Jean-Pierre Mocky (6 July 1929 – 8 August 2019), pseudonym of Jean-Paul Adam Mokiejewski, was a French film director, actor, screenwriter and producer.

Early life and education

Mocky was born on 6 July 1929 in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionGli Sbandati'' and in many other movies, including some of those he also directed (''

Solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''Star Wars Legends'' continuity * Kylo Ren (Ben Solo), a ''Star Wars'' character * Napoleon Solo, fr ...

'', '' 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. Mocky Harcourt 1948

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 ''La Strada'', also translated into English as ''The Road'', is a 1954 Italian Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Federico Fellini and co-written by Fellini, Tullio Pinelli and Ennio Flaiano. The film tells the story of Gelsomin ...

'' (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 ''

'' (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 Jean Poiret, born Jean Poiré (17 August 1926 – 14 March 1992), was a French actor, director, and screenwriter. He is primarily known as the author of the original play ''La Cage aux Folles (play), La Cage aux Folles''. Early career Poire ...

(eight films) and with the stars Catherine Deneuve ('' Agent Trouble''), Claude Jade (''Bonsoir''),

Jane Birkin Jane Mallory Birkin ( ; 14 December 1946 – 16 July 2023) was a British and French actress, singer, and designer. She had a prolific career as an actress, mostly in French cinema. A native of London, Birkin began her career as an actress, ...

(''Noir comme le souvenir''),

Jeanne Moreau Jeanne Moreau (; 23 January 1928 – 31 July 2017) was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française. Mo ...

(''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 Jacques Charrier (born 6 November 1936) is a French actor, film producer, painter and ceramist. Biography In 1980 he returned to the School of Fine Arts, and went back to painting that was full of references to his two passions, travel and ant ...

Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( ; ; ; born Shahnur Vaghinak Aznavourian; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a Armenians in France, French singer and songwriter of Armenian descent. Aznavour was known for his distinctive vibrato tenor voice: clear and ringi ...

* 1960 : ''Un couple'' starring Juliette Mayniel, Francis Blanche * 1961 : '' Snobs !'' starring Véronique Nordey, Francis Blanche * 1962 : '' Les Vierges'' starring

* 1963 : '' Un drôle de paroissien'' starring Bourvil,

* 1964 : '' La Grande Frousse'' / '' La Cité de l'Indicible Peur'' starring Bourvil, Francis Blanche * 1966 : '' Your Money or Your Life'' starring Fernandel,

Heinz Rühmann Heinrich Wilhelm "Heinz" Rühmann (; 7 March 1902 – 3 October 1994) was a German film actor who appeared in over 100 films between 1926 and 1993. He is one of the most famous and popular German actors of the 20th century, and is considered a Ge ...

* 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 : ''

'' starring Jean-Pierre Mocky, Anne Deleuze * 1971 : '' L'Albatros'' 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 Philippe Noiret (; 1 October 1930 – 23 November 2006) was a French film actor. Life and career Noiret was born in Lille, France, the son of Lucy (Heirman) and Pierre Noiret, a clothing company representative. He was an indifferent student a ...

* 1979 : '' Le Piège à cons'' starring Jean-Pierre Mocky,

Catherine Leprince Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Christian sa ...

1980s

* 1982 : '' Litan'' starring Jean-Pierre Mocky,

Marie-José Nat Marie-José Benhalassa (22 April 1940 – 10 October 2019), known professionally as Marie-José Nat, was a French actress. Among her notable works in cinema were the sequel films '' Anatomy of a Marriage: My Days with Jean-Marc'' and '' Anatomy ...

* 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 Claude Moine (; born 3 July 1942), known professionally as Eddy Mitchell, is a French singer and actor. He began his career in the late 1950s, with the group Les Chaussettes Noires (The Black Socks). He took the name ''Eddy'' from the American ...

* 1985 : '' Le Pactole'' starring Richard Bohringer, Patrick Sébastien * 1986 : '' La Machine à découdre'' * 1986 : '' Le Miraculé'' starring Michel Serrault,

* 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

, 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 Jacques Villeret (; 6 February 1951 – 28 January 2005) was a French actor, best known internationally for his role as François Pignon in the comedy '' Le Dîner de Cons''. During his career, he earned many awards including the prestigious ...

* 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) * ''

'' (1970) * ''À mort l'arbitre!'' (1984) * ''Vidange'' (1998) * '' Americano'' (2011)

Bibliography

* * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mocky, Jean-Pierre 1929 births 2019 deaths French film directors French people of Polish-Jewish descent Male actors from Nice, France French male screenwriters French screenwriters French male film actors French male television actors French male stage actors French National Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni