François Boyer (1920 – 24 May 2003) was a French

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. He achieved considerable success with his first attempt at screenwriting, ''

Forbidden Games ''Forbidden Games'' (french: Jeux interdits) is a 1952 French war drama film directed by René Clément and based on François Boyer's novel ''Jeux Interdits''. While not initially successful in France, the film was a hit elsewhere. It won the ...

'' (1952). Initially, he found no studio interested in his work, so he redesigned the

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...

as a

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

and published it in 1947 under the title ''The Secret Game''. Although the novel achieved little or no success in its native country, it became a huge commercial success in America. All of a sudden, Boyer's novel was a hot property, so director

René Clément René Clément (; 18 March 1913 – 17 March 1996) was a French film director and screenwriter. Life and career Clément studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. In 1936, he directed hi ...

, in conjunction with two writers

Jean Aurenche Jean Aurenche (11 September 1904 – 29 September 1992) was a French screenwriter. During his career, he wrote 80 films for directors such as René Clément, Bertrand Tavernier, Marcel Carné, Jean Delannoy and Claude Autant-Lara. He is often ...

and

Pierre Bost Pierre Bost (5 September 1901, Lasalle, Gard – 6 December 1975, Paris) was a French screenwriter, novelist, and journalist. Primarily a novelist until the 1940s, he was known mainly as a screenwriter after 1945, often collaborating with Jean Aur ...

, helped turn it into a screenplay. While Boyer receives story credit for the film, little is known of how much of his own screenplay made it to the screen. The film was a huge international success, and won an Honorary

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

for the best foreign language film of its year. Although Boyer remained prolific throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, little of his subsequent work had as much impact as ''Forbidden Games''. His 1962 film '' La Guerre des Boutons'', however, was remade by producer

David Puttnam David Terence Puttnam, Baron Puttnam, CBE, HonFRSA, HonFRPS, MRIA (born 25 February 1941) is a British film producer, educator, environmentalist and former member of the House of Lords. His productions include ''Chariots of Fire'', which wo ...

in 1994 as '' The War of the Buttons''.

Selected filmography

* ''

Les Intrigantes ''Les Intrigantes'' ( en, italic=yes, The Plotters, link=yes), is a French crime drama film from 1954, directed by Henri Decoin, written by François Boyer, starring Raymond Rouleau and Louis de Funès Louis Germain David de Funès de Gala ...

'' (1954) * ''

Wild Fruit ''Wild Fruit'' ( French: ''Les fruits sauvages'') is a 1954 French drama film directed by Hervé Bromberger and starring Estella Blain, Évelyne Ker and Nadine Basile. It was shot at the Saint-Maurice Studios in Paris and distributed by Cinédis ...

'' (1954) *''

A Kiss for a Killer ''A Kiss for a Killer'' (French: ''Une manche et la belle'') is a 1957 French Drama (film and television), drama mystery film directed by Henri Verneuil and starring Henri Vidal, Mylène Demongeot and Isa Miranda. It is based on the 1954 novel ''T ...

'' (1957) * ''

Under the Sign of the Bull ''Under the Sign of the Bull'' (French: ''Sous le signe du taureau'') is a 1969 French drama film directed by Gilles Grangier and starring Jean Gabin, Suzanne Flon and Colette Deréal.Harriss p.197 It was shot at the Saint-Maurice Studios in Pa ...

'' (1969)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boyer, Francois 1920 births 2003 deaths French male screenwriters 20th-century French screenwriters 20th-century French male writers