Alain Cavalier
Alain Cavalier was born in 1931 in Vendôme, France. After studying history, he enrolled at the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques and later became an assistant to Louis Malle. He began his directing career in 1958 with the short film Un Américain. Addressing contemporary political issues in his films, Alain Cavalier faced censorship challenges, particularly with his first two feature films: Le combat dans l'île (1961), portraying a fascist, and L'insoumis (1964), questioning the Algerian War. After primarily working on fiction films, he shifted towards a more experimental cinema, blending documentary and fiction. With Un étrange voyage (1981), Alain Cavalier achieved recognition, which was further confirmed by the success of Thérèse (1986), winning the Jury Prize at Cannes and six César awards upon its release. In 2004, he released Le filmeur, a filmed journal spanning over a decade in which he became the actor and commentator of his own life. He then directed Irène (2009) and Pater (2011). In 2017, he created Six portraits XL, adding to his generous gallery of portraits initiated thirty years earlier. In 2019, he directed Être vivant et le savoir, following the disappearance of his friend, the author Emmanuèle Bernheim. In 2022, he directed L'amitié, capturing the daily lives of three men in his circle.
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Portraits by Alain Cavalier - L'opticienne
Portraits by Alain Cavalier - L'opticienne
Duration: 22 minutesEach portrait of this series consists of an interview between Alain Cavalier and a woman working in a rare or disappearing profession. At their place of work, they talk about their craft and the techniques they use, their training and their history, their tastes and their daily lives. These intimate documentary portraits reveal astonishing personalities and surprising work environments. Here, i...
Portraits by Alain Cavalier - La rémouleuse
Portraits by Alain Cavalier - La rémouleuse
Duration: 26 minutesEach portrait of this series consists of an interview between Alain Cavalier and a woman working in a rare or disappearing profession. At their place of work, they talk about their craft and the techniques they use, their training and their history, their tastes and their daily lives. These intimate documentary portraits reveal astonishing personalities and surprising work environments.
Portraits by Alain Cavalier - La gaveuse
Portraits by Alain Cavalier - La gaveuse
Duration: 24 minutesEach portrait of this series consists of an interview between Alain Cavalier and a woman working in a rare or disappearing profession. At their place of work, they talk about their craft and the techniques they use, their training and their history, their tastes and their daily lives. These intimate documentary portraits reveal astonishing personalities and surprising work environments. Here, o...
Portraits by Alain Cavalier - La matelassière
Portraits by Alain Cavalier - La matelassière
Duration: 24 minutesEach portrait of this series consists of an interview between Alain Cavalier and a woman working in a rare or disappearing profession. At their place of work, they talk about their craft and the techniques they use, their training and their history, their tastes and their daily lives. These intimate documentary portraits reveal astonishing personalities and surprising work environments.
La Rencontre
Un cinéaste rencontre une femme. Par petites touches, il filme avec sa caméra vidéo des moments de leur vie, des objets, des lieux, puis se rend compte qu’il ne stocke pas des souvenirs mais qu’il construit un film. Il demande à la personne l’autorisation de continuer... Après un an de tournage, 75 minutes de vidéo racontent l'histoire d'un lien tissé dans le quotidien et sublimé par le sentiment.
Le filmeur
Based on his personal diary and filmed over the course of ten years, the filmmaker Alain Cavalier invites us into a meditation on old age, fragility, and death. Made up of moments of liveliness, fragments of images, this film composes a mosaic wherein the spectator is invited to find his own place on his own terms.
Georges de La Tour
« Toi, spectateur qui regarde ». Par cette apostrophe, Alain Cavalier s'adresse à nous, au seuil du film qu'il a consacré à Georges de La Tour, lors de l'exposition qui lui fût dédiée en 1997 à Paris. Ce n'est d'ailleurs pas tant en historien de l'art qu'il dialogue avec le peintre du XVIIe siècle qu'en cinéaste amoureux d'ombre et de lumière, de visages et de gestes, de beauté et de mystère.
Portraits by Alain Cavalier - L'opticienne
Portraits by Alain Cavalier - L'opticienne
Duration: 22 minutesEach portrait of this series consists of an interview between Alain Cavalier and a woman working in a rare or disappearing profession. At their place of work, they talk about their craft and the techniques they use, their training and their history, their tastes and their daily lives. These intimate documentary portraits reveal astonishing personalities and surprising work environments. Here, i...
Portraits by Alain Cavalier - La rémouleuse
Portraits by Alain Cavalier - La rémouleuse
Duration: 26 minutesEach portrait of this series consists of an interview between Alain Cavalier and a woman working in a rare or disappearing profession. At their place of work, they talk about their craft and the techniques they use, their training and their history, their tastes and their daily lives. These intimate documentary portraits reveal astonishing personalities and surprising work environments.
Portraits by Alain Cavalier - La gaveuse
Portraits by Alain Cavalier - La gaveuse
Duration: 24 minutesEach portrait of this series consists of an interview between Alain Cavalier and a woman working in a rare or disappearing profession. At their place of work, they talk about their craft and the techniques they use, their training and their history, their tastes and their daily lives. These intimate documentary portraits reveal astonishing personalities and surprising work environments. Here, o...
Portraits by Alain Cavalier - La matelassière
Portraits by Alain Cavalier - La matelassière
Duration: 24 minutesEach portrait of this series consists of an interview between Alain Cavalier and a woman working in a rare or disappearing profession. At their place of work, they talk about their craft and the techniques they use, their training and their history, their tastes and their daily lives. These intimate documentary portraits reveal astonishing personalities and surprising work environments.
La Rencontre
Un cinéaste rencontre une femme. Par petites touches, il filme avec sa caméra vidéo des moments de leur vie, des objets, des lieux, puis se rend compte qu’il ne stocke pas des souvenirs mais qu’il construit un film. Il demande à la personne l’autorisation de continuer... Après un an de tournage, 75 minutes de vidéo racontent l'histoire d'un lien tissé dans le quotidien et sublimé par le sentiment.
Le filmeur
Based on his personal diary and filmed over the course of ten years, the filmmaker Alain Cavalier invites us into a meditation on old age, fragility, and death. Made up of moments of liveliness, fragments of images, this film composes a mosaic wherein the spectator is invited to find his own place on his own terms.
Georges de La Tour
« Toi, spectateur qui regarde ». Par cette apostrophe, Alain Cavalier s'adresse à nous, au seuil du film qu'il a consacré à Georges de La Tour, lors de l'exposition qui lui fût dédiée en 1997 à Paris. Ce n'est d'ailleurs pas tant en historien de l'art qu'il dialogue avec le peintre du XVIIe siècle qu'en cinéaste amoureux d'ombre et de lumière, de visages et de gestes, de beauté et de mystère.
