José Giovanni (22 June 1923,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, France – 24 April 2004,

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...

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

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

n origin who became a naturalized Swiss citizen in 1986. A former

collaborationist Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime, and in the words of historian Gerhard Hirschfeld, "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory". The term ''collaborator'' dates to ...

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 links with the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

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 highly selective 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 ''class ...

and the

Lycée Janson de Sailly In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children between ...

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

The Occupation and Collaborationism

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

Pierre Laval Pierre Jean Marie Laval (; 28 June 1883 – 15 October 1945) was a French politician. During the Third Republic, he served as Prime Minister of France from 27 January 1931 to 20 February 1932 and 7 June 1935 to 24 January 1936. He again occ ...

. 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 Communist Party, he founded the French Popular Party (P ...

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

Gestapo The (), 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 Prussia into one orga ...

, and his elder brother, Paul Damiani, a member of the Vichy paramilitary '' Milice'', introduced Joseph into the

Pigalle Pigalle may refer to: Places ;Paris, France *Quartier Pigalle, an area in Paris around the Place Pigalle, on the border between the 9th and the 18th arrondissements *Place Pigalle, public square in the Quartier Pigalle at the foot of the Montmartre ...

underworld. In March 1944 Joseph Damiani went to

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

where he became a member of the German ''Schutzkorps (SK)'', an organization which hunted down '' Service du travail obligatoire - 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,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

, 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 Liberation or liberate may refer to: Film and television * ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War * "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode * "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode Gaming * '' Liberati ...

), 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 - abducted 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 ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/ Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributa ...

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

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

. 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 (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label= Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label= Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the ...

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 The ''dégradation nationale'' ("National demotion") was a sentence introduced in France after the Liberation of France. It was applied during the ''épuration légale'' ("legal purge") which followed the fall of the Vichy regime. The ''dégra ...
'' 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 The ''dégradation nationale'' ("National demotion") was a sentence introduced in France after the Liberation of France. It was applied during the ''épuration légale'' ("legal purge") which followed the fall of the Vichy regime. The ''dégra ...

'' (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'', 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 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 Auri ...

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 Jules Gustave 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 t ...

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 Roger Nimier (31 October 1925 – 28 September 1962) was a French novelist. Life Nimier was born in Paris, and served in the French Army, specifically in the 2nd Hussard Regiment in the Second World War (until 1945). He began to write quite earl ...

through whom it was published by Éditions Gallimard. 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 called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

by Jacques Becker in 1960. In 1958 the editor

Marcel Duhamel Marcel Duhamel (16 July 1900 in Paris – 6 March 1977 in Saint-Laurent-du-Var) was a French actor and screenwriter, founder of the Série noire publishing imprint. He played The Foreman in Jean Renoir's 1936 '' The Crime of Monsieur Lange''. ...

introduced Giovanni to the '' Série noire'' 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 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 and producer. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward. His best known credits ...

in 1961, and was later remade by Giovanni in 1972 as ''

La Scoumoune ''La Scoumoune'' (''"Bad luck"'') is a 1972 French film directed by José Giovanni, starring Jean Paul Belmondo, Claudia Cardinale and Michel Constantin. It is an adaption of Giovanni's novel ''L'Excommunié''. ''La Scoumoune'' is a remake of a 1 ...

'', with Belmondo in the same part and Claudia Cardinale. * '' Le deuxieme souffle'' (''Second Breath''), filmed by Jean-Pierre Melville in 1966, with a remake, ', 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 ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...

or for extorting money from Jews during the Occupation. On 14 October 1993, two Swiss dailies, ''La

Tribune de Genève The ''Tribune de Genève'' (English: ''Geneva Tribune'') is a Swiss French-language, regional daily newspaper, published in Berliner format by Edipresse in Geneva. History and operations The ''Tribune de Genève'' was first published by J ...

'' 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 The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

'' 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 Hole'' (french: Le Trou) is a 1960 French crime film directed by Jacques Becker. It is an adaptation of José Giovanni's 1957 book '' The Break''. It was called ''The Night Watch'' when first released in the United States, but is released u ...

'' (''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 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 * Ja ...

: ''

'' (''The Hole''), directed by Jacques Becker c, Wrstarring

Raymond Meunier Raymond Meunier (15 January 1920 – 17 June 2010) was a French actor.Un artiste s'en est allé', orbituary in sudouest.fr 22/06/2010 He appeared in more than thirty films from 1947 to 2005. Selected filmography References External links ...

, Michel Constantin *

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

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

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

* 1962 : ''

Du rififi chez les femmes ''Du rififi chez les femmes'' ("The Riff Raff Girls") is a French-Italian film directed by Alex Joffé and released in 1959. Plot In Brussels, rival criminal gangs confront each other. One is led by Vicky, proprietor of a nightclub on a barge; ...

'' (''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 Mar ...

cstarring Nadja Tiller,

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

* 1963 : ', directed by Jacques Deray cstarring

Charles Vanel Charles-Marie Vanel (21 August 1892 – 15 April 1989) was a French actor and director. During his 76-year film career, which began in 1912, he appeared in more than 200 films and worked with many prominent directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, ...

, Michel Auclair * 1963 : '' Rififi in Tokyo'', directed by Jacques Deray Wstarring

, Karlheinz Böhm *

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime 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 sworn in for a full term ...

: ''

That Man George ''That Man George'' is a 1966 French crime film starring George Hamilton and Claudine Auger. It was written and directed by Jacques Deray. It was also known as ''The Man from Marrakesh''. Plot Cast * George Hamilton as George * Claudine Au ...

'', directed by Jacques Deray cstarring George Hamilton, Claudine Auger *

: '' Les Grandes Gueules'' (''The Wise Guys''), directed by

Robert Enrico Robert Georgio Enrico (13 April 1931 – 23 February 2001) was a French film director and scriptwriter best known for making the Oscar-winning short ''An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge'' (1961). He was born in Liévin, Pas-de-Calais, in the nort ...

W, Wr : ''Le Haut-Fer''starring Bourvil, Lino Ventura * 1966 : ''

To Skin a Spy To Skin a Spy (french: Avec la peau des autres) is a 1966 French-Italian thriller film directed by Jacques Deray. The film details the journey of a French spy sent to Vienna to stop a security leak whose mission is re-directed when he comes into ...

'', directed by Jacques Deray cstarring Lino Ventura * 1966 : '' Le Deuxième souffle'' (''Second Breath''), directed by Jean-Pierre Melville rstarring Lino Ventura * 1967 : '' Les Aventuriers'' (''The Last Adventure''), directed by

c, DW, Wrstarring Lino Ventura, Alain Delon, Joanna Shimkus * 1967 : '' La Loi du survivant'' D, Sc, DW, Wr : second part of ''Les Aventuriers''starring Michel Constantin, Roger Blin *

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...

: ' D, Scstarring Lino Ventura *

: ''

Ho! ''Ho!'' ( it, Criminal Face - Storia di un criminale) is a 1968 French-Italian crime film directed by Robert Enrico and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo. It is based on the 1964 novel ''Ho!'' by José Giovanni. The film recorded admissions of 1,774,340 ...

'', directed by

cstarring

, Joanna Shimkus *

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

: ''

Le Clan des Siciliens ''The Sicilian Clan'' (french: Le clan des Siciliens) is a 1969 French-Italian gangster film based on the novel by Auguste Le Breton. The film was directed by Henri Verneuil and stars Jean Gabin, Lino Ventura and Alain Delon, whose casting led to ...

'' (''The Sicilian Clan''), directed by

Henri Verneuil Henri Verneuil (; born Ashot Malakian; 15 October 1920 – 11 January 2002) was a French-Armenian playwright and filmmaker, who made a successful career in France. He was nominated for Oscar and Palme d'Or awards, and won Locarno Internationa ...

cstarring Alain Delon, Jean Gabin, Lino Ventura * 1970 : '' Dernier domicile connu'' (''Last Known Address'') D, Scstarring Lino Ventura,

Marlène Jobert Marlène Jobert (born 4 November 1940) is a French actress and author. Life and career Jobert was born in Algiers, Algeria, to a Sephardic Jewish and Pied-Noir family, the daughter of Eliane Azulay and Charles Jobert, who served in the French ...

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses ( February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events J ...

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

: ' D, Scstarring Rufus et

Jean Gaven Jean Gaven (16 January 1918 – 5 May 2014) was a French actor. He appeared in more than sixty films between 1945 and 1996. Life and career Born in Saint-Rome-de-Cernon, France on January 16, 1922, Gaven began acting sometime after the end of Wo ...

* 1972 : ''

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

, Claudia Cardinale * 1973 : ''

Deux Hommes dans la ville ''Two Men in Town'' (french: Deux hommes dans la ville a.k.a. ''Two Against the Law'') is a 1973 Franco-Italian film directed by José Giovanni. The film was remade in 2014. Synopsis Germain Cazeneuve left the police to work as a prison trainer, ...

'' (''Two Men in Town'' aka. ''Two Against the Law'') D, Scstarring Jean Gabin, Alain Delon *

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 Alain Delon, Annie Girardot * 1976 : '' Comme un boomerang'' D, Scstarring Alain Delon * 1979 : '' Les Égouts du paradis'' (''The Sewers of Paradise'') D, Scstarring Jean-François Balmer, Francis Huster, based on the criminal adventures of

Albert Spaggiari Albert Spaggiari (14 December 1932 – 8 June 1989), nicknamed Bert, was a French criminal chiefly known as the organizer of a break-in into a Société Générale bank in Nice, France, in July 1976. Early life Albert Spaggiari was born on 14 ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – In ...

: ' D, Scstarring Annie Girardot,

Claude Brasseur Claude Brasseur (15 June 1936 – 22 December 2020) was a French actor. Life and career Claude Brasseur was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine as Claude Pierre Espinasse, the son of actor Pierre Brasseur and actress Odette Joyeux. He was the godson of E ...

* 1983 : '' Le Ruffian'' D, Sc, Wr : ''Les Ruffians''starring Lino Ventura, Bernard Giraudeau, Claudia Cardinale * 1985 : '' Among Wolves'' D, Scstarring

, Niels Arestrup * 1988 : ' D, Sc, Wrstarring André Dussollier,

Jean-Pierre Bernard Jean-Pierre Bernard (22 January 1933 – 7 July 2017) was a French film, television and stage actor.1991: ' (TV film) Dstarring Michel Sardou,

Lorraine Pilkington Lorraine Pilkington (born 18 April 1974) is an Irish actress from Dublin who is best known for her role as Katrina Finlay from '' Monarch of the Glen''. Life Born in Dublin, Pilkington grew up in the affluent suburban village of Malahide, and ...

, Thérèse Liotard * 2000: ' D, Sc, Di, Wr : ''Il avait dans le cœur des jardins introuvables''starring Bruno Cremer, * 2007: ' (''Second Breath''), remake directed by Alain Corneau rstarring Daniel Auteuil, Michel Blanc, Jacques Dutronc *

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

: '' Two Men in Town'' American remake of ''

'', directed by Rachid Bouchareb cstarring

Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. After making his f ...

, Harvey Keitel, Ellen Burstyn, Luis Guzmán and

Brenda Blethyn Brenda Blethyn (''née'' Bottle; 20 February 1946) is an English actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, and two Academy Award nominations. Blethyn ...

Biography

Youth

The Occupation and Collaborationism

The triple murder

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