Biography
A popular French screenwriter/director who first entered the entertainment industry by scripting such features as Signed, Arsene Lupin (1959) and Zazie Dans le Métro (1960), Jean-Paul Rappeneau quickly realized that he was also adept at directing his own works. Though Rappeneau had previously directed the film Chronique Provinciale in 1958, it wasn't until the 1966 film
La Vie de Château that he truly began to come into his own behind the camera. A light romantic comedy dealing with life, love, and war as D-day draws near, the film proved a success, and in 1971, Rappeneau returned to equal success as the writer/director of The Scarlet Buccaneer. By this point, he was almost exclusively directing his own screenplays, and that trend would continue through the Golden Palm-nominated
Cyrano de Bergerac (1990),
The Horseman on the Roof (1995), and
Bon Voyage (2003). If anyone were to doubt Rappeneau's staying power behind the camera, they need only reference the nomination sheet for the 2004 César Awards, which found him not only up for Best Director and Best Writing, but also Best Film, which once again took a relatively lighthearted approach to events surrounding World War II. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide