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Leos Carax

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Leos Carax
Carax at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival
Born
Alex Christophe Dupont

(1960-11-22) 22 November 1960 (age 63)
Suresnes, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Alex Christophe Dupont[1][2] (born 22 November 1960), best known as Leos Carax (French: [leɔs karaks]), is a French film director, critic, and writer. Carax is noted for his poetic style and his tortured depictions of love. His first major work was Boy Meets Girl (1984), and his notable works include Les Amants du Pont-Neuf (1991) and the controversial Pola X (1999). His professional name is an anagram of his real name, 'Alex', and 'Oscar'.

Early life

Leos Carax is an anagram of his birth name, Alex, and Oscar. He was born Alex Christophe Dupont in Suresnes, Hauts-de-Seine, a commune in the suburbs of Paris, France.[1] His mother is American and his father French.

Career

He began his film career with a series of short films, and as a film critic, before he released Boy Meets Girl (1984). That piece established Carax's reputation for a mature visual style. It also saw the first grouping of Carax with Denis Lavant and cinematographer Jean-Yves Escoffier. He followed the piece with the science fiction themed Bad Blood in 1986, which alienated some of his audience, but the work continued to explore the complexities of love in the modern world, this time through a darker, more criminal viewpoint. The work was clearly an homage to French New Wave cinema, and his use of such actresses as Juliette Binoche proved a touching tribute to his influences, especially Jean-Luc Godard. The film was entered into the 37th Berlin International Film Festival.[3]

Five years later, Carax returned to directing with Les Amants du Pont-Neuf, which proved to be an expensive undertaking as Parisian authorities granted him only 10 days in which he could film on Pont Neuf. His initial reaction to the problems of filming on a public bridge had been to construct a model of the bridge in the community of Lansargues, in Southern France. However, on the first day of filming Denis Lavant injured his thumb severely, which pushed the movie back by a month. Subsequent financial difficulties further pushed filming over a much longer period than intended. The movie was released to critical acclaim and opened the door for Carax to enter more experimental waters with his fourth feature, Pola X. That film, released in 1999, was an adaptation of Herman Melville's tale of incest, Pierre: or, The Ambiguities.

Carax' new film in 2012, titled Holy Motors[4] stars his regular collaborator, Denis Lavant. The film competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.[5][6]

Selected filmography

Director
Actor

References

  1. ^ a b Philippe Rège. (2010). Encyclopedia of French film directors. Vol. Volume I. A–M. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. pp. 175–176. ISBN 978-0-8108-6137-4. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
  2. ^ Manohla Dargis. (16 October 2012). "It's Not About the Destination, but About the Dizzying Ride". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 July 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ "Berlinale: 1987 Programme". berlinale.de. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  4. ^ ""Holly motors", le retour de Léos Carax, avec Denis Lavant - News films Tournages - AlloCiné". Allocine.fr. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  5. ^ "2012 Official Selection". Cannes. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  6. ^ "Cannes Film Festival 2012 line-up announced". timeout. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  7. ^ "Leos Carax on "Tokyo": "Cinema is my country but it is not my business" | Filmmakers, Film Industry, Film Festivals, Awards & Movie Reviews". Indiewire. Retrieved 11 February 2013.

Further reading

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