Catherine Breillat
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Catherine Breillat (; born 13 July 1948) is a French filmmaker, novelist and professor of auteur cinema at the
European Graduate School The European Graduate School (EGS) is a private graduate school that operates in two locations: Saas-Fee, Switzerland, and Valletta, Malta. History It was founded in 1994 in Saas-Fee, Switzerland by the Swiss scientist, artist, and therapist, P ...
. In the film business for over 40 years, Catherine Breillat chooses to normalize previously taboo subjects in cinema. Taking advantage of the medium of cinema, Breillat juxtaposes different perspectives to highlight irony found in society.Constable, "Unbecoming Sexual Desires for Women Becoming Sexual Subjects."


Life and career

Breillat was born in
Bressuire Bressuire (; la, Berceorium; Poitevin dialect, Poitevin: ''Beurseure'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, French department of Deux-Sèvres, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The town is situated on an eminence overlooki ...
,
Deux-Sèvres Deux-Sèvres () is a French department. ''Deux-Sèvres'' literally means "two Sèvres": the Sèvre Nantaise and the Sèvre Niortaise are two rivers which have their sources in the department. It had a population of 374,878 in 2019.
, but grew up in
Niort Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; oc, Niòrt; la, Novioritum) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres. The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the u ...
. She decided to become a writer and director at the age of twelve after watching
Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, Film producer, producer and playwright. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, his films are known ...
's ''
Gycklarnas afton ''Sawdust and Tinsel'' ( sv, Gycklarnas afton, lit=The Evening of the Jesters) is a 1953 Swedish drama film directed by Ingmar Bergman. Plot In Sawdust and Tinsel, Bergman depicts the battle between sexes as a grotesque carnival of humiliation. ...
'', believing she had found her "fictional body" in
Harriet Andersson Harriet Andersson (born 14 February 1932) is a Swedish actress, best known outside Sweden for being part of director Ingmar Bergman's stock company. She often plays impulsive, working class characters. Film actress Harriet Andersson began her ...
's character, Anna.Archived a
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She started her career after studying acting at Yves Furet's "Studio d'Entraînement de l'Acteur" in Paris together with her sister, actress Marie-Hélène Breillat (born 2 June 1947) in 1967. At the age of 17, she had her novel published,'' l'Homme facile'' (''A Man for the Asking''). The French government banned it for readers under 18 years old. A film based on the novel was made shortly after the publication of the book, but the producer went bankrupt and the distributor Artedis blocked any commercial release of the film for twenty years although it had been given an R rating. Breillat is known for films focusing on sexuality, intimacy, gender conflict, and
sibling rivalry Sibling rivalry is a type of competition or animosity among siblings, whether blood-related or not. Siblings generally spend more time together during childhood than they do with parents. The sibling bond is often complicated and is influenced ...
. Breillat has been the subject of controversy for her explicit depictions of sexuality and violence. She cast the porn actor
Rocco Siffredi Rocco Siffredi (born Rocco Antonio Tano; 4 May 1964) is an Italian Pornographic film actor, pornographic actor, director and producer. He took his stage name from the character Roch Siffredi played by Alain Delon in the French gangster film '' ...
in her films ''
Romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...
'' (''Romance X'', 1999) and ''Anatomie de l'enfer'' (''
Anatomy of Hell ''Anatomy of Hell'' (french: Anatomie de l'enfer) is a 2004 erotic drama film written and directed by Catherine Breillat, based on her 2001 novel ''Pornocratie''. According to Breillat, ''Anatomy of Hell'' is a "sequel" to ''Romance''. Plot Tee ...
'', 2004). Her novels have been best-sellers. Her work has been associated with the cinéma du corps/cinema of the body genre.Palmer, Tim, ''Brutal Intimacy: Analyzing Contemporary French Cinema'', Wesleyan University Press, 2011. In an interview with ''
Senses of Cinema ''Senses of Cinema'' is a quarterly online film magazine founded in 1999 by filmmaker Bill Mousoulis. Based in Melbourne, Australia, ''Senses of Cinema'' publishes work by film critics from all over the world, including critical essays, career ...
'', she described
David Cronenberg David Paul Cronenberg (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is one of the principal originators of what is commonly known as the body horror genre, with his films exploring visceral bodily transformation ...
as another filmmaker she considers to have a similar approach to sexuality in film. Though Breillat spends most of her time behind the camera, she has acted in a handful of movies. She made her film debut in
Bernardo Bertolucci Bernardo Bertolucci (; 16 March 1941 – 26 November 2018) was an Italian film director and screenwriter with a career that spanned 50 years. Considered one of the greatest directors in Italian cinema, Bertolucci's work achieved international ...
's ''
Last Tango in Paris ''Last Tango in Paris'' ( it, Ultimo tango a Parigi; french: Le Dernier Tango à Paris) is a 1972 erotic drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. The film stars Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider and Jean-Pierre Léaud, and portrays a recently w ...
'' (1972) as Mouchette, a dressmaker, alongside her sister Marie-Hélène Breillat. In 2004, Breillat suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, causing a stroke that paralyzed her left side."Quand Christophe Rocancourt et Catherine Breillat se dechirent" Le Parisien; Thursday 9 July 2009, p. 13 After five months of hospitalization and a slow rehabilitation, she gradually returned to work, producing ''Une vieille maîtresse'' (''
The Last Mistress ''The Last Mistress'' (french: link=no, Une vieille maîtresse, literally "An old mistress") is a 2007 French-Italian film based on the novel '' Une vieille maîtresse'' by the French writer Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly. It stars Asia Argento and Fu' ...
'') in 2007. This film was one of three French films officially selected for the
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 ...
of that year. In 2007, Breillat met notorious
conman A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers have def ...
Christophe Rocancourt Christophe Thierry Daniel Rocancourt, sometimes also called Christopher Rocancourt (born 16 July 1967), is a French impostor and confidence man who scammed affluent people by masquerading in turn as a French nobleman, the heir to the Rockefelle ...
, and offered him a leading role in a movie that she was planning to make, based on her own novel ''Bad Love'', and starring
Naomi Campbell Naomi Elaine Campbell (born 22 May 1970) is an English model, actress, singer, and businesswoman. She began her career at the age of 15, and established herself amongst the most recognisable and in-demand models of the past four decades. Cam ...
. Soon after, she gave him
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...
25,000 to write a screenplay titled ''La vie amoureuse de Christophe Rocancourt'' (''The Love Life of Christophe Rocancourt''), and over the next year and a half, gave him loans totalling an additional €678,000. In 2009, a book written by Breillat was published, in which she alleged that Rocancourt had taken advantage of her diminished mental capacity, as she was still recovering from her stroke. The book is titled ''Abus de faiblesse'', a French legal term usually translated as "abuse of weakness". In 2012, Rocancourt was convicted of ''abus de faiblesse'' for taking Breillat's money, and sentenced to prison. In September 2010, Breillat's second fairy-tale based film, ''La belle endormie'' (''Sleeping Beauty''), opened in the Orizzonti sidebar in the 67th
Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...
.Lyman, Eric J., "'La Belle endormie' to premiere at Venice fest", "The Hollywood Reporter", 19 July 201

Access date: Thursday 19 August 2010.
, although Breillat had moved on to other projects, she still hoped to film ''Bad Love'', but had not yet been able to find financing to do so. However, a film adaptation of her book ''Abus de faiblesse'', directed by Breillat and starring
Isabelle Huppert Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert (; born 16 March 1953) is a French actress. Described as "one of the best actresses in the world", she is known for her portrayals of cold and disdainful characters devoid of morality. She is the recipient of sev ...
, began production in 2012, and was screened at the
2013 Toronto International Film Festival The 38th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 5 and 15, 2013. '' The Fifth Estate'' was selected as the opening film and '' Life of Crime'' was the closing film. 75 films were ...
. It has been noted that "Breillat remains committed to the long take, particularly during scenes of sexual negotiation, a technique that showcases her performers' virtuosity as well as emphasizes the political and philosophical elements of sex. In both ''
Fat Girl ''Fat Girl'' (french: À ma sœur!, lit=To My Sister!) is a 2001 drama film written and directed by Catherine Breillat, and starring Anaïs Reboux and Roxane Mesquida. It was released in certain English-speaking countries under the alternative t ...
'' and ''
Romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...
'', for example, key sex scenes possess shots lasting over seven minutes." in 2018, Breillat made controversial remarks on
Asia Argento Asia Argento (; born Aria Maria Vittoria Rossa Argento; 20 September 1975) is an Italian actress and filmmaker. The daughter of filmmaker Dario Argento, she has had roles in several of her father's features and achieved mainstream success with a ...
, who starred in 2007's ''
The Last Mistress ''The Last Mistress'' (french: link=no, Une vieille maîtresse, literally "An old mistress") is a 2007 French-Italian film based on the novel '' Une vieille maîtresse'' by the French writer Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly. It stars Asia Argento and Fu' ...
'', calling Argento a "traitor" for accusing
Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (; born March 19, 1952) is an American former film producer and convicted sex offender. He and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent films inclu ...
of sexual assault.


Common themes in Breillat's films

Through film, Breillat attempts to redefine the female narrative in cinema by showing female characters who undergo similar experiences as their male counterparts. Many of Breillat's films explore the transition between girlhood and adulthood. The females of her films attempt to escape their adolescence by seeking individuality.Garcia and Breillat, "Rewriting Fairy Tales, Revisiting Female Identity." There is an unsaid silence in society for girls to hide their sexuality and desires unless directly confronted about them. Breillat offers a platform to discuss female pleasure and sexual responsibility by exposing social and sexual conflicts in her films' themes.


Works


Filmography


Stage plays

* ''Les Vêtements de mer''


Bibliography

* ''Abus de faiblesse'' * ''Pornocratie'' * ''Le Soupirail'' * ''L'homme facile'' * ''Tapage Nocturne''


References


Further reading

* Anne-Élisabeth Blateau, « Une vieille maîtresse sans Breillat » (A Last Mistress without Breillat), in ''Carré d'Art'' by
Jean-Pierre Thiollet Jean-Pierre Thiollet (; born 9 December 1956) is a French writer and journalist. Primarily living in Paris, he is the author of numerous books and one of the national leaders of the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CEDI), a ...
, Anagramme, Paris, 2008 (pp. 143–149). * Douglas Keesey, ''Catherine Breillat'',
Manchester University , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...
Press, coll. « French film directors », 2009.


External links


Catherine Breillat Faculty Page
at
European Graduate School The European Graduate School (EGS) is a private graduate school that operates in two locations: Saas-Fee, Switzerland, and Valletta, Malta. History It was founded in 1994 in Saas-Fee, Switzerland by the Swiss scientist, artist, and therapist, P ...
(Biography, bibliography, lectures and videos) *
Catherine Breillat bibliography
via UC Berkeley Media Resources Center
A ''Salon'' interview with Catherine Breillat

Rewriting Fairy Tales, Revisiting Female Identity: An Interview with Catherine Breillat
Maria Garcia, ''Cineaste'', Summer 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Breillat, Catherine 1948 births Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Feminist filmmakers French expatriates in Switzerland French film directors French-language film directors 20th-century French screenwriters 21st-century French screenwriters French women film directors French women novelists French women screenwriters Academic staff of European Graduate School Living people People from Bressuire