Born in Lyon in 1941 and dying in 2021, Bertrand Tavernier was a film critic and press agent before he directed. A passionate cinephile, he made films in many genres, from the historical drama Que la fête commence (1975) to the science-fiction Death Watch (1980), and the film about a Black Rhodesian vet, Coup de Torchon (1981). Round Midnight (1986) celebrated American jazz in Paris and won an Oscar for its score, and L.627 (1992) is a portrait of Paris narcotics police. His film L'Appât (The Bait, 1995), a crime story of young Parisians, won the Golden Bear in Berlin. He also made a series of documentaries and a history of American cinema.
Filmography
- The Clockmaker of St. Paul (1974)
- Death Watch (1980)
- A Week's Vacation (1980)
- Coup de Torchon (1981)
- A Sunday in the Country (1984)
- Round Midnight (1986)
- Life and Nothing But (1989)
- L.627 (1992)
- Captain Conan (1996)
- Safe Conduct (2002)
- The Princess of Montpensier (2010)
- Quai d'Orsay (2013)