José Giovanni (22 June 1923,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France – 24 April 2004,

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

, Switzerland) was the pseudonym of Joseph Damiani, a French writer and film-maker of

Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...

n origin who became a naturalized Swiss citizen in 1986. A former collaborationist and criminal who at one time was sentenced to death, Giovanni often drew his inspiration from personal experience or from real gangsters, such as Abel Danos in his 1960 film '' Classe tous risques'', overlooking that they had been members of the French Gestapo. In his films as well as his novels, while praising masculine friendships and advocating the confrontation of the individual against the world, he often championed the underworld but was always careful to hide his own criminal past and his links with the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

occupiers of France during World War II.

Biography

Youth

n descent, Joseph Damiani received a good education, studying at the

Collège Stanislas de Paris The Collège Stanislas de Paris (), colloquially known as Stan, is a private Catholic school in Paris, situated on " Rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs" in the 6th arrondissement. It has more than 3,000 students, from preschool to '' classes préparatoir ...

and the Lycée Janson de Sailly. His father, a professional gambler who was sentenced to a year in prison for running an illegal casino, owned a hotel in the French Alps in

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (; ; (no longer in use)), more commonly known simply as Chamonix (), is a communes of France, commune in the departments of France, department in the regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It was the site of the f ...

. Joseph worked there as a young man and became fascinated by mountain climbing.

The Occupation and
Collaborationism Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime. As historian Gerhard Hirschfeld says, it "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory". The term ''collaborator'' dates to the 19th c ...

From April to September 1943, Damiani was a member of ''Jeunesse et Montagne'' (Youth and Mountain) in Chamonix, part of the

Vichy Government Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against ...

youth movement controlled by

Pierre Laval Pierre Jean Marie Laval (; 28 June 1883 – 15 October 1945) was a French politician. He served as Prime Minister of France three times: 1931–1932 and 1935–1936 during the Third Republic (France), Third Republic, and 1942–1944 during Vich ...

. In February 1944, Damiani came to Paris and through his father's friend, the LVF leader Simon Sabiani, he joined

Jacques Doriot Jacques Doriot (; 26 September 1898 – 22 February 1945) was a French politician, initially communist, later fascist, before and during World War II. In 1936, after his exclusion from the French Communist Party, he founded the French Popular Pa ...

's fascist French Popular Party (PPF). His maternal uncle, Ange Paul Santolini alias "Santos", who ran a restaurant patronized by the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

, and his elder brother, Paul Damiani, a member of the Vichy paramilitary ''

Milice The (French Militia), generally called (; ), was a political paramilitary organization created on 30 January 1943 by the Vichy France, Vichy régime (with Nazi Germany, German aid) to help fight against the French Resistance during World War ...

'', introduced Joseph into the Pigalle underworld. In March 1944, Joseph Damiani went to

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

where he became a member of the German ''Schutzkorps (SK)'', an organization which hunted down ''

Service du travail obligatoire The ' (STO; ) was the forced enlistment and deportation of hundreds of thousands of French workers to Nazi Germany to work as Forced labor in Germany during World War II, forced labour for the German war effort during World War II. The STO was ...

- STO'' (Compulsory Work Service) dodgers. He served as bodyguard to its Marseille chief and took part in many arrests, often blackmailing his victims. In

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, in August 1944, posing as a German police officer along with an accomplice (Orloff, a Gestapo agent who was shot for treason at the Liberation), Damiani blackmailed Joseph Gourentzeig and his brother-in-law Georges Edberg, two Jews who were in hiding. Gourentzeig had bribed a member of the ''Milice'' - a friend of Damiani’s – in an attempt to secure his parents' release from a detention camp. They were not freed and Gourentzeig's father, Jacob, was shot by the Germans shortly after, on 21 August 1944, along with 109 Jewish hostages in the Bron (Lyon airport) massacre.

The triple murder

After the Liberation in Paris on 18 May 1945, Joseph Damiani, his brother Paul, Georges Accad, a former Gestapo agent, and Jacques Ménassole, a former member of the ''Milice'' wearing a French Army lieutenant's uniform - all posing as Military Intelligence officers - kidnapped Haïm Cohen, a wine merchant, accusing him of being a black marketeer. He was tortured until he gave them the key to his safe and a check for 105,000 francs. He was then shot and his body thrown into the

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

. Joseph Damiani cashed the check at Barclay's Bank under the identity of "Count J. de Montreuil". A few days later, on 31 May 1945, the same gang, still masquerading as French Army Intelligence, abducted two brothers, Jules and Roger Peugeot, electrical appliance manufacturers in Maisons-Alfort. The brothers were forced, at gunpoint, to write a letter stating that they had been in business with the Germans and in contact with the Gestapo. The gang then demanded a million francs for destroying the letter. The Peugeot brothers refused and were tortured until they revealed where they had hidden 125 ''

Louis d'or The Louis d'or () is any number of French coins first introduced by Louis XIII in 1640. The name derives from the depiction of the portrait of King Louis on one side of the coin; the French royal coat of arms is on the reverse. The coin was r ...

'' gold coins. They were then shot and their bodies buried in the woods near

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

. Joseph Damiani, who had accidentally shot himself in the leg during the struggle with the Peugeot brothers, was arrested at home in early June 1945. Accad was also apprehended. On 12 June 1945 Ménassole, on the point of being arrested, committed suicide in the ''Rue Montmartre métro'' station. Paul Damiani was arrested in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

in July 1945, escaped in December and was shot dead in a gunfight between gangsters on 17 July 1946 in a bar in Nice.

Twenty years hard labor and '' Dégradation nationale'' for Collaboration with the enemy

On 20 July 1946 Joseph Damiani was sentenced to twenty years hard labor by the Marseille Court of Justice for his participation in the German ''Schutzkorps'' and in the arrest of Frenchmen sent to the ''STO'' (Compulsory Work Service) in Germany. He was also sentenced to '' Dégradation nationale'' (deprivation of all civil rights) for life for having been a member of the ''PPF'' fascist party.

Sentenced to death for three premeditated murders

Damiani had admitted during the investigation that he had shot Roger Peugeot, but he denied it in court. Tried by the Paris ''

Cour d'Assises In France, a ''cour d'assises'', or Court of Assizes or Assize Court, is a Criminal law, criminal trial court with original jurisdiction, original and Appellate jurisdiction, appellate limited jurisdiction to hear cases involving defendants accu ...

'', Georges Accad and Joseph Damiani were sentenced to death on 10 July 1948 for the premeditated murders of Haïm Cohen, Roger Peugeot and Jules Peugeot. Damiani escaped the

guillotine A guillotine ( ) is an apparatus designed for effectively carrying out executions by Decapitation, beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secur ...

when his and Accad's sentences were commuted by President

Vincent Auriol Vincent Jules Auriol (; 27 August 1884 – 1 January 1966) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1947 to 1954. Early life and politics Auriol was born in Revel, Haute-Garonne, as the only child of Jacques Antoine Aurio ...

on 3 March 1949 to hard labor for life.

Ten years imprisonment for blackmailing hidden Jews during the Occupation

On 25 May 1949 Damiani was sentenced by the Paris Correctional Tribunal to ten years imprisonment for having blackmailed at gunpoint Joseph Gourentzeig (hiding from the Gestapo under the name "André Courent") and his brother-in-law Georges Edberg in Lyon on 11 August 1944.

Eleven and a half years in prison

On 14 November 1951, Damiani's sentence was reduced to twenty years hard labor. Finally, President

René Coty Gustave Jules René Coty (; 20 March 188222 November 1962) was President of France from 1954 to 1959. He was the second and last president of the Fourth French Republic. Early life and politics René Coty was born in Le Havre and studied at th ...

remitted the sentence on 30 November 1956 and Joseph Damiani was released from prison at the age of thirty-three on 4 December 1956 after serving eleven and a half years.

The writer and film-maker

Straight after his release from prison, Damiani wrote his first novel, '' The Break'' (''Le Trou''), under the name of "José Giovanni". It tells of the escape he attempted from prison with four other inmates by digging a tunnel from their cell into the Paris sewers in 1947 when he was awaiting trial for murder. His lawyer, who had encouraged him to write, took the book to author and editor Roger Nimier through whom it was published by

Éditions Gallimard Éditions Gallimard (), formerly Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française (1911–1919) and Librairie Gallimard (1919–1961), is one of the leading French book publishers. In 2003, it and its subsidiaries published 1,418 titles. Founded by G ...

. His style, at times uncouth and clumsy, can surprise the reader with its strong and sometimes disturbing scenes. The novel was turned into a

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

Jacques Becker Jacques Becker (; 15 September 1906 – 21 February 1960) was a French film director and screenwriter. His films, made during the 1940s and 1950s, encompassed a wide variety of genres, and they were admired by some of the filmmakers who led th ...

in 1960. In 1958 the editor Marcel Duhamel introduced Giovanni to the ''

Série noire Série noire is a French publishing imprint, founded in 1945 by Marcel Duhamel. It has released a collection of crime fiction of the hardboiled detective thrillers variety published by Gallimard. Anglo-American literature forms the bulk of ...

'' publishing imprint, where he came to notice with the publication of three novels that same year: * '' Classe tous risques'', which was filmed by

Claude Sautet Claude Sautet (23 February 1924 – 22 July 2000) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was a chronicler of post-war French society. He made a total of five films with his favorite actress Romy Schneider. Biography Born in Montroug ...

in 1960. * ''L'Excommunié'', which Jean Becker adapted into the film '' Un nommé La Rocca'' starring

Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward, frequently portraying police officer ...

in 1961, and was later remade by Giovanni in 1972 as '' La Scoumoune'', with Belmondo in the same part and

Claudia Cardinale Claude Joséphine Rose Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938), known as Claudia Cardinale (), is an Italian actress. Born and raised in La Goulette, a neighbourhood of Tunis, Cardinale won the "Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia" competition ...

. * '' Le deuxieme souffle'' (''Second Breath''), filmed by

Jean-Pierre Melville Jean-Pierre Grumbach (20 October 1917 – 2 August 1973), known professionally as Jean-Pierre Melville (), was a French filmmaker. Considered a spiritual godfather of the French New Wave, he was one of the first fully-independent French filmmake ...

in 1966, with a remake, '' Le deuxième souffle'', by Alain Corneau. José Giovanni wrote twenty-one novels and a volume of memoirs ''(Mes Grandes Gueules)''. After having worked with Jacques Becker on the adaptation of ''The Break'', Giovanni wrote thirty-three film scripts and directed fifteen movies.

Revelation of a hidden past

In January 1984, Joseph Damiani was declared "rehabilitated", which did not absolve him - there was no retrial - but restored his civil rights. During his lifetime José Giovanni never gave a clear explanation for his death sentence, though he took pride in being a former gangster and having been on death row. However, he never mentioned that he had been convicted for Collaborationism with the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

or for extorting money from Jews during the Occupation. On 14 October 1993, two Swiss dailies, ''La Tribune de Genève'' and '' 24 Heures'', revealed his past and that José Giovanni was in fact the same person as Joseph Damiani, the convicted fascist militant. At first Giovanni denied the accusations, claiming he had helped the '' Résistance'' and then insisting that he had been sentenced to death for a crime that had nothing to do with Collaborationism. He threatened to sue the press for slander but never did. Finally, he stated : ''"I've paid. I am entitled to forgiveness and oblivion"''.

Last years

José Giovanni defended right-wing values, the family, law and order and tougher punishment but was a staunch opponent of the death penalty. However, he believed in personal vengeance: ''"Any man that snatches a child from its mother's arms deserves death"''. In his last years he spent time visiting prisons. From 1968 on, he lived in the Swiss village of Marécottes, not far from Chamonix, and died from a brain haemorrhage on 24 April 2004 in

Books

* 1957: '' Le Trou'' (''The Break'') * 1958: '' Le Deuxième Souffle'' (''Second Breath'') * 1958: ''Classe tous risque'' (''Consider All Risks'') * 1958: ''L'Excommunié'' * 1959: ''Histoire de fou'' * 1960: ''Les aventuriers'' (''The Adventurers'') * 1962: ''Le Haut-Fer'' (''High Fear'') * 1964: ''Ho!'' * 1969: ''Meurtre au sommet n°866'' (''Murder on Summit 866'') * 1969: ''Le Ruffian'' (''The Ruffian'') * 1977: ''Mon ami le traître'' * 1978: ''Le Musher'' (''The Great Husky Race'') * 1982: ''Les Loups entre eux'' * 1984: ''Un vengeur est passé'' * 1985: ''Le Tueur de dimanche'' * 1987: ''Tu boufferas ta cocarde'' * 1995: ''Il avait dans le cœur des jardins introuvables'' (''My Father Saved My Life'') - Memoirs * 1997: ''La Mort du poisson rouge'' (''The Death of the Goldfish'') * 1998: ''Le Prince sans étoile'' * 1999: ''Chemins fauves'' (''Favorite Paths'') * 2001: ''Les Gosses d'abord'' * 2002: ''Mes grandes gueules'' - Memoirs * 2003: ''Comme un vol de vautours'' (''Like a Flight of Vultures'') * 2004: ''Le pardon du grand Nord'' (''The Forgiveness of the Far North'')

Filmography

D: film director, c: screenwriter, W:

dialogue Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American and British English spelling differences, American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literature, literary and theatrical form that depicts suc ...

writer, r: writer of the original novel *

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

: '' Le Trou'' (''The Hole''), directed by

c, Wrstarring Raymond Meunier, Michel Constantin *

: '' Classe tous risques'' (''The Big Risk'' aka. ''Consider All Risks''), c, DW, Wrdirected by

starring

Lino Ventura Angiolino Giuseppe Pasquale Ventura (14 July 1919 – 22 October 1987), known as Lino Ventura, was an Italian-born actor and philanthropist, who lived and worked for most of his life in France. He was considered one of the greatest leading men ...

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

: '' Un nommé La Rocca'', directed by Jean Becker i, Wr : ''L'Excommunié''starring

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

: '' Du rififi chez les femmes'' (''The Riff Raff Girls''), directed by

Alex Joffé Alex Joffé (18 November 1918 – 18 August 1995) was a French film director and screenwriter, known for ''Les cracks'' (1968), ''Fortunat'' (1960) and ''La grosse caisse'' (1965). He was the father of the director Arthur Joffé, as well as Mari ...

cstarring Nadja Tiller,

Robert Hossein Robert Hossein (30 December 1927 – 31 December 2020) was a French film actor, director, and writer. He directed Les Misérables (1982 film), the 1982 adaptation of ''Les Misérables'' and appeared in ''Vice and Virtue'', ''Le Casse'', ''Les U ...

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

: ', directed by

Jacques Deray Jacques Deray (born Jacques Desrayaud, 19 February 1929 – 9 August 2003) was a French film director and screenwriter. Deray is prominently known for directing many crime films, crime and thriller films. Biography Born Jacques Desrayaud in Lyon, ...

cstarring

Charles Vanel Charles-Marie Vanel (21 August 1892 – 15 April 1989) was a French actor and director. During his 65-year film career, which began in 1923, he appeared in more than 200 films and worked with many prominent directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, ...

Michel Auclair Michel Auclair (born Vladimir Vujović, sr-cyr, Владимир Вујовић; 14 September 1922 – 7 January 1988) was an actor of Serbian and French ancestry, known best for his roles in French cinema. Auclair was born to a Serbian fat ...

: '' Rififi in Tokyo'', directed by

Wstarring

, Karlheinz Böhm *

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

: '' That Man George'', directed by

cstarring George Hamilton, Claudine Auger *

: '' Les Grandes Gueules'' (''The Wise Guys''), directed by Robert Enrico W, Wr : ''Le Haut-Fer''starring Bourvil,

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

: '' To Skin a Spy'', directed by

cstarring

: '' Le Deuxième souffle'' (''Second Breath''), directed by

rstarring

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

: '' Les Aventuriers'' (''The Last Adventure''), directed by Robert Enrico c, DW, Wrstarring

Alain Delon Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon (; 8 November 1935 – 18 August 2024) was a French actor, film producer, screenwriter, singer, and businessman. Acknowledged as a cultural and cinematic leading man of the 20th century, Delon emerged as one of ...

, Joanna Shimkus *

: '' La Loi du survivant'' D, Sc, DW, Wr : second part of ''Les Aventuriers''starring Michel Constantin, Roger Blin *

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

: ' D, Scstarring

: '' Ho!'', directed by Robert Enrico cstarring

, Joanna Shimkus * 1969 : '' Le Clan des Siciliens'' (''The Sicilian Clan''), directed by Henri Verneuil cstarring

, Jean Gabin,

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

: '' Dernier domicile connu'' (''Last Known Address'') D, Scstarring

, Marlène Jobert *

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

: ' D, Scstarring Jean-Claude Bouillon, Nicoletta *

: ' D, Scstarring

Rufus Rufus is a masculine given name, a surname, an Ancient Roman cognomen and a nickname (from Latin ''wikt:rufus, rufus'', "red"). Notable people with the name include: Given name Politicians * Marcus Caelius Rufus, (28 May 82 BC – after 48 ...

et Jean Gaven *

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

: '' La Scoumoune'' (''The Hit Man'') D, Sc, Wr : ''L'Excommunié''starring

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

: '' Deux Hommes dans la ville'' (''Two Men in Town'' aka. ''Two Against the Law'') D, Scstarring Jean Gabin,

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

: '' Le Gitan'' D, Sc, Wr : ''Histoire de fou''starring

, Annie Girardot *

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

: '' Comme un boomerang'' D, Scstarring

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

: '' Les Égouts du paradis'' (''The Sewers of Paradise'') D, Scstarring

Jean-François Balmer Jean-François Balmer (born 18 April 1946 in Valangin) is a Switzerland, Swiss actor. He has worked extensively in France, French Film, cinema, television and stage productions since the early 1970s. Theater Filmography Cinema Televisio ...

, Francis Huster, based on the criminal adventures of Albert Spaggiari *

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

: ' D, Scstarring Annie Girardot, Claude Brasseur *

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

: '' Le Ruffian'' D, Sc, Wr : ''Les Ruffians''starring

Bernard Giraudeau Bernard René Giraudeau (18 June 1947 – 17 July 2010) was a French sailor, actor, film director, scriptwriter, producer and writer. Early life He was born on 18 June 1947 in La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime. In 1963 he enlisted in the French na ...

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

: '' Among Wolves'' D, Scstarring Claude Brasseur, Niels Arestrup * 1988 : ' D, Sc, Wrstarring André Dussollier, Jean-Pierre Bernard *

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

: ' (TV film) Dstarring

Michel Sardou Michel Charles Sardou (; born 26 January 1947) is a French singer and occasional actor. He is known not only for his love songs ("La maladie d'amour", "Je vais t'aimer"), but also for songs dealing with various social and political issues, su ...

Lorraine Pilkington Lorraine Pilkington (born 18 April 1974) is an Ireland, Irish actress from Dublin who is best known for her roles as Katrina Finlay from ''Monarch of the Glen (TV series), Monarch of the Glen'' and Lulu in ''Human Traffic''. Early life and ed ...

, Thérèse Liotard *

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

: ' D, Sc, Di, Wr : ''Il avait dans le cœur des jardins introuvables''starring Bruno Cremer, *

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

: '' Le deuxième souffle'' (''Second Breath''), remake directed by Alain Corneau rstarring

Daniel Auteuil Daniel Auteuil (; born 24 January 1950) is a French actor and director who has appeared in a wide range of film genres, including period dramas, romantic comedies, and crime thrillers. In 1996 he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Fest ...

, Michel Blanc, Jacques Dutronc *

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

: '' Two Men in Town'' American remake of '' Deux Hommes dans la ville'', directed by

Rachid Bouchareb Rachid Bouchareb (born 1 September 1953) is a French film director and producer. His films are based on the complex history of France and its relationship with its former colony, Algeria. His films also examine racial discrimination and conflict ...

cstarring

Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and activist. His accolades include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Best Actor Award at the ...

Harvey Keitel Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor and film producer, known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running associatio ...

Ellen Burstyn Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly; December 7, 1932) is an American actress. Known for her portrayals of complex women in dramas, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and two Primetime Emmy A ...

Luis Guzmán Luis Guzmán (born August 28, 1956) is a Puerto Rican actor. His career spans over 40 years and includes a number of films and television series. He has appeared in Paul Thomas Anderson's films ''Boogie Nights'' (1997), ''Magnolia (film), Magn ...

and Brenda Blethyn

Biography

Youth

The Occupation and
Collaborationism Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime. As historian Gerhard Hirschfeld says, it "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory". The term ''collaborator'' dates to the 19th c ...

The triple murder

Twenty years hard labor and '' Dégradation nationale'' for Collaboration with the enemy

Sentenced to death for three premeditated murders

Ten years imprisonment for blackmailing hidden Jews during the Occupation

Eleven and a half years in prison

The writer and film-maker

Revelation of a hidden past

Last years

Books

Filmography

References

Further reading

Biography

Youth

The Occupation and Collaborationism Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime. As historian Gerhard Hirschfeld says, it "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory". The term ''collaborator'' dates to the 19th c ...

The triple murder

Twenty years hard labor and '' Dégradation nationale'' for Collaboration with the enemy

Sentenced to death for three premeditated murders

Ten years imprisonment for blackmailing hidden Jews during the Occupation

Eleven and a half years in prison

The writer and film-maker

Revelation of a hidden past

Last years

Books

Filmography

References

Further reading

The Occupation and
Collaborationism Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime. As historian Gerhard Hirschfeld says, it "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory". The term ''collaborator'' dates to the 19th c ...