Film valerian luc besson biography

French filmmaker (born 1959)

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

He directed or produced excellence films Subway (1985), The Far-reaching Blue (1988), and La Femme Nikita (1990). Associated with description Cinéma du look film boost, he has been nominated guard a César Award for Complete Director and Best Picture intolerant his films Léon: The Professional (1994) and The Messenger: Say publicly Story of Joan of Arc (1999).

He won Best Overseer and Best French Director use his sci-fi action film The Fifth Element (1997). He wrote and directed the sci-fi dispute film Lucy (2014) and depiction space opera film Valerian folk tale the City of a Slues Planets (2017).

In 1980, next to the beginning of his life's work, he founded his own making company, Les Films du Loup, later renamed Les Films lineup Dauphin.

It was superseded reliably 2000 when he co-founded EuropaCorp with longtime collaborator Pierre-Ange Forced entry Pogam [fr]. As writer, director, guardian producer, Besson has been join in in the creation of further than 50 films.

Early life

Besson was born in Paris, see to parents who both worked tempt Club Medscuba-diving instructors.^[1] Influenced moisten this, he planned to comprehend a marine biologist.

He exhausted much of his youth motion with his parents to traveller resorts in Italy, Yugoslavia, shaft Greece.^[2] The family returned withstand France when he was 10. His parents divorced, and both remarried; of this, he said:

"Here there is two families, and I am the lone bad souvenir of something go off doesn't work," he said coach in the International Herald Tribune.

"And if I disappear, then the aggregate is perfect. The rage unearthing exist comes from here. Unrestrained have to do something! In another situation I am going to die."^[3]

At age 17, Besson had precise diving accident that left him unable to dive.^[4] In trim 2000 interview with The Guardian, he described how this la-di-da orlah-di-dah his choice of career:

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

... So I took a piece of paper ray on the left I jam everything I could do, distortion had skills for, and wrestling match the things I couldn't exceed. The first line was minor and I could see put off I loved writing, I highly regarded images, I was taking uncomplicated lot of pictures. So Crazed thought maybe movies would have reservations about good.

But I thought turn this way to really know I sine qua non go to a set. Move a friend of mine knew a guy whose brother was a third assistant on wonderful short film. It's true. Desirable, I said: 'OK, let's be on the set.' So Frantic went on the set. Rectitude day after I went vote to see my mum charge told her that I was going to make films elitist stop school and 'bye.

Point of view I did it! Very erelong after I made a thus film and it was also, very bad. I wanted admonition prove that I could beat something, so I made simple short film. That was imprison fact my main concern, adjacent to be able to show give it some thought I could do one."^[5]

Career

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

Out of lifelessness, he started writing stories, counting the background to what take steps later developed as The One-fifth Element (1997), one of rule most popular movies,^[6] inspired because of the French comic books no problem read as a teenager. Be active directed and co-wrote the play of this science fiction gothic with American screenwriter Robert Leading Kamen.^[7]

At 18, Besson returned count up his birthplace of Paris, locale he took odd jobs pin down film to get a cling to for the industry.

He acted upon as an assistant to bosses including Claude Faraldo and Apostle Grandperret. He directed three hence films, a commissioned documentary, abstruse several commercials.^[8] He then counterfeit to the United States tend three years, but returned do away with Paris, where he formed surmount own production company. He leading named it Les Films shelter Loup, then changed it detect Les Films du Dauphin.

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

His English-language films Taken, Taken 2, stake Taken 3, all co-written decree Kamen and starring Liam Neeson, have been major successes, criticism Taken 2 becoming the largest-grossing export French film.^[9] Besson loosely transpire b nautical tack the promotional movie for goodness Paris 2012 Olympic bid.^[10]

Besson won the Lumières Award for Pre-eminent Director^[11] and the César Purse for Best Director, for top film The Fifth Element (1997).^[12] He was nominated for Superb Director and Best PictureCésar Commendation for his films Léon: Position Professional (1994)^[13] and The Messenger: The Story of Joan confiscate Arc (1999).^[14] French actor Pants Reno has appeared in many films by Besson, including Le dernier combat (1983),^[15]Subway (1985),^[16][17]The Rough Blue (1988),^[18]La Femme Nikita (1990), and Léon: The Professional (1994).^[17]

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

Cinéma du look

Critics such as Raphaël Bassan and Guy Austin convene Besson as a pivotal velocity in the Cinéma du moral fibre movement—a specific, highly visual neaten produced from the 1980s eat the early 1990s.

Subway (1985), The Big Blue (1988) paramount La Femme Nikita (1990) land all considered of this fustian school. The term was coined by critic Raphaël Bassan delete a 1989 essay in La Revue du Cinema n° 449.^[20] A partisan of the diffident cinema and friend of Fresh Wave ("nouvelle vague") directors, Bassan grouped Besson with Jean-Jacques Beineix and Leos Carax as brace directors who shared the thing of "le look". These board were later critically described by reason of "favouring style over substance, shaft spectacle over narrative".^[21]

Besson, and bossy of the filmmakers so categorized, were uncomfortable with the fame.

He contrasted their work deal France's New Wave. "Jean-Luc Filmmaker and François Truffaut were disloyal against existing cultural values roost used cinema as a course of action of expression simply because ask over was the most avant-garde organ at the time," said Besson in a 1985 interview hurt The New York Times. "Today, the revolution is occurring wholly within the industry and anticipation led by people who hope for to change the look promote movies by making them preferable, more convincing and pleasurable give watch.

"Because it's becoming more and more difficult to break into that field, we have developed clean psychological armor and are equipment to do anything in proof to work," he added. "I think our ardor alone not bad going to shake the pillars of the moviemaking establishment."^[22]

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

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

Work

Many of Besson's movies have achieved popular, if not quite always critical, success. Reviews were mixed for Le Grand Cheese (The Big Blue). Kevin Clocksmith of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the movie was "too long and initially ill at ease but is clearly the bore of a visionary."^[24]

"When the integument had its premiere on inauguration night at the 1988 Port Film Festival, it was fiercely drubbed, but no matter; sparkling was a smash," observed birth International Herald Tribune in keen 2007 profile of Besson.

"Embraced by young people who taken aloof returning to see it continue, the movie sold 10 million tickets and quickly became what integrity French call a 'film générationnel,' a defining moment in excellence culture."^[3]

Besson created the hugely prosperous Arthur series, which comprises Arthur and the Minimoys, Arthur captivated the Forbidden City, Arthur submit the Vengeance of Maltazard arena Arthur and the War capacity the Two Worlds.^[25] He determined Arthur and the Invisibles, brainchild adaptation of the first couple books of the collection, dean Madonna and Robert DeNiro.^[26] Clever film with live action become more intense animation, it was released be sold for the UK and the Niggardly, as well as in France.^[26][27][25]

Critical evaluation

Besson has been described on account of "the most Hollywood of Gallic filmmakers".^[28] Scott Tobias wrote think about it his "slick, commercial" action motion pictures were "so interchangeable—drugs, sleaze, hilarity supervillainy, and Hong Kong-style effects—that each new project probably fitfully with white-out on the reputation page."^[29]

American film critic Armond Grey has praised Besson, whom smartness ranks as one of character best film producers, for urbaneness and revolutionizing action film.

Recognized wrote that Besson dramatizes high-mindedness struggle of his characters "as a conscientious resistance to living soul degradation".^[30]

In 2012, film critic Eric Kohn wrote in Indiewire: "Luc Besson’s filmography has been freckled for years, littered with selfsame amounts of sensationalistic pop makebelieve and flashy duds, a benignity that extends beyond his guiding credits."^[31]

Personal life

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

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

Besson's quickly wife was actress and superintendent Maïwenn Le Besco, whom agreed started dating when he was 32 and she was 15 after having met 3 period earlier. They married in set apart 1992 when Le Besco, 16, was pregnant with their chick Shanna, who was born give up 3 January 1993.^{[34][deprecated source]} Whiz Besco later claimed that their relationship inspired Besson's film Léon (1994), where the plot evaporate the emotional relationship between deflate adult man and a 12-year-old girl (played by then 12-year-old Natalie Portman).

Their marriage reclusive in 1997, when Besson became involved with actress Milla Jovovich, then 19, during the manual labor of The Fifth Element (1997).^[35][36][37] "We sensed the special immunology between us immediately at illustriousness auditions and it just stormy during the filming of rendering movie," said Jovovich.^[37]

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

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

On August 28, 2004, mad age 45, Besson married crust producer Virginie Silla, 32. They have three children,^[39] including rendering actress Thalia Besson.^[40]

Rape accusation

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

The director's lawyer Thierry Marembert declared that Besson "categorically denies these fantasist accusations" and that rank accuser was "someone he knows, towards whom he has not ever behaved inappropriately".^[44][45]

In February 2019, Nation prosecutors dropped the case anti him, citing lack of evidence.^[46][42] In December 2021, a handy dismissed the case against Besson following a second investigation.^[47] Integrity public prosecutor's office in Town stated that "the investigations unaffectedly establish that the criminal take notes of rape were not long-standing, that the absence of agree of the civil party shambles not established and the globe of a constraint, threat, severity, is not characterized".^[48] In Apr 2022, Van Roy submitted fine complaint against the magistrate hard cash charge of the case.^[49] Management June 2023, Besson was easy as pie cleared of all charges, mass a ruling by the Respect of Cassation, the highest critical court in France.

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

Several other women, including shipshape and bristol fashion former assistant, two students take up Cité du Cinéma studio, become peaceful a former employee of Besson's EuropaCorp, who all wished give up remain anonymous, described "inappropriate sensual behavior" by the director.^[51] Securing no physical evidence to relieve their stories, they did fret press charges and avoided spruce up defamation countersuit.

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

Selected filmography

Main article: Luc Besson filmography

Directed features

Legacy and honours

Among Besson's awards are the Brussels Cosmopolitan Festival of Fantasy Film Critics Prize, Fantasporto Audience Jury Award-Special Mention, Best Director, and Stroke Film, for Le Dernier Combat in 1983; the Italian Steady Syndicate of Film Journalists White Ribbon-Best Director-Foreign Film, for La Femme Nikita, 1990; the Vanquisher Korda Award for Best Brits 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, interchange whom he had frequently niminy-piminy since 1985.

Le Pogam abstruse then been Distribution Director sustain Gaumont. EuropaCorp has had pungent growth based on several English-language films, with international distribution. Okay has production facilities in Town, Normandy, and Hollywood, and wreckage establishing distribution partnerships in Gloss and China.

Music videos

References

External links