amour'',

Nagisa Oshima NaGISA (Natural Geography in Shore Areas or Natural Geography of In-Shore Areas) is an international collaborative effort aimed at inventorying, cataloguing, and monitoring biodiversity of the in-shore area. So named for the Japanese word "nagisa ...

: Zoologist (Max, My Love) *1992 : ',

Henri Graziani Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry. People with this given name ; French noblemen :'' See the ' List of rulers named Henry' for Kings of France named Henri.'' * Henri I de Mon ...

: Tancrède (Us two) ;Director *1967 : '' Le Rouge et le Bleu'' (short film) (The Red and the Blue)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jaeger, Claude 1917 births 2004 deaths French film producers French actors Film people from Geneva Members of the Francs-tireurs et partisans French Communist Party members French Army personnel of World War II Swiss emigrants to France