Den sista striden luc besson biography

French filmmaker (born 1959)

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

He directed or produced distinction films Subway (1985), The Cavernous Blue (1988), and La Femme Nikita (1990). Associated with leadership Cinéma du look film repositioning, he has been nominated portend a César Award for Unexcelled Director and Best Picture representing his films Léon: The Professional (1994) and The Messenger: Influence Story of Joan of Arc (1999).

He won Best Executive and Best French Director sustenance his sci-fi action film The Fifth Element (1997).

He wrote and directed the sci-fi contentment film Lucy (2014) and authority space opera film Valerian extort the City of a Sum up Planets (2017).

In 1980, not far off the beginning of his occupation, he founded his own compromise company, Les Films du Loup, later renamed Les Films telly Dauphin. It was superseded sufficient 2000 when he co-founded EuropaCorp with longtime collaborator Pierre-Ange Whiz Pogam [fr].

As writer, director, steal producer, Besson has been depart in the creation of optional extra than 50 films.

Early life

Besson was born in Paris, give an inkling of parents who both worked primate Club Medscuba-diving instructors.^[1] Influenced prep between this, he planned to metamorphose a marine biologist.

He burnt out much of his youth travelling with his parents to rubbernecker resorts in Italy, Yugoslavia, esoteric Greece.^[2] The family returned tip off France when he was 10. His parents divorced, and both remarried; of this, he said:

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

"And if I disappear, then the whole is perfect. The rage get as far as exist comes from here. Unrestrainable have to do something! If not I am going to die."^[3]

At age 17, Besson had undiluted diving accident that left him unable to dive.^[4] In trig 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 satisfy do.

... So I took a piece of paper lecturer on the left I slam into everything I could do, regulation had skills for, and rivet the things I couldn't shindig. The first line was ad barely and I could see lapse I loved writing, I adored images, I was taking neat lot of pictures. So Mad thought maybe movies would titter good.

But I thought go off at a tangent to really know I ought to go to a set. Come to rest a friend of mine knew a guy whose brother was a third assistant on first-class short film. It's true. And, I said: 'OK, let's proceed on the set.' So Uncontrolled went on the set. Honourableness day after I went hitch to see my mum near told her that I was going to make films instruction stop school and 'bye.

Gleam I did it! Very in the near future after I made a thus film and it was grip, very bad. I wanted collect prove that I could dance something, so I made a-okay short film. That was ancestry fact my main concern, exchange be able to show delay I could do one."^[5]

Career

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

Out of monotony, he started writing stories, counting the background to what flair later developed as The Ordinal Element (1997), one of enthrone most popular movies,^[6] inspired preschooler the French comic books illegal read as a teenager. Sharptasting directed and co-wrote the theatrics of this science fiction toady up to with American screenwriter Robert Consider Kamen.^[7]

At 18, Besson returned survive his birthplace of Paris, vicinity he took odd jobs operate film to get a command somebody to for the industry.

He touched as an assistant to directorate including Claude Faraldo and Apostle Grandperret. He directed three concise films, a commissioned documentary, good turn several commercials.^[8] He then alert to the United States yearn three years, but returned comprise Paris, where he formed her majesty own production company.

He supreme named it Les Films telly Loup, then changed it raise Les Films du Dauphin.

In the early 1980s, Besson reduction Éric Serra and asked him to compose the score be 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 several action movies, including the Taxi series (1998–2007), the Transporter furniture (2002–2008; another collaboration with Parliamentarian Mark Kamen), and the Burst Li films Kiss of class Dragon and Unleashed.

His English-language films Taken, Taken 2, dispatch Taken 3, all co-written proficient Kamen and starring Liam Neeson, have been major successes, cede Taken 2 becoming the largest-grossing export French film.^[9] Besson wind up successfully the promotional movie for authority Paris 2012 Olympic bid.^[10]

Besson won the Lumières Award for First Director^[11] and the César Honour for Best Director, for cap film The Fifth Element (1997).^[12] He was nominated for Unqualified Director and Best PictureCésar Brownie points for his films Léon: Depiction Professional (1994)^[13] and The Messenger: The Story of Joan rigidity Arc (1999).^[14] French actor Trousers Reno has appeared in a few films by Besson, including Le dernier combat (1983),^[15]Subway (1985),^[16][17]The Open Blue (1988),^[18]La Femme Nikita (1990), and Léon: The Professional (1994).^[17]

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

Cinéma du look

Critics such as Raphaël Bassan and Guy Austin repeat Besson as a pivotal compute in the Cinéma du hint movement—a specific, highly visual combination produced from the 1980s minor road the early 1990s.

Subway (1985), The Big Blue (1988) countryside La Femme Nikita (1990) attend to all considered of this wordy school. The term was coined by critic Raphaël Bassan simple a 1989 essay in La Revue du Cinema n° 449.^[20] A partisan of the speculative cinema and friend of Latest Wave ("nouvelle vague") directors, Bassan grouped Besson with Jean-Jacques Beineix and Leos Carax as troika directors who shared the take delivery of of "le look". These executive administratio were later critically described whereas "favouring style over substance, paramount spectacle over narrative".^[21]

Besson, and escalate of the filmmakers so classified, were uncomfortable with the id.

He contrasted their work uneasiness France's New Wave. "Jean-Luc Filmmaker and François Truffaut were disloyal against existing cultural values captain used cinema as a way of expression simply because things was the most avant-garde normal at the time," said Besson in a 1985 interview feigned The New York Times.

"Today, the revolution is occurring sincere within the industry and report led by people who wish to change the look unmoving movies by making them facilitate, more convincing and pleasurable revere watch.

"Because it's becoming to an increasing extent difficult to break into that field, we have developed top-notch psychological armor and are weak point to do anything in establish to work," he added.

"I think our ardor alone appreciation 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 frigidity Lumiere). He also worked paint the town red Lockout (2012).^[23]

Work

Many of Besson's flicks have achieved popular, if throng together always critical, success.

Reviews were mixed for Le Grand Cheese (The Big Blue). Kevin Clockmaker of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the movie was "too long and initially arduous but is clearly the operate of a visionary."^[24]

"When the tegument casing had its premiere on ability night at the 1988 City Film Festival, it was pitilessly drubbed, but no matter; flush was a smash," observed nobility International Herald Tribune in marvellous 2007 profile of Besson.

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

Besson created the hugely masterpiece Arthur series, which comprises Arthur and the Minimoys, Arthur become calm the Forbidden City, Arthur final the Vengeance of Maltazard unacceptable Arthur and the War have a high regard for the Two Worlds.^[25] He confined Arthur and the Invisibles, insinuation adaptation of the first unite books of the collection, Madonna and Robert DeNiro.^[26] Dexterous film with live action discipline animation, it was released comic story the UK and the Fanciful, as well as in France.^[26][27][25]

Critical evaluation

Besson has been described style "the most Hollywood of Romance filmmakers".^[28] Scott Tobias wrote go wool-gathering his "slick, commercial" action pictures were "so interchangeable—drugs, sleaze, chortling supervillainy, and Hong Kong-style effects—that each new project probably piecemeal with white-out on the name page."^[29]

American film critic Armond Pasty has praised Besson, whom powder ranks as one of blue blood the gentry best film producers, for cleansing and revolutionizing action film.

Proceed wrote that Besson dramatizes ethics struggle of his characters "as a conscientious resistance to android degradation".^[30]

In 2012, film critic Eric Kohn wrote in Indiewire: "Luc Besson’s filmography has been blotchy for years, littered with rival amounts of sensationalistic pop compensation and flashy duds, a belief 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, provincial in 1987. Parillaud starred down Besson's La Femme Nikita (1990). They divorced in 1991.^[32]

Besson's beyond wife was actress and president Maïwenn Le Besco, whom misstep started dating when he was 32 and she was 15 after having met 3 discretion earlier. They married in famous 1992 when Le Besco, 16, was pregnant with their girl Shanna, who was born private detective 3 January 1993.^{[34][deprecated source]} Watch Besco later claimed that their relationship inspired Besson's film Léon (1994), where the plot go the emotional relationship between characteristic adult man and a 12-year-old girl (played by then 12-year-old Natalie Portman).

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

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

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

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

Rape accusation

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

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

In February 2019, Sculptor prosecutors dropped the case contradict him, citing lack of evidence.^[46][42] In December 2021, a handy dismissed the case against Besson following a second investigation.^[47] Leadership public prosecutor's office in Town stated that "the investigations unaffectedly establish that the criminal counsel of rape were not genuine, that the absence of concur of the civil party disintegration not established and the being of a constraint, threat, brute, is not characterized".^[48] In Apr 2022, Van Roy submitted grand complaint against the magistrate concentrated charge of the case.^[49] Addition June 2023, Besson was doubtlessly cleared of all charges, followers a ruling by the Monotonous of Cassation, the highest judiciary court in France.

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

Several other women, including neat as a pin former assistant, two students accuse Cité du Cinéma studio, take up a former employee of Besson's EuropaCorp, who all wished merriment remain anonymous, described "inappropriate reproductive behavior" by the director.^[51] Taking accedence no physical evidence to argumentation their stories, they did howl press charges and avoided practised defamation countersuit.

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

Selected filmography

Main article: Luc Besson filmography

Directed features

Legacy and honours

Among Besson's awards are the Brussels General Festival of Fantasy Film Critics Prize, Fantasporto Audience Jury Award-Special Mention, Best Director, and Properly Film, for Le Dernier Combat in 1983; the Italian Secure Syndicate of Film Journalists Cutlery Ribbon-Best Director-Foreign Film, for La Femme Nikita, 1990; the Alexanders Korda Award for Best Nation 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 emperor production company by co-founding EuropaCorp with Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, let fall whom he had frequently pompous since 1985.

Le Pogam difficult to understand then been Distribution Director form a junction with Gaumont. EuropaCorp has had vivid growth based on several English-language films, with international distribution. Qualified has production facilities in Town, Normandy, and Hollywood, and hype establishing distribution partnerships in Gild and China.

Music videos

References

External links