Philippe Clair
Directing
Biography
Prosper Charles Bensoussan professionally known as Philippe Clair (14 September 1930 – 28 November 2020) was a Moroccan-French actor, director, producer, screenwriter, and popular humorist. Along with fellow French directors Max Pécas and Richard Balducci, his name is synonymous with the golden age of camp and low comedy in French cinema. Philippe Clair moved to Paris in 1950 to study acting at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts of Paris. He won the Bernstein and College Stars awards, honors given to the best young Parisian actors. He performed on stage and television with major directors and writers in shows such as L'Affaire des poisons [Affair of the Poisons] directed by Raymond Rouleau, Une femme libre [A free woman] by Armand Salacrou, and Les Îles fortunées [The Prosperous Islands] by Simon Gantillon. Eventually he got a show of his own and became an important French humorist, mounting such works as the Judeo-Arabic Purée de nous z'otres [Mashed we z'otres], and Le Cid in Oued Bel [Parody of El Cid] based on the book by Edmond Brua. He specialized in improvisation and in writing comedy sketches. In 1965 Clair directed his first film, Déclic et des claques [Clicks and Slaps] with Annie Girardot, the comic misadventures of a young pied-noir [French Algerian] in Paris. He continued his work as a singer: in 1967, his sketch Rien Nasser de courir which satirized the Six-Day War was banned because of its political overtones. In 1970, Philippe Clair became the leading director of popular comedy. His humor usually had a French Algerian flavor. Most of his films were commercial successes, although sometimes they were panned by critics who called them vulgar or overacted. His films were often plagiarized by other directors with typical French disrespect or–as the French call it–franchouillards. His 1971 film La Grande Java [Great Java] launched the comedy careers of the members of the French band Les Charlots. He went on to use band member Aldo Maccione in The Great Maffia, Plus beau que moi, tu meurs [More beautiful than me, you die], and Tais-toi quand tu parles! [Shut up when you talk]. He made several surreal films, such as Le Führer en folie [The Fuhrer Runs Amok], which featured Henri Tisot in the role of Adolf Hitler and in which Michel Galabru plays the role of a football referee. In 1984, he managed the greatest coup of his career by casting Jerry Lewis in the film Par où t'es rentré? On t'a pas vu sortir [How Did You Get In? We Didn't See You Leave]. In 2013 journalist and filmmaker Gilles Botineau joined with Philippe Clair to produce a documentary portrait titled, Plus drôle que lui, tu meurs [Funnier than him, you die]. The film, lasting 55 minutes covered Clair's entire career, focusing especially on his vision of comedy. Clair retired in 1990 at the age of 60. However, he returned with a production he wrote in 2013 titled, Help, Philippe Clair returns. Philippe Clair was not always treated kindly by the critics. Critic John Tulard in the "Dictionary of French directors" said, "His work is incredibly stupid and vulgar". The weekly French magazineTélérama opined, "Every film by Philippe Clair is worse than the last, and yet it never stops". ... Source: Article "Philippe Clair" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Known For
Midi Première is a French variety show presented by Danièle Gilbert, directed by Jacques Pierre and broadcast from January 6, 1975 until January 1, 1982 on TF1. The program was generally broadcast between 12:15 p.m. and 12:55 p.m., then giving way to the 1:00 p.m. TV news. However, the broadcast schedule could change, depending on the guests, and the setting where the recording of the program was shot. Certain performances by artists who have become cult like the one where Ringo jostles with a demonstrator in interpretation (1977), that of Dalida with the title There is always a song with the soundtrack that does not start, twice, at the right speed (1978), Claude François and his Clodettes, who, in the provinces, are unable to join "the set" in order to interpret his song, the latter being taken by the crowd of delirious fans (summer 1977) . The group Supertramp performed there with the title "Dreamer" on March 8, 1975.
Midi Première
A talk show presented by Michel Drucker
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
No description available.
Samedi soir
France and Germany are at war. Adolf Hitler challenges the Allies to seal the fate of the war by playing a football match.
The Fuhrer Runs Amok
During a stay at a roadside inn, long-distance lorry driver Jean Viard meets a young woman Clothilde who works there. Their friendship soon develops into a passionate love affair, even though Jean is already married and is old enough to be Clothilde’s father. Things take a turn for the worse when Jean loses his job and his wife finds out about his affair. But Clothilde’s predicament is even more distressing...
People of No Importance
In order to subdue the conscripts of Chamber 13, a new captain is assigned. He is an adventurer, a nostalgic of his warrior past and the resistance is quickly born within the young soldiers.
Les réformés se portent bien
From their native Algeria, four friends discover Paris, hoping to find fortune and love. One of them meets the charming Sandra, who is looking for meaning in her life.
Déclic et des claques
Clovis Blaireau is a private detective. It is charged by Nadège de Courtaboeuf wife knew wealthy industrialist Prosper de Courtaboeuf, to obtain evidence of the infidelity of her husband. Clovis managed to penetrate the intimacy of Prosper, and became his friend. Following diverse Clovis and Prosper adventures will find themselves in Tunisis pursued by a band of Mafioso and by members of the Front of breaking load of Couscous.
How Did You Get In? We Didn't See You Leave
Fantasies and clichés about Brazil and Brazilians as reinforced by international films, even those actually shot in Brazil. This documentary features interviews with non-Brazilian directors, writers and stars who have been involved in some of those films.
The Foreign Eye
Five friends come to the city Brizul. Here they want to find Mr Auguste Kougloff who owns them money, namely 20 million.
The Great Java
Aldo and Marco are twins. Marco, a priest by trade, has always been an object of pride for his mother, while Aldo has already spent six periods in prison. Always on the lookout for money and pretty girls, he lets himself be hijacked by crazy, often dishonest operations, which fail most of the time. One day, he is forced to flee to Tunisia, dressed as a priest and posing as Marco. There he meets up with Prosper, a childhood friend, whom he lures into his race for millions and beautiful summer girls. Marco, delegated by the Paris police, arrives in Tunisia to limit the damage, but only makes it worse. Once again, Aldo has to disappear into the wilderness for a while and make himself forgotten...
Plus beau que moi tu meurs
Lieutenant Gilles Castelet would have liked to marry like anybody else. But he has always been under the sexual spell of Colonel Popoti's wife. Once returned to civilian life he tries desperately to escape her, all the more as she is now widowed and she shamelessly chases him away. One day, Gilles meets Charlie, a former army buddy. His friend, sorry about what happens to him, undertakes to rid him of the possession he is under.
The Braggart
Giacomo has an idol: James Bond. When he dreams, he dreams of himself, his fabulous adventures, especially in Tunisia, and a beautiful wife, Belle. In reality he is unemployed, overwhelmed by an obsessive mother who continually called to see if he wore his woolen tank top and is treated by a doctor who thinks he is Einstein. Finally Giacomo is followed by bizarre characters, kidnapped and taken to Tunisia to live a wonderful adventure of her dreams, from the dangers of any kind ... and he met Beatrice
Shut Up When You Speak!
In Paris, a gold smuggler is at war with other local gangsters who want piece of the action. Then the mob shows up and makes things worse. And an undercover US Treasury Department agent is trying to infiltrate the smuggling business.
The Upper Hand
After receiving a mobster's heart as a transplant, a modest bank teller embarks on a life of criminal exploits.
La Grande Maffia
A police brigade and a financial brigade are sent to Switzerland to dismantle a banking sector.
La Brigade en folie
No description available.
Arte 1 Documenta
Once inseparable, Charles the artist and Daniel the schemer reunite after 15 years of separation and confess their mutual misfortune. Determined to start over, the two friends and Sylvie, a friend of Charles, take on the movie business. But they come up against the well-established laws of the business and create havoc wherever they go. But their optimism will save them.
Si t'as besoin de rien, fais-moi signe
Two friends, Philippe and Jeannot, are drafted the same day and assigned to the same place. They have no taste for military life and during the conscription visit they try all they can to be declared unfit for service. They fail and land in barrack room 13, where a bunch of other "rebels" is gathered together, under the approximate control of a stupid warrant officer and a depressing captain.They all still have hopes of returning home soon.Besides Philippe and Jeannot, this motley crew consists of a rich allegedly kleptomaniac snob, a phony queen, an orthodox Jew, a yogi, a hippie, a Belgian, a hermetic poet, an Arab, and that's not the half of it...
Comment se faire réformer
French Guiana has long been the site for some notorious prisons surrounded by dense jungle. In this story, Noel Caradec (Richard Berry) is a bereft son who has come from France to the tropical South American country to look for his father, who fled from the prison and disappeared years ago. He runs into serious opposition from the owner of a hotel and bar known as Cayenne-Palace. The man also happens to be at the center of all the illegal goings-on in the region. However, Noel is not entirely without friends, as his half-brother Xavier and the people of the jungle are on his side.