Jean Tourane (1919–1986) was a French filmmaker known for his footage of small animals. His birth name was Jean Briel. Among others he filmed a television series about a small

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...

named "Saturnin" during the 1960s. In the 1990s, clips from this series were merged into a new series called ''The Adventures of

Dynamo Duck Dynamo Duck () was the main character in the children's series ''The Adventures of Dynamo Duck'', which aired on television in the early 1990s. Overview The origin of the series lies with the French film maker Jean Tourane. During the 1960s, he ...

'', which aired on

Fox Kids Fox Kids (originally known as Fox Children's Network and later as the Fox Kids Network; stylized in all caps) was an American children's programming block and branding for a slate of international children's television channels. Originally a j ...

in the United States. Tourane started his professional career as a painter and photographer of small animals, and moved from photography into film. After making a number of shorts, he made the first full-length ''Saturnin'' movie, and was in 1964 awarded a contract for 78 television episodes with

French television Television in France was introduced in 1931, when the first experimental broadcasts began. Colour television was introduced in October 1967 on La Deuxième Chaîne. Digital terrestrial television The digital terrestrial television platform ...

He was also for a time the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of the commune of

Le Val-Saint-Germain Le Val-Saint-Germain () is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in Northern France. It is best known for its 18th-century Château du Marais by Jean-Benoît-Vincent Barré, built from 1772 to 1779 in Louis XVI style. Both the ...

in Essonne department, France.

Filmography as director

*''Saturnin Et La Fee Pas Comme Les Autres'' (1955) *''The Secret of Magic Island'' (''Une Fee Pas Comme Les Autres'') aka ''Secret of Outer Space Island'' (1956) *''Saturnin, le petit canard'' (1964)

External links

*
"Photographs by Tourane Jean"
French film producers 1919 births 1986 deaths {{france-film-bio-stub