Philippe de Broca was born on 15 March 1933 in Paris.[1] He was the son of a cinema set designer and the grandson of a well-known painter, Alexis de Broca. He studied at the Paris Photography and Cinematography School (école Vaugirard), graduating in 1953. He carried out his military service with the French Army's service cinématographique des armées (army film service) in Germany and then in Algeria, directing or acting as head cameraman on short films. Greatly affected by the war he witnessed in Algeria, he vowed to show life in its best light in his future films "because laughter is the best defence against upsets in life". After his discharge from the military, he set off on a journey taking in the length of Africa in Berliet trucks before returning to Paris.
In 1966, he co-wrote, directed and produced King of Hearts (Le Roi de Cœur). This parody of the Great War, which some cinema-lovers consider his masterpiece, was a commercial and personal failure, to de Broca's dismay. Yet it eventually achieved genuine cult-film status during the mid 1970s when it was presented in repertory movie theaters as well as non-theatrical college and university film series across the United States, eventually running for five years at the now defunct film house, the Central Square Cinemas [2] in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[3]
Next his career took a turn towards seemingly straightforward comedy and fun: The Devil by the Tail (Le Diable par la queue) featuring Yves Montand in 1969, then Dear Detective (Tendre Poulet) in 1978 and Jupiter's Thigh (On a volé la cuisse de Jupiter) in 1980 with Philippe Noiret and Annie Girardot, and finally Practice Makes Perfect (Le Cavaleur) in 1979 with Jean Rochefort.
He then directed ten or so telefilms, enjoying the speed of filming as well as the teamwork involved.[citation needed] De Broca found success again in 1997 with his adaptation of On Guard (Le Bossu) for Daniel Auteuil.
In 2004 Philippe de Broca filmed the adaptation of the novel Viper in the Fist (Vipère au poing) with Jacques Villeret and Catherine Frot. This movie was to be his last hit with the cinema-going public, although he was not able to enjoy the success, passing away from cancer on 26 November 2004.
Throughout his career, de Broca's work alternates between two styles: large-scale productions like Swords of Blood (Cartouche), King of Hearts (Le Roi de cœur) or On Guard (Le Bossu), and lively, punchy contemporary adventure-comedies like That Man from Rio (L'Homme de Rio), The Man from Acapulco (Le Magnifique) or Practice Makes Perfect (Le Cavaleur). Yet even this dual classification is not easily applied to Philippe de Broca's work, because the man himself hated conventions and enjoyed blurring the line between the real world and the imaginary. His films, which may at first glance seem lightweight, are being re-assessed by cinema-lovers as a thoughtful life's work, which asks questions about society in the second half of the 20th century.
De Broca remained loyal to his actors throughout his films, as well as to the writers Daniel Boulanger and Michel Audiard, and enjoyed an exceptional musical affinity with Georges Delerue.
Today, Philippe de Broca is acknowledged by the younger generation of movie directors, such as Ryan Coogler, Antonio Negret or Emmanuel Issanchou, who frequently cite his work.
Personal life
Philippe de Broca was married to Michelle de Broca, with whom he founded the production company Fildebroc. He has two daughters, Chloé and Jade, with Michelle; and one son Alexandre, with Marthe Keller.
For over 30 years he lived in the village of Vert in the Yvelinesdepartment to the west of Paris, where he greatly enjoyed tending his garden. He felt a strong connection with Brittany since his childhood, his painter grandfather having lived there, as well as being fond of his boat. He died of cancer, aged 71,[4] and chose to be buried in Sauzon cemetery on Belle-Ile.
Filmography
Assistant director
1959 : Web of Passion (À Double Tour) by Claude Chabrol
1959 : The 400 Blows (Les 400 Coups) by François Truffaut
1959 : The Cousins (Les Cousins) by Claude Chabrol
1958 : Bitter Reunion (Le Beau Serge) by Claude Chabrol
Director
1953 : Les Trois Rendez-vous (short film) with Charles L. Bitsch, Edith Krausse
1954 : Salon nautique (short film, documentary)
1954 : Sous un autre soleil (short film, documentary)
1995 : Les hommes et les femmes sont faits pour vivre heureux... mais pas ensemble
2001 : Un amour en kit
1996 : Le Veilleur de nuit
2002 : Madame Sans-Gêne
2003 : Y aura pas école demain
2003 : Le menteur
Discography
The majority of the music featured in Philippe de Broca's films has been published in its own right. Below are a few notable compilations.
In 2003, the label Universal Music Jazz issued two records called Le cinéma de Philippe de Broca – musiques de Georges Delerue. The first covers the period from 1959 to 1968, with the second covering 1969 to 1988. They feature the themes from seventeen of the director's films, from Playing at Love (Les Jeux de l'amour) to Chouans.
In 2007, the Canadian label Disques Cinémusique released Les Plus beaux Thèmes pour le Piano, a new recording compiling piano, flute and cello arrangements for several of Georges Delerue's themes. The themes come from thirteen films, seven of which were directed by de Broca, to whom a special dedication is made. Details online.
From 2011, the French label Music Box Records reissued two original motion picture soundtracks for de Broca films: Incorrigible (L'Incorrigible) (music by Georges Delerue) and The Gypsy (La Gitane) (music by Claude Bolling).
Award
1960: Philippe de Broca received the Silver Bear Extraordinary Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival for Playing at Love (Les Jeux de l'amour).
^DeLuca, Gerald A. "Central Square Cinemas". Cinema Treasures. Cinema Treasures, LLC. Archived from the original on 20 May 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2017. The most famous bit of programming here was Philippe de Broca's 1966 "King of Hearts", which ran for four years or so and spawned a huge cult following that gave the film new life across the United States. The Central Square Cinemas closed April 1, 1980.
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