Director Jean-Charles Tacchella, winner of the Louis Delluc Prize for “Cousin, Cousin”, has died at the age of 98

Director of eleven feature films, the filmmaker was also president of the Cinémathèque française.

Director and screenwriter Jean-Charles Tacchella died on Thursday, August 29th.in his sleep“, at his home in Versailles, at the age of 98, AFP learned from his family on Friday August 30. He writes a twenties of scenarios between 1955 And 1962, among them: The law is the law by Christian-Jaque, or even The Thief of Tibidabo by Maurice Ronet.

Author of eleven feature films, this former president of the Cinémathèque française obtained, for his most famous film, Cousin released in 1975, an Oscar nomination and the Louis Delluc Prize. The film is not only one of the big hits of the year in France, but it also conquers the American public in a spectacular way. It will also be the subject of a remake by the director Joel Schumacher in 1989.

Born on September 23, 1925 in Cherbourg (Manche), Jean-Charles Tacchella spent his adolescence in Marseille with his family originally from Genoa, Italy. The war did not prevent him from frequenting dark rooms.

At the Liberation, the young man moved to Paris to make cinema, his vocation. When L’Ecran Français was created, he jumped at the chance and became a critic for this weekly. He would later be one of the pillars of “Objectif-49”, an avant-garde film club chaired by Jean Cocteau, at the origin of the future New Wave.

He considered his work to be “on the fringes of waves and fashions“and that he”mixed laughter and emotion“: “I can’t imagine that one day, when I make a film noir, I won’t be able to add some humor to it.“. He came to the realization late: “I have many more unshot film scripts than shot ones, I sometimes film in my dreams, but anyway, it doesn’t go very far“. His career began with a short film, The last winterswhich won the Jean-Vigo 71 prize. It was not until 1973, at almost 50 years old, that he completed his first feature film, Journey to Great Tartary with Jean-Luc Bideau.

A fan of stories involving a profusion of characters, Tacchella will film endearing characters but capable of ferocity, whose bonds are made and unmade according to infidelities and love at first sight. This is evidenced by his most famous film, Cousina whirlwind of feelings punctuated by birthdays, weddings and funerals.

This story of a trouble between a young woman and her cousin that will disorganize the family is nominated for the 1977 Oscars in the categories of best foreign film, screenplay and actress (Marie-Christine Barrault). It will be the subject of a remake, Cousins, by Joël Schumacher in 1989.Through his touching simplicity, Jean-Charles Tacchella had an almost familial bond with the audience of his films: we were all the uncle or nephew of the author of “Cousin, cousin,” Gilles Jacob, former president of the Cannes Film Festival, told AFP. According to him, “His cinema was lively and colourful, like his critical writing before him.“.

In a statement, the resigning Minister of Culture Rachida Dati welcomed “the memory of this great film buff, who was a journalist, critic, screenwriter and director, and his contribution to post-war French cinema”. Among his other films, The Blue Country (1977, with Brigitte Fossey), I have loved you for a long time (1979, with Jean Carmet) or Bite into life (1981, with Carole Laure and Bernard Giraudeau), which have the same tone, both jovial and ironic. Staircase C (1985, with Robin Renucci and Jean-Pierre Bacri) is also one of his most notable films, between popular cinema and auteur cinema. Twice nominated for a César, it tells the story of life in a Parisian building where several stories intertwine. After a brief stint in historical films with Gallant ladies (1990), he returned to comedy with The man of my life (1992) and Everyday Sunday (1995) but with less success.