Yves Boisset, cinema as a struggle
Paris (AFP) - The filmmaker Yves Boisset, who died on Monday at the age of 86, very often defied censorship with landmark films of the 1970s, such as "The Attack" on the Ben Barka affair, "R.A.S" on the Algerian war or "Dupont Lajoie" on ordinary racism.
Published: 31/03/2025
Paris (AFP) - The filmmaker Yves Boisset, who died on Monday at the age of 86, very often defied censorship with landmark films of the 1970s, such as "The Attack" on the Ben Barka affair, "R.A.S" on the Algerian war or "Dupont Lajoie" on ordinary racism.
Published: 31/03/2025
FRANCE24
Filmmaker Yves Boisset, April 2, 2005 in Tours © FRANCOIS GUILLOT / AFP/Archives
A left-wing filmmaker, inspired by real events, considering each film as a struggle, he intended to denounce "stupidity, of which racism is a specific variant" and "seek the truth".
After some twenty feature films, he abandoned cinema in 1991 in favor of television, keeping intact a desire -- "bordering on recklessness", according to one critic -- to do battle with injustices.
Born on March 14, 1939 in Paris, this film graduate did his military service in Algeria. He then worked as a journalist for the monthly magazine Cinéma and as an assistant to directors such as Jean-Pierre Melville and Vittorio de Sica.
A left-wing filmmaker, inspired by real events, considering each film as a struggle, he intended to denounce "stupidity, of which racism is a specific variant" and "seek the truth".
After some twenty feature films, he abandoned cinema in 1991 in favor of television, keeping intact a desire -- "bordering on recklessness", according to one critic -- to do battle with injustices.
Born on March 14, 1939 in Paris, this film graduate did his military service in Algeria. He then worked as a journalist for the monthly magazine Cinéma and as an assistant to directors such as Jean-Pierre Melville and Vittorio de Sica.
Director Yves Boisset (r) shoots one of the exterior scenes of the TV movie "Jean Moulin", on February 27, 2002 in Lyon © JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK / AFP/Archives
His first film in 1968 was a nice B movie, "Coplan saves his skin". He then changed gears, shooting 10 films in 10 years. And not dwarfs! First, "Un condé" (1970), with Michel Bouquet, a dark portrait of the police.
"From there, the trouble (with censorship) began," he said.
In 1972, it was "The Attack", with Jean-Louis Trintignant, inspired by the assassination in France of the Moroccan opponent Mehdi Ben Barka. The film attacked the Gaullist government. The crew was banned from filming in several locations.
A year later, "R.A.S" (for: "Rien à reporter") was released. He was one of the first filmmakers to take up the Algerian War. A story of insubordination that the then far-right leader, Jean-Marie Le Pen, and his friends said all the bad things they thought. The censors demanded that the torture scenes be shortened. Reels were stolen during filming, and funding was blocked several times. Regardless, "R.A.S" is a public success.
In 1975, his most famous film, "Dupont Lajoie", was released, based on racist murders in Marseille committed a few years earlier. Jean Carmet bursts onto the screen. Fights and intimidation by the far right took place during the filming and theatrical release. Screenings are cancelled.
Committed TV movies
Tireless, in 1977 he directed "Le Juge Fayard dit +le Shériff+", with Patrick Dewaere, based on the assassination of Judge François Renaud. "It's the story of a guy -- it will be more or less the same subject in most of my films -- who is desperately trying for the truth to triumph and who will pay for it," sums up Yves Boisset.
His first film in 1968 was a nice B movie, "Coplan saves his skin". He then changed gears, shooting 10 films in 10 years. And not dwarfs! First, "Un condé" (1970), with Michel Bouquet, a dark portrait of the police.
"From there, the trouble (with censorship) began," he said.
In 1972, it was "The Attack", with Jean-Louis Trintignant, inspired by the assassination in France of the Moroccan opponent Mehdi Ben Barka. The film attacked the Gaullist government. The crew was banned from filming in several locations.
A year later, "R.A.S" (for: "Rien à reporter") was released. He was one of the first filmmakers to take up the Algerian War. A story of insubordination that the then far-right leader, Jean-Marie Le Pen, and his friends said all the bad things they thought. The censors demanded that the torture scenes be shortened. Reels were stolen during filming, and funding was blocked several times. Regardless, "R.A.S" is a public success.
In 1975, his most famous film, "Dupont Lajoie", was released, based on racist murders in Marseille committed a few years earlier. Jean Carmet bursts onto the screen. Fights and intimidation by the far right took place during the filming and theatrical release. Screenings are cancelled.
Committed TV movies
Tireless, in 1977 he directed "Le Juge Fayard dit +le Shériff+", with Patrick Dewaere, based on the assassination of Judge François Renaud. "It's the story of a guy -- it will be more or less the same subject in most of my films -- who is desperately trying for the truth to triumph and who will pay for it," sums up Yves Boisset.
Director Yves Boisset (l) shoots a scene from his TV movie "Jean Moulin", on February 27, 2002 in Lyon © Jean-Philippe KSIAZEK / AFP/Archives
Charles Pasqua's SAC (Service d'action civique, service d'ordre gaulliste) gets the court to get any mention of the organization to disappear from the film. The team punches the soundtrack, replacing the word "SAC" with a beep-beep. The result: "every time the audience hears it, they start shouting +SAC: murderer!+. This gave the film a great publicity effect," he rejoiced. He laughed less at the time of the film when he was violently attacked.
Screenwriter of his films, he also directed "Spy, Rise" (Lino Ventura), "Heat Wave" (Lee Marvin) and "Blue as Hell" (Lambert Wilson). One of his main successes is "Un taxi mauve" (Philippe Noiret and Charlotte Rampling).
Tired of being constantly put in the way, he stopped acting in 1991: "I tried to survive by making TV movies that were often films that reflected obvious social concerns."
In 1993, he directed "The Seznec Affair", in 1995 "The Dreyfus Affair", in 1997 "The Pants" (about those shot for the example of the 14-18 war), in 2006 "The Bloody Mysteries of the Order of the Solar Temple" and, in 2009, "The Salengro Affair". A work that has been rewarded several times.
Passionate about athletics during his youth, father of three children, he published his memoirs in 2011, "Life is a choice".
In it, he accused -- which earned him a conviction for defamation -- the former socialist minister Michel Charasse of having carried out a tax audit during the preparation of an embarrassing film for President François Mitterrand on the arms trade. A film that was never made.
© 2025 AFP
Charles Pasqua's SAC (Service d'action civique, service d'ordre gaulliste) gets the court to get any mention of the organization to disappear from the film. The team punches the soundtrack, replacing the word "SAC" with a beep-beep. The result: "every time the audience hears it, they start shouting +SAC: murderer!+. This gave the film a great publicity effect," he rejoiced. He laughed less at the time of the film when he was violently attacked.
Screenwriter of his films, he also directed "Spy, Rise" (Lino Ventura), "Heat Wave" (Lee Marvin) and "Blue as Hell" (Lambert Wilson). One of his main successes is "Un taxi mauve" (Philippe Noiret and Charlotte Rampling).
Tired of being constantly put in the way, he stopped acting in 1991: "I tried to survive by making TV movies that were often films that reflected obvious social concerns."
In 1993, he directed "The Seznec Affair", in 1995 "The Dreyfus Affair", in 1997 "The Pants" (about those shot for the example of the 14-18 war), in 2006 "The Bloody Mysteries of the Order of the Solar Temple" and, in 2009, "The Salengro Affair". A work that has been rewarded several times.
Passionate about athletics during his youth, father of three children, he published his memoirs in 2011, "Life is a choice".
In it, he accused -- which earned him a conviction for defamation -- the former socialist minister Michel Charasse of having carried out a tax audit during the preparation of an embarrassing film for President François Mitterrand on the arms trade. A film that was never made.
© 2025 AFP
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