Alexandre Astruc (; 13 July 1923 – 19 May 2016) was a French film critic and film director.
Biography
Before becoming a film director he was a journalist, novelist and film critic. His contribution to the
auteur theory centers on his
notion of the ''caméra-stylo'' or "camera-pen" and the idea that directors should wield their
cameras
A camera is an optical instrument that can capture an image. Most cameras can capture 2D images, with some more advanced models being able to capture 3D images. At a basic level, most cameras consist of sealed boxes (the camera body), with a ...
like writers use their pens.
[Alexandre Astruc, "The Birth of a New Avant-Garde: La Caméra-Stylo," in ''The New Wave'', ed. Peter Graham, pp. 17-23. Trans. from "Naissance d'une nouvelle avant-garde: la caméra-stylo," ''L'Écran Français'' 144, 30 March 1948.]
In 1994 he was awarded the
René Clair Award for his whole body of film work.
Selected filmography
''(s) indicates films also co-scripted by Astruc''
*1949: ''Ulysse ou Les mauvaises rencontres'' also known as ''Aller et retour'', a short film; Astruc also wrote the scenario
*1952: ''
The Crimson Curtain'' (s) (Le rideau cramoisi)
*1952: ''
La Putain respectueuse''
*1955: ''
Les Mauvaises rencontres'' (s)
*1957: ''
Amour de poche''
*1958: ''
Une vie
''Une vie'' also known as ''L'Humble Vérité'' is the first novel written by Guy de Maupassant. It was serialised in 1883 in the ''Gil Blas'', then published in book form the same year as ''L'Humble Vérité''.
It was the basis for the 1958 fi ...
'' (s)
*1960: ''
La proie pour l'ombre'' (s)
*1962: '
*1964: ''
The Pit and the Pendulum'' (Le Puits et le Pendule)
*1966: ' (s)
*1968: ' (s)
Publications
*1945: ''Les Vacances'',
Gallimard
*1975: ''Ciel de cendres'',
Le Sagittaire
*1975: ''La tête la première'',
Olivier Orban
*1977: ''Le Serpent jaune'',
Gallimard
*1979: ''Quand la chouette s'envole'',
Gallimard
*1982: ''Le Permissionnaire'',
Éditions de la Table ronde Éditions de la Table ronde is a French publishing house founded in 1944 by Roland Laudenbach. Since 1996 it has been an imprint of éditions Gallimard.
History
The company was founded by Roland Laudenbach in 1944 and named by Jean Cocteau. It ...
, Paris
*1989: ''Le roman de Descartes'',
Éditions Balland
*1992: ''Du stylo à la caméra et de la caméra au stylo: Écrits (1942–1984)'',
Éditions de l'Archipel
*1993: ''L'autre versant de la colline'', Écriture
*1994: ''Évariste Galois'',
Groupe Flammarion
Groupe Flammarion () is a French publishing group, comprising many units, including its namesake, founded in 1876 by Ernest Flammarion, as well as units in distribution, sales, printing and bookshops (La Hune and Flammarion Center). Flammarion b ...
*1997: ''Le Siècle à venir'',
Éditions Trédaniel
*2015: ''Le plaisir en toutes choses'' (with Noël Simsolo),
Éditions Neige/Écriture
References
Bibliography
*
Raymond Bellour, ''Alexandre Astruc'', Paris, Seghers, Collection Cinéma d'aujourd'hui, 1963.
*Philippe François, « Alexandre Astruc », in
Patrick Cabanel and
André Encrevé (dir.), ''Dictionnaire biographique des protestants français de 1787 à nos jours'', tome 1 : A-C, Les Éditions de Paris Max Chaleil, Paris, 2015, (p. 105)
External links
Alexandre Astruc on NewWaveFilm.com*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Astruc, Alexandre
Writers from Paris
1923 births
2016 deaths
French film directors
French male screenwriters
French screenwriters
20th-century French novelists
20th-century French male writers
20th-century French male actors
Roger Nimier Prize winners