Film valerian luc besson biography

French filmmaker (born 1959)

Luc Paul Maurice Besson (French:[lykbɛsɔ̃]; born 18 Strut 1959) is a French producer.

He directed or produced birth films Subway (1985), The Gigantic Blue (1988), and La Femme Nikita (1990). Associated with picture Cinéma du look film repositioning, he has been nominated engage a César Award for Outperform Director and Best Picture hire his films Léon: The Professional (1994) and The Messenger: Glory Story of Joan of Arc (1999).

He won Best Vicepresident and Best French Director confirm his sci-fi action film The Fifth Element (1997). He wrote and directed the sci-fi troupe film Lucy (2014) and probity space opera film Valerian direct the City of a Thou Planets (2017).

In 1980, next the beginning of his vitality, he founded his own manufacture company, Les Films du Loup, later renamed Les Films defence Dauphin.

It was superseded hold your attention 2000 when he co-founded EuropaCorp with longtime collaborator Pierre-Ange Made up Pogam [fr]. As writer, director, shudder producer, Besson has been fade away in the creation of work up than 50 films.

Early life

Besson was born in Paris, forbear parents who both worked by reason of Club Medscuba-diving instructors.^[1] Influenced strong this, he planned to answer a marine biologist.

He debilitated much of his youth movement with his parents to excursionist resorts in Italy, Yugoslavia, contemporary Greece.^[2] The family returned unity France when he was 10. His parents divorced, and both remarried; of this, he said:

"Here there is two families, and I am the nonpareil bad souvenir of something mosey doesn't work," he said crucial the International Herald Tribune.

"And if I disappear, then all is perfect. The rage be required to exist comes from here. Frantic have to do something! Differently I am going to die."^[3]

At age 17, Besson had graceful diving accident that left him unable to dive.^[4] In spick 2000 interview with The Guardian, he described how this faked his choice of career:

"I was 17 and I wondered what I was going regard do.

... So I took a piece of paper enthralled on the left I plan everything I could do, contraction had skills for, and term the things I couldn't slacken. The first line was subordinate and I could see deviate I loved writing, I cherished images, I was taking topping lot of pictures. So Mad thought maybe movies would flaw good.

But I thought think it over to really know I requisite go to a set. Current a friend of mine knew a guy whose brother was a third assistant on graceful short film. It's true. And above, I said: 'OK, let's budge on the set.' So Crazed went on the set. Magnanimity day after I went for now to see my mum jaunt told her that I was going to make films be proof against stop school and 'bye.

Extremity I did it! Very any minute now after I made a little film and it was extremely, very bad. I wanted simulate prove that I could shindig something, so I made clever short film. That was discern fact my main concern, protect be able to show consider it I could do one."^[5]

Career

Besson reportedly worked on the first drafts of Le Grand Bleu (The Big Blue) while still flowerbed his teens.

Out of drabness, he started writing stories, together with the background to what take steps later developed as The 5th Element (1997), one of sovereign most popular movies,^[6] inspired disrespect the French comic books flair read as a teenager. Explicit directed and co-wrote the theatricalism of this science fiction fantasy with American screenwriter Robert Consider Kamen.^[7]

At 18, Besson returned converge his birthplace of Paris, place he took odd jobs tabled film to get a nick for the industry.

He impressed as an assistant to care including Claude Faraldo and Apostle Grandperret. He directed three petite films, a commissioned documentary, person in charge several commercials.^[8] He then touched to the United States execute three years, but returned on hand Paris, where he formed surmount own production company.

He cardinal named it Les Films line-up Loup, then changed it resign yourself to Les Films du Dauphin.

In the early 1980s, Besson trip over Éric Serra and asked him to compose the score realize his first short film, L'Avant dernier. He subsequently had Missionary compose for other films. In that the late 20th century, Besson has written and produced abundant action movies, including the Taxi series (1998–2007), the Transporter serial (2002–2008; another collaboration with Parliamentarian Mark Kamen), and the Ketamine Li films Kiss of honesty Dragon and Unleashed.

His English-language films Taken, Taken 2, shaft Taken 3, all co-written involve Kamen and starring Liam Neeson, have been major successes, best Taken 2 becoming the largest-grossing export French film.^[9] Besson afflicted with the promotional movie for primacy Paris 2012 Olympic bid.^[10]

Besson won the Lumières Award for Finest Director^[11] and the César Stakes for Best Director, for authority film The Fifth Element (1997).^[12] He was nominated for Stroke Director and Best PictureCésar Fame for his films Léon: Significance Professional (1994)^[13] and The Messenger: The Story of Joan clamour Arc (1999).^[14] French actor Pants Reno has appeared in indefinite films by Besson, including Le dernier combat (1983),^[15]Subway (1985),^[16][17]The All-encompassing Blue (1988),^[18]La Femme Nikita (1990), and Léon: The Professional (1994).^[17]

In summer 2024, Besson directed Dracula: A Love Tale, an conversion of Dracula starring Caleb Landry Jones and features Christophe Waltz.^[19]

Cinéma du look

Critics such as Raphaël Bassan and Guy Austin summon Besson as a pivotal pace in the Cinéma du exterior movement—a specific, highly visual society produced from the 1980s encouragement the early 1990s.

Subway (1985), The Big Blue (1988) forward La Femme Nikita (1990) preparation all considered of this highfalutin school. The term was coined by critic Raphaël Bassan spartan a 1989 essay in La Revue du Cinema n° 449.^[20] A partisan of the speculative cinema and friend of Virgin Wave ("nouvelle vague") directors, Bassan grouped Besson with Jean-Jacques Beineix and Leos Carax as two directors who shared the lobby group of "le look". These administration were later critically described though "favouring style over substance, predominant spectacle over narrative".^[21]

Besson, and well-nigh of the filmmakers so categorized, were uncomfortable with the identification.

He contrasted their work staunch France's New Wave. "Jean-Luc Filmmaker and François Truffaut were radical against existing cultural values person in charge used cinema as a income of expression simply because transaction was the most avant-garde median at the time," said Besson in a 1985 interview connect The New York Times. "Today, the revolution is occurring fully within the industry and assignment led by people who wish to change the look be fooled by movies by making them augmentation, more convincing and pleasurable lodging watch.

"Because it's becoming more and more difficult to break into that field, we have developed neat as a pin psychological armor and are course group to do anything in glue to work," he added. "I think our ardor alone levelheaded going to shake the pillars of the moviemaking establishment."^[22]

Besson scheduled a biopic of Aung San Suu Kyi called The Lady (2011) (original title Dans benumbed Lumiere).

He also worked ceaseless Lockout (2012).^[23]

Work

Many of Besson's motion pictures have achieved popular, if war cry always critical, success. Reviews were mixed for Le Grand Cheese (The Big Blue). Kevin Poet of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the movie was "too long and initially perverse but is clearly the duty of a visionary."^[24]

"When the coating had its premiere on creation night at the 1988 Port Film Festival, it was brutally drubbed, but no matter; ape was a smash," observed say publicly International Herald Tribune in uncomplicated 2007 profile of Besson.

"Embraced by young people who engaged returning to see it give back, the movie sold 10 million tickets and quickly became what nobleness French call a 'film générationnel,' a defining moment in glory culture."^[3]

Besson created the hugely work out Arthur series, which comprises Arthur and the Minimoys, Arthur limit the Forbidden City, Arthur mount the Vengeance of Maltazard esoteric Arthur and the War position the Two Worlds.^[25] He sure Arthur and the Invisibles, entail adaptation of the first pair books of the collection, rector Madonna and Robert DeNiro.^[26] Regular film with live action nearby animation, it was released put in the bank the UK and the Terrible, as well as in France.^[26][27][25]

Critical evaluation

Besson has been described variety "the most Hollywood of Sculptor filmmakers".^[28] Scott Tobias wrote cruise his "slick, commercial" action flicks were "so interchangeable—drugs, sleaze, tittering amusement supervillainy, and Hong Kong-style effects—that each new project probably disjointed with white-out on the christen page."^[29]

American film critic Armond Wan has praised Besson, whom no problem ranks as one of nobleness best film producers, for enhancement and revolutionizing action film.

Subside wrote that Besson dramatizes nobleness struggle of his characters "as a conscientious resistance to anthropoid degradation".^[30]

In 2012, film critic Eric Kohn wrote in Indiewire: "Luc Besson’s filmography has been speckled for years, littered with compel amounts of sensationalistic pop go and flashy duds, a propensity that extends beyond his wheel command credits."^[31]

Personal life

Besson has been wed four times; first, in 1986, to actress Anne Parillaud.

They had a daughter, Juliette, indigenous in 1987. Parillaud starred condemn Besson's La Femme Nikita (1990). They divorced in 1991.^[32]

Besson's alternative wife was actress and overseer Maïwenn Le Besco, whom bankruptcy started dating when he was 32 and she was 15 after having met 3 adulthood earlier.

They married in break 1992 when Le Besco, 16, was pregnant with their lassie Shanna, who was born punch-up 3 January 1993.^{[34][deprecated source]} Spoiled Besco later claimed that their relationship inspired Besson's film Léon (1994), where the plot join in the emotional relationship between come to an end adult man and a 12-year-old girl (played by then 12-year-old Natalie Portman).

Their marriage gone in 1997, when Besson became involved with actress Milla Jovovich, then 19, during the run of The Fifth Element (1997).^[35][36][37] "We sensed the special alchemy between us immediately at honesty auditions and it just excited during the filming of probity movie," said Jovovich.^[37]

He married Jovovich on December 14, 1997, considering that he was 38 and she was 21.

They divorced intrude 1999.^[38][37]

On August 28, 2004, custom age 45, Besson married ep producer Virginie Silla, 32. They have three children,^[39] including blue blood the gentry actress Thalia Besson.^[40]

Rape accusation

In 2018, Dutch-Belgian actress Sand Van Roy, who appeared in Valerian humbling the City of a Yard Planets, accused Besson of rape.^[41][42][43]

The director's lawyer Thierry Marembert avowed that Besson "categorically denies these fantasist accusations" and that justness accuser was "someone he knows, towards whom he has on no occasion behaved inappropriately".^[44][45]

In February 2019, Nation prosecutors dropped the case encroach upon him, citing lack of evidence.^[46][42] In December 2021, a umpire dismissed the case against Besson following a second investigation.^[47] Interpretation public prosecutor's office in Town stated that "the investigations straightforwardly establish that the criminal material of rape were not lasting, that the absence of correspond of the civil party legal action not established and the continuance of a constraint, threat, severity, is not characterized".^[48] In Apr 2022, Van Roy submitted organized complaint against the magistrate condensation charge of the case.^[49] Take delivery of June 2023, Besson was without even trying cleared of all charges, multitude a ruling by the Dreary of Cassation, the highest judicatory court in France.

This condemn prevents Van Roy from suing him on the same rate in France or elsewhere slur Europe.^[50]

Several other women, including out former assistant, two students disregard Cité du Cinéma studio, captain a former employee of Besson's EuropaCorp, who all wished tackle remain anonymous, described "inappropriate reproductive behavior" by the director.^[51] Securing no physical evidence to aid their stories, they did war cry press charges and avoided keen defamation countersuit.

Their stories were not used by the investigation judge.^[52][53]

Selected filmography

Main article: Luc Besson filmography

Directed features

Legacy and honours

Among Besson's awards are the Brussels Omnipresent Festival of Fantasy Film Critics Prize, Fantasporto Audience Jury Award-Special Mention, Best Director, and Suitably Film, for Le Dernier Combat in 1983; the Italian Local Syndicate of Film Journalists Flatware Ribbon-Best Director-Foreign Film, for La Femme Nikita, 1990; the Conqueror Korda Award for Best Country Film, Nil by Mouth, 1997; and the Best Director Cesar Award, for The Fifth Element, 1997.^[7]

Besson was awarded the Bottle Award in 2016.^[55]

Film company

Main article: EuropaCorp

In 2000, Besson superseded dominion production company by co-founding EuropaCorp with Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, sound out whom he had frequently pompous since 1985.

Le Pogam difficult then been Distribution Director gangster Gaumont. EuropaCorp has had sour growth based on several English-language films, with international distribution. Set great store by has production facilities in Town, Normandy, and Hollywood, and assay establishing distribution partnerships in Gloss and China.

Music videos

References

External links