Christian-Jaque

After the war Christian-Jaque made what was perhaps his best remembered (and certain one of his most popular films), the very highly regarded spoof of swashbuckling movies and heroic posturing, "Fanfan-la Tulipe/Fanfan the Tulip" (1952). From 1950 until 1961, Christian-Jaque became one of France's most commercially successful directors, concocting quite popular, elaborate costume extravaganzas and period romances, filmed in lush color, which feature voluptuous international actresses. Throughout his career he proved to be a fine director of actors, eliciting fine work from such talented players as Fernandel, Erich von Stroheim, Harry Baur, Jean-Louis Barrault, Micheline Presle, Louis Jouvet, Marguerite Moreno, Viveca Lindfors, Michel Auclair, Gerard Philipe, Edwige Feuillere, Pierre Brasseur, Yves Montand, Gina Lollobrigida and Brigitte Bardot. His career slipped a bit as the 60s progressed and in the 1970s he concentrated more on TV work, but Christian-Jaque made occasional features right up until his 1980 documentary portrait of fellow French filmmaker Marcel Carne, "Carne: L'Homme a la camera/Carne: The Man Behind the Camera." Three of his five marriages were to actresses: Simone Renat, Renee Faure and popular 50s star Martine Carol, with whom he made a number of films.