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The cameramen

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Jean Valère
Raoul Coutard Film-maker
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Jean Valère... je l'ai rencontré 20 fois, il n'arrêtait pas à chaque fois de me parler de A bout de souffle, bon... Et comment vous avez fait ci? Comment vous avez fait ça? Et pourquoi c'est comme ci? Pourquoi c'est comme ça? Bon je me disais c'est un fan de A bout de souffle. Alors il y avait des discussions, les discussions je veux dire c'était les trucs où on se posait des questions. Bon alors il y a un moment donné, il va aller dans la bibliothèque prendre un bouquin, alors est-ce qu'on se met à côté de lui pour le voir prendre le bouquin, derrière lui pour le voir prendre le bouquin ou à la place du bouquin au moment où il le prend? Evidemment.

[Q] Le point de vue du bouquin?

Le point de vue du bouquin. Bon alors ça c'est des discussions, alors là on passait deux, trois heures à discutailler, tout le monde mettait son grain de sel. Ça avait le don de me foutre dans des états seconds. Mais en même temps on est obligé d'écouter les conneries qui se racontent. Bon alors il y avait ce truc... là mais il y avait plein d'autres choses, ça aurait dû me mettre en alerte ça, mais comme à chaque fois il terminait... A propos de A bout de souffle, comment vous avez fait? Alors finalement on tourne, et alors à l'époque on était... Il y avait des trucs qui excitaient les gens parce qu'il y avait l'appel des 101 ou l'appel des 110 ou des 120.

[Q] Le manifeste des 121?

Oui, 121.

[Q] Contre la guerre d'Algérie?

Contre la guerre d'Algérie. Alors Valère il savait pas s'il allait signer ou pas, fallait voir... Est-ce que Vadim a signé? Alors là encore c'était comme l'histoire du bouquin ça, pour mettre une signature.

[Q] Sur le plateau ça se passe?

Oui, ça se passait sur le plateau.

[Q] Tout le monde foutait son grain de sel?

Oui, tout le monde foutait son grain de sel, enfin il n'y avait que lui qu'on pouvait imaginer à mettre son nom sur l'appel des 122.

[Q] Mais le fait que tu aies fait pratiquement tout le temps le cadre aussi, ça devait te poser un problème supplémentaire parce que le metteur en scène sachant que tu faisais le cadre, il se reposait sur toi pour ce qui était des problèmes de raccord?

Je vais te dire, je vais raconter ça, je finis ce truc-là, et je vais revenir aux histoires de cadrage. Alors le problème de ça donc on tourne, on commence à tourner le film et je ne me souviens plus pour quelles raisons on a été obligés de tourner trois jours sans voir les rushes. On avait trois jours de rushes et quand on a vu les rushes, il m'a dit, 'Tiens il faut que je te parle'.

[Q] Jean Valère?

Jean Valère. Faut que je te parle. Et il me dit, 'Ecoute, ça va pas du tout, on dirait A bout de souffle'. Alors je lui dis, 'Ecoute, je croyais que c'était ça que tu voulais'. 'Pas du tout, je veux pas de ça du tout, je veux une photo vachement...' Alors j'ai été obligé de faire une photo vachement léchée et tout ça, en plus que je savais pas faire, mais j'étais obligé de faire parce que si je m'étais planté là sur le film de Valère, alors là... Tous ceux qui me détestaient auraient été vachement trop heureux. Non, non, d'ailleurs à propos de détester, il y a une phrase qui va très très bien, je ne me souviens plus qui est-ce qui a raconté ça, qui disait: 'Il n'a pas d'ennemis mais tous ses amis le détestent'.

Jean Valère... I met him 20 times, every time I saw him he didn't stop talking about Breathless. And how did you do this? Why did you do that? And why is it like this? Why is it like that? So I thought he was a fan of Breathless. So there were discussions, where we analysed things. So at one point, he's going to go into the library to get a book, so what do we put the camera next to him to see him take the book? Behind him to see him take the book? Or in place of the book when he takes it? Obviously.

[Q] The point of view of the book?

The point of view of the book. So those were the conversations, we'd spend two, three hours discussing it, everyone stuck their nose in. Which always had a way of putting me in a bad mood. But at the same time you have to listen to the stupidities that are told. So there was that thing but there were loads of other things, that should have alerted me, but since every time he finished with... About Breathless, how did you do it? So eventually we start shooting, and at the time we were... there were things that excited people because there was the manifesto of the 101 or the manifesto of the 110 or the 120.

[Q] The manifesto of the 121?

Yes, 121. Against the war in Algeria. Against the war in Algeria. So Valère didn't know if he was going to sign or not, it depended... Did Vadim sign? So that was like the story of the book.

[Q] It happened on set?

Yes, it happened on set.

[Q] Everyone stuck they nose in?

Yes, everyone stuck their nose in. Well, he was the only one who we could imagine would put his name on the manifesto of the 122.

[Q] But the fact that you did the frame practically all the time, it must have added problems because the director knowing you were doing the frame, he depended on you for all the linking problems.

I'll tell you. I'll finish this, and then I'll come back to the framing issues. So the problem with this... so we start shooting the film and I don't remember why, but we had to shoot three days without seeing the rushes. We had three days of rushes and when we saw them he told me, 'Listen' I need to talk to you'.

[Q] Jean Valère?

Jean Valère. I need to talk to you. And he says, 'Listen, it's not working at all, it looks like Breathless'. So I tell him, 'Listen, I thought that was what you wanted'. 'Not at all, that's not what I want at all, I want a photo that's very...' So I had to do a very polished photo and all that, and which, to top it all off, I didn't know how to do, but I had to do it because if I had gone wrong on Valère's film, all those who hated me would have been way too happy. No, no... in fact, on the subject of hating, there's a sentence that goes very very well, I don't remember who said it, which is: 'He has no enemies but all this friends hate him'.

French cinematographer, Raoul Coutard (1924-2016) was twice nominated for the César Award for best cinematography which he won in 1978 for 'Le Crabe-tambour'. He made over 75 films and documentaries, including 'À Bout de Souffle', Le Mépris' and 'Band à Part'. He was the most acclaimed French cinematographer of his generation and one of the key figures of the New Wave.

Listeners: Bernard Cohn

Benard Cohn is a French filmmaker and writer, who has directed five films as well as numerous documentaries and television series. As an assistant director, he worked with many important filmmakers, including Luis Buñuel, François Jacob, Otto Preminger and Woody Allen. He was a founding member of the Ciné-Qua-Non cinema club and has acted as editor and translator for various publications on the world of cinema.

Bernard Cohn est un réalisateur et écrivain français, ayant réalisé cinq film ainsi que de nombreux reportages et séries télévisées. En tant qu'assistant réalisateur, il a travaillé avec plusieurs grands cinéastes, notamment Luis Buñuel, François Truffaut, Otto Preminger et Woody Allen. Il fut membre fondateur du ciné-club Ciné-Qua-Non et a participé à la rédaction et traduction en anglais, de plusieurs ouvrages sur le cinéma.

Tags: Breathless, Jean Valère

Duration: 3 minutes, 20 seconds

Date story recorded: October 2004

Date story went live: 24 January 2008