* 14.3.1939, Paris, France

Undeniably gifted director whose blackly humorous, often surrealistic and sometimes misogynistic films have divided critics.

Blier began his career as an assistant to John Berry, Jean Delannoy and Christian-Jaque before making a series of cinéma vérité-style documentaries which culminated with HITLER CONNAIS PAS (1962), a feature-length study of disaffected teenagers. His first fiction feature was BREAKDOWN (1967)/SI J'ETAIS UN ESPION, but he hit the international spotlight with GOING PLACES (1974). A kind of French A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971), the film depicted the picaresque and primarily sexual escapades of two amoral, petty thugs (they are not above sniffing a young girl's underwear in an attempt to determine her age). By turns offensive, disturbing and hilarious, the film launched not only Blier, but then-unknown actors Gérard Depardieu, Patrick Dewaere and Miou-Miou.

After being vilified for the misogynism of FEMMES FATALES (1975)/CALMOS/COOL, CALM AND COLLECTED, Blier earned international acclaim for GET OUT YOUR HANDKERCHIEFS (1978), a ribald comedy, again starring Depardieu and Dewaere, which took the Oscar for best foreign film. BUFFET FROID (1979) marked the director's incursion into surrealist territory, a farcical study in the psychology of murder pitting Depardieu, as a suspected serial killer, against Blier's father, Bernard, as an aging police inspector.

Blier continued to offend, alienate and entertain his audience with BEAU PÈRE (1981), a reworking of LOLITA in which a widower (Dewaere) is left in charge of his adolescent stepdaughter, and MÉNAGE (1986)/TENUE DE SOIRÉE/EVENING DRESS, about a convivial gay burglar (Depardieu) who wreaks havoc within a bankrupt, heterosexual household. TOO BEAUTIFUL FOR YOU (1989) saw a successful car dealer (Depardieu) abandoning his beautiful wife (Carole Bouquet) for a plain mistress (Josiane Balasko); Blier's disjunctive, non-linear narrative style served more to defuse the film's emotional impact than to explore new stylistic or psychological territory.

Films waarbij hij de screenwriter was zijn cursief bij geen vermelding de regisseur. Titels in blauw regisseur en screenwriter groen naar zijn idee

Filmography Bertrand Blier
1962   HITLER CONNAIS PAS        

1967   BREAKDOWN/SI J'ETAIS UN ESPION

1970   LAISSE ALLER, C'EST UNE VALSE    

1974   GOING PLACES/LES VALSEUSES    

1975   FEMMES FATALES/CALMOS/COOL, CALM AND COLLECTED        director, screenwriter, performer

1978   GET OUT YOUR HANDKERCHIEFS/PRÉPAREZ VOS MOUCHOIRS    producer, director, dialogue

1979   BUFFET FROID        

1981   BEAU PERE    

1983   DEBOUT LES CRABES LA MER MONTE!      

1983   MY BEST FRIEND'S GIRL/LA FEMME DE MON POTE

1984   NOTRE HISTOIRE     

1984   REVEILLON CHEZ BOB        

1986   MENAGE/TENUE DE SOIRÉE/EVENING DRESS                         director, screenwriter, dialogue

1989   TOO BEAUTIFUL FOR YOU/TROP BELLE POUR TOI

1991   MERCI, LA VIE/THANK YOU, LIFE   

1992   PATRICK DEWAERE          documentary appearance

1993   1, 2, 3 SOLEIL        

1994   GROSSE FATIGUE/DEAD TIRED