Jean-Pierre Mocky

Career Mocky appeared as an actor in the 1955 film Gli Sbandati and in many other movies, including some of those he also directed (Solo, L'albatros, L'Ombre d'une chance, Un Linceul n'a pas de poches). His 1987 film Le Miraculé was entered into the 37th Berlin International Film Festival.

He began as an actor in the cinema and theater. In particular, he played in Jean Dréville's Les Casse-pieds (1948), Jean Cocteau's Orphée (1950) and Bernard Borderie's The Mask of the Gorilla (1957). But it was especially in Italy that he became famous, thanks to his role in I vinti by Michelangelo Antonioni.

After working as an assistant with Luchino Visconti on Senso (1954) and Federico Fellini on La strada (1954), he wrote his first film, La Tête contre les murs (1959) and planned to direct it himself, but the producer preferred to entrust the task to Georges Franju. He went on to direct the following year with Les Dragueurs (1959).

As early as the 1960s, he was able to reach a wide audience with crazy comedies such as A Funny Parishioner (1963) and La Grande Lessive (1968). After May 1968, he turned to darker films with Solo (1969), in which he shows a group of young anarchists, then L'Albatros (1971) which shows the corruption of politicians.

In the 1980s, he returned to success with a film denouncing, a year before the drama of Heysel, the excesses of some football fans (À mort l'arbitre, 1984) and a comedy denouncing the hypocrisy around the pilgrimage to Lourdes (Le Miraculé, 1987). In the 1990s and 2000s, his films met with less success, but Mocky continued to shoot with much enthusiasm.

In the beginning, his films were dedicated to the uprising against the restrictions imposed by society. Later, he concentrated on farce, as in Bonsoir where the homeless Alex (Michel Serrault) pretends to be the lover of the lesbian Caroline (Claude Jade) in order to save her inheritance from her homophobic relatives.

Mocky's cinema, often satirical, is generally inspired by the truth of society. He worked with few resources and filmed very quickly. He worked with Bourvil (A Funny Parishioner, The City of Unspeakable Fear, La Grande Lessive and The Stallion), Fernandel (The Exchange and Life), Michel Simon (The Red Ibis), Michel Serrault (twelve films including Le Miraculé), Francis Blanche (five films including The City of Unspeakable Fear), Jacqueline Maillan (five films), Jean Poiret (eight films) and with the stars Catherine Deneuve (Agent Trouble), Claude Jade (Bonsoir), Jane Birkin (Noir comme le souvenir), Jeanne Moreau (Le Miraculé) and Stéphane Audran (The Seasons of Pleasure).

Awards and recognition In 2010, he received the Prix Henri-Langlois for his entire career, and in 2013 was awarded the Alphonse Allais Prize.

The International Festival of Film Entrevues in Belfort in 2012 and the Cinémathèque française in 2014 dedicated full retrospectives to him.

Mocky was described as a "perpetual guest" of the Festival Polar de Cognac, and was given a Polar lifetime achievement award in 2015.

Death He died on 8 August 2019.

Filmography (as director)

1960s 1960 : Les Dragueurs starring Jacques Charrier, Charles Aznavour 1960 : Un couple starring Juliette Mayniel, Francis Blanche 1961 : Snobs ! starring Véronique Nordey, Francis Blanche 1962 : Les Vierges starring Charles Aznavour, Jean Poiret 1963 : Un drôle de paroissien starring Bourvil, Jean Poiret 1964 : La Grande Frousse / La Cité de l'Indicible Peur starring Bourvil, Francis Blanche 1966 : Your Money or Your Life starring Fernandel, Heinz Rühmann 1966 : Les Compagnons de la marguerite starring Claude Rich, Michel Serrault 1968 : La Grande Lessive starring Bourvil, Francis Blanche

1970s 1970 : L'Étalon starring Bourvil, Francis Blanche 1970 : Solo starring Jean-Pierre Mocky, Anne Deleuze 1971 : Love Hate starring Jean-Pierre Mocky, Marion Game 1972 : Chut starring Jacques Dufilho, Michael Lonsdale 1973 : L'Ombre d'une chance starring Jean-Pierre Mocky, Robert Benoit 1974 : Un Linceul n'a pas de poches starring Jean-Pierre Mocky, 1975 : L'Ibis rouge starring Michel Serrault, Michel Simon 1976 : Le Roi des bricoleurs starring Sim, Michel Serrault 1978 : Le Témoin starring Alberto Sordi, Philippe Noiret 1979 : Le Piège à cons starring Jean-Pierre Mocky, Catherine Leprince

1980s 1982 : Litan starring Jean-Pierre Mocky, Marie-José Nat 1982 : Y a-t-il un Français dans la salle ? starring Victor Lanoux, Jacques Dutronc 1983 : À mort l'arbitre starring Michel Serrault, Eddy Mitchell 1985 : Le Pactole starring Richard Bohringer, Patrick Sébastien 1986 : La Machine à découdre 1986 : Le Miraculé starring Michel Serrault, Jeanne Moreau 1987 : Agent trouble starring Catherine Deneuve, Richard Bohringer 1987 : Les Saisons du plaisir starring Charles Vanel, Denise Grey 1988 : Une nuit à l'Assemblée Nationale starring Michel Blanc, Jacqueline Maillan 1988 : Nice is Nice (short movie) 1988 : Méliès 88 1988 : Divine enfant starring Laura Martel, Jean-Pierre Mocky

1990s 1990 : Il gèle en enfer starring Jean-Pierre Mocky, Laura Grandt 1991 : La Méthode Barnol (short movie) 1991 : La vérité qui tue (short movie) 1991 : Dis-moi qui tu hais (short movie) 1991 : starring Tom Novembre, Michel Serrault 1992 : Le Mari de Léon 1992 : Bonsoir starring Michel Serrault, Claude Jade 1995 : Noir comme le souvenir (Black for Remembrance) with Jane Birkin, Sabine Azema, Mattias Habich 1997 : Robin des mers 1997 : Alliance cherche doigt 1998 : Vidange 1999 : Tout est calme 1999 : La candide madame Duff

2000s 2000 : Le Glandeur 2001 : La Bête de miséricorde 2002 : Les Araignées de la nuit 2003 : starring Michel Serrault, Jacques Villeret 2004 : Touristes, oh yes ! 2004 : Les Ballets écarlates 2005 : starring Michel Serrault, Charles Berling 2006 : Le Deal 2007 : starring Michel Serrault, Jean-Claude Dreyfus 2007 : 13 French Street 2007 : Le Diable en embuscade (short movie)

2010s 2011 : Crédit pour tous 2011 : Les Insomniaques 2011 : Le dossier Toroto 2013 : Le Mentor 2012 : À votre bon cœur, mesdames 2013 : Dors mon lapin 2013 : Le Renard jaune 2014 : Le Mystère des jonquilles 2014 : Calomnies 2015 : Tu es si jolie ce soir 2015 : Les Compagnons de la pomponette 2015 : Monsieur Cauchemar 2016 : Le Cabanon rose 2016 : Rouges étaient les lilas 2017 : Vénéneuses 2017 : Votez pour moi 2019 : Tous flics !

Filmography (as actor) The Eternal Husband (1946) God Needs Men (1950) Wedding Night (1950) I vinti (1953) Stain in the Snow (1954) The Big Flag (1954) Le Comte de Monte-Cristo (1954) Gli Sbandati (1955) Le rouge est mis (1957) La Tête contre les murs (1959) Solo (1970) À mort l'arbitre! (1984) Vidange (1998) Americano (2011)