Louis Malle: A French Filmmaker (2002) 52 mins

Louis Malle’s career has been unique in its diversity and range as he carved out a personal niche from where he made films all over the world. After winning the Palme D’Or at the age of 23 for co-directing Jacques Cousteau’s underwater documentary Le Monde du silence, Malle set out to direct a string of successes, which have now entered the strata of classics, such as Lift to the Scaffold, The Lovers and Au revoir les enfants. Beyond fiction in France, Malle made numerous documentaries, including a 9 hour portrait of India, and he worked extensively in America, his most notable success being the cult film My Dinner with André. He was no stranger to controversy, having tackled taboo subjects such as incest (The Murmer of the Heart), French collaboration (Lacombe Lucien) and child prostitution (Pretty Baby with Brooke Shields).

Malle’s life deserves a filmography of its own and Don Boyd’s documentary offers us an important insight into one of the greatest French filmmakers of all time. Those who knew Malle well provide their thoughts and recollections of the man, from writers such as David Hare and Jean-Claude Carrière, to actresses Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau, as well as his wife, the actress Candice Bergan.