Michel Deville

French film director and screenwriter (1931–2023)


title: "Michel Deville" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1931-births", "2023-deaths", "french-film-directors", "french-male-screenwriters", "french-screenwriters", "people-from-boulogne-billancourt", "best-director-césar-award-winners", "best-original-screenplay-or-adaptation-césar-award-winners"] description: "French film director and screenwriter (1931–2023)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Deville" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary French film director and screenwriter (1931–2023) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

FieldValue
nameMichel Deville
birth_date
birth_placeBoulogne-Billancourt, France
death_date
death_placeBoulogne-Billancourt, France
occupation
yearsactive1958–2023
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| name = Michel Deville | birth_date = | birth_place = Boulogne-Billancourt, France | death_date = | death_place = Boulogne-Billancourt, France | occupation = | yearsactive = 1958–2023

Michel Deville (13 April 1931 – 16 February 2023) was a French film director and screenwriter.

Deville started his filmmaking career in the late 1950s, paralleling the emergence of the French New Wave directors. He never achieved the level of critical and international recognition of some of his contemporaries such as François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard and Claude Chabrol, possibly because of his more conventional filmmaking style. Nevertheless, his films, especially his comedies from the 1970s and 1980s, were popular in his native France.

One of Deville's comedies, La Lectrice (The Reader) was probably his biggest success with international audiences. La Lectrice is about a woman (played by Miou-Miou), who finds work reading novels for the blind but gradually finds herself unwittingly attracting a clientele of fetishists who enjoyed being read to. At one time his films were difficult to find in North America but presently (2007) seven of his films are available in DVD in the U.S.

His 1980 film Le Voyage en douce was entered into the 30th Berlin International Film Festival. Five years later, his film Death in a French Garden was entered into the 35th Berlin International Film Festival.

A clip from his 1968 film Benjamin is included in Robert Bresson's Une Femme Douce (1969).

Deville died on 16 February 2023, at the age of 91.

Filmography

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YearTitleCredited asNotesDirectorScreenwriter
1958A Bullet in the Gun Barrel
1961Tonight or Never
1962Adorable Liar
1963Because, Because of a WomanAlso as producer
1963Girl's Apartment
1964Les Petites DemoisellesTelefilm
1964Lucky Jo
1966The Mona Lisa Has Been Stolen
1966Martin Soldat
1967Zärtliche Haie
1968BenjaminLouis Delluc Prize for Best Film
1969Bye bye, Barbara
1970The Bear and the Doll
1971Raphael, or The Debauched OneNominated—1971 Cannes Film Festival - Palme d'Or
1973The Woman in Blue
1974Love at the Top
1977The Apprentice Heel
1978Dossier 51César Award for Best Screenplay, Dialogue or Adaptation
French Syndicate of Cinema Critics - Best French Film
Nominated—1978 Cannes Film Festival - Prix Un certain regard
Nominated—César Award for Best Film
Nominated—César Award for Best Director
1980Le Voyage en douceNominated—30th Berlin International Film Festival - Golden Bear
1981Eaux profondes
1983The Little Bunch
1984Les CapricieuxTelefilm
1985Death in a French GardenCésar Award for Best Director
Nominated—35th Berlin International Film Festival - Golden Bear
Nominated—César Award for Best Film
Nominated—César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation
1986Paltoquet
1988The ReaderFrench Syndicate of Cinema Critics - Best French Film
Louis Delluc Prize for Best Film
Montreal World Film Festival - Grand Prix des Amériques
Nominated—César Award for Best Film
Nominated—César Award for Best Director
Nominated—César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation
1990Summer Night in Town
1991Lest We ForgetSegment: "Pour Nguyen Chi Thien, Vietnam"
1992Toutes peines confondues
1994Aux petits bonheurs
1997La Divine Poursuite
1999Sachs' DiseaseChicago International Film Festival - Gold Hugo
French Syndicate of Cinema Critics - Best French Film
San Sebastián International Film Festival - Silver Shell for Best Director
San Sebastián International Film Festival - Best Screenplay
San Sebastián International Film Festival - Solidarity Award
Nominated—César Award for Best Director
Nominated—César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation
2002Almost PeacefulNominated—59th Venice International Film Festival - Golden Lion
2005The Art of Breaking Up
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References

References

  1. "IMDB.com: Awards for Le Voyage en douce". imdb.com.
  2. "Berlinale: 1985 Programme". berlinale.de.
  3. [https://www.lemonde.fr/disparitions/article/2023/02/20/le-cineaste-michel-deville-est-mort_6162603_3382.html Le cinéaste Michel Deville est mort] {{in lang. fr

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1931-births2023-deathsfrench-film-directorsfrench-male-screenwritersfrench-screenwriterspeople-from-boulogne-billancourtbest-director-césar-award-winnersbest-original-screenplay-or-adaptation-césar-award-winners