Franck Maubert
Acting
Biography
Franck Maubert, born on October 24, 1955, in Provins, is a French essayist and novelist. He divides his time between Paris and the Touraine region. Editor-in-chief of Globe magazine at its inception and an art critic for L'Express in the 1980s, he also co-created, with Thierry Ardisson, the television programs "Bains de minuit" and "Paris dernière." A passionate art lover, he specializes in 20th-century painting. Franck Maubert is a writer, author of novels (Est-ce bien la nuit?, Stock, 2002), numerous art books (Maeght, une aventure de l'art vivant, with Y. and I. Maeght, La Martinière, 2006), and a book of interviews with Francis Bacon (L'odeur du sang humain ne me quitte pas des yeux, Mille et une nuits, 2009), which has been translated into several languages.
Known For
"Bains de minuit" (Midnight Baths) was a late-night talk show hosted by Thierry Ardisson on La Cinq in the late 1980s, filmed in the famous Parisian nightclub Les Bains Douches. Ardisson interviewed personalities from the worlds of music, film, fashion, literature, sports, and politics, seated among the audience in the club's authentic atmosphere. The concept was to immerse these personalities in the world of nightlife and festivities, far removed from traditional television studios. The interviews were often irreverent and direct, with a provocative tone that would become Ardisson's trademark. He considers this show one of his freest and most audacious creations. It helped solidify his image as a cosmopolitan, transgressive, and highly scripted late-night talk show host.
Bains de Minuit
Until his death in 1994, the twentiethcentury master Paul Delvaux was the last surviving member of the first generation of surrealist painters. In this portrait, he reminisces about his family, himself, his art and the various phases of his career. He explains that all his visual ideas are derived from childhood memories and the film shows the way in which these scenes have been incorporated into his work. The painter is seen as a young man (the earliest footage dates from 1945) and the film includes some unique shots of the extraordinary Musée Spitzner.