Claude Lelouch

He started off by making short films for television on which he was at once producer, screenwriter and cameraman. This was interrupted by military service in the army, but only partly, because he was put into the army film unit where he made over 100 films. Demobbed in 1960, he used family money for his first feature Le propre de l'homme (1961) which was a total flop. In 1961, he started filming 'La Vie de Chateau' but was forced to close down after one week due to lack of finance. In 1964, he made L'amour avec des si (1964) which was a success in Sweden but a flop everywhere else. In 1963, his film Night Women (1964) had 40 minutes cut by the censor, so it was never shown publicly. His film Une fille et des fusils (1965) was his first to recover production costs. In 1965, came his 5th completed film Les grands moments (1966) but he thought it so bad that he bought the film himself so that it would never be seen. Things changed round completely the following year with what became a classic: A Man and a Woman (1966), which won the 'Grand Prix' at Cannes, an Oscar for Best Picture and numerous other awards.