and on to my destiny a missing father he regrettednot seeing his father more. this really hurt him. what he craved for, was to flee this oppressiveatmosphere at the castle. he was aware of his innateability to make people laugh. he was so loose-limbed. it was incrediblehow his body would erupt.
- allow me, sir.- please. he was determined to do something, to succeedin what we were attempting. in people's mind,he was the tall blond. people loves him becausethey see him as deeply sincere. he's like a jack-in-me-box. he created this personalityof movement and gestures. he clowns around but in ameasured manner, good-natured. "pierre richard robs fromthe great american comics."
- i missed that.- it's a bad one. it hurts himbecause he gives his all. there are times,he would cry at night. depardieu radiates powerand prestige, unlike pierre. it was a big success. so you will just sink? but ifl move, i'll sinkdeeper, you know that. no quicksand has beenreported in this area. it's time to report one.
he never saw himself as a star. yet he topped belmondoat the box office. i make use of my angst, my fears. i play around with them,they are what i feel. about his private life,i know nothing. he doesn't talk about his life. he's quite reserved. so what gives of the tall blond? rare are comedians who makesuch a mark on his generation.
this is the story of an era, an epic. of a cloddish clowninvading our cinemas and our tv screenseach sunday evening. there are heroes, strong,powerful, handsome, and then there are others,the dreamers. pierre richard didn't pickhis role, it came to him. directors were ableto capture and hone it. he plays a characterwhom everyone knows, yet misunderstood, an enigma,that he himself helped foster.
so how comethe tall blond, the jester, this popular actor? what was he all about? there is what we seeand then the hidden aspects. great career, bright lights,success, confounded critics, then oblivion, so sudden,pain that he long kept within. to grasp what happened, here'sa first reel, quite revealing. of a middle-class childhoodin the north of france. an affluent childhood,but one very solitary.
it's 1939,in a forest in valenciennes. that day, pierre richard, only 5, is with his family out hunting. he's on the left in the film,next to his cousin, willy. we tagged along,but we didn't hunt, of course. we were having fun. we each had a gunthat shoots arrows. pierre, the child, was a dreamer. he dreamed he was tarzan,of being geronimo,
chasing after the villainsacross the terrain. far away from the brewing war, here are picturesof a carefree childhood and a blissfully humble,italian-immigrant family. of his mother, madeleine, with whom pierre richardspent his early years. a reassuring presence, which masks, in fact,a deep longing. his father leaves his motherjust as pierre is born.
who then goes awayon his adventures. within the family. a certain secrecy shroudsthe life of maurice defays. he rarely visits,and then abruptly. a few hours alone with his son, then he was gone,for long periods. those brief moments togetherwere forcibly exciting, moments he cherished the most. he surely enjoyed thesemoments with his father.
it really hurt him. to the point that this absence would map out his personality. pierre was distracted, probably the causeof the odd mishaps. he would trip over a pavement. he put wax in his eyes,ate what he shouldn't. he couldn't do thingslike the others. he longed to hear his father say,
"no, son, that's how you do it." a clumsinessthat was a call for help. a clumsiness of a childwho felt abandoned. the son would hang onto hismother's crush on actors. notably for one of them,whence his double name. she almost chose boris,but her family said no. his mum saw a film with a mancalled, pierre richard-willm. a young upstart at the time,slick-haired and blond too. her favourite actor.
so she chose, pierre-richard. to please his mother, pierre richard would oftenact out, all dressed up. my grandmother loved for myfather to recite to the guests a few lines from cyranoby edmond rostand. when he delivered them,he was very, very good. this unique parental bond wasto also end some years after. his mum went to pariswith another man, with whom she had a little girl.
she entrusted pierre richard,not to his dad, still away, but to his grandparents. here, in rougeville castle,near valenciennes, is where the 16 year old lived. it was a very nice castle, with twin towers enframing the front facadeand its beautiful entrance. it had roomswith 4 or 5-metre ceilings. the grounds were surely...
7 or 8 hectares. i remember the tons of rooms and fixed to the walls, a phone. we would run to the next roomto call each other. after so much freedom, pierre richard finds himselfstuck in this plush lifestyle with a polytechnician grandfather. his grandfather,lã©opold defays, was what we calleda great industrial leader.
he managed a giant steel company. he was very austere and strict. he sufferedbecause it was overbearing. for someone who was quite... open, who needed to do thingsand so on, he had to watch out. what he craved for,was to escape this oppressive atmosphereat the castle and just go, come what may.
one early monday, the castle gatesflung opened at last, only for another prisonto await him, notre-dame,a catholic boarding school, his grandfather's chauffeurdriving him. he asked for the car to stopwell before, so that his friendscouldn't see him being chauffeur driven. the others would be on foot,then him in this carriage.
his one wish is to be with thecommoners, those less rich, and to play football. in this class photo, he stands outin his roll-neck jumper, a distinctivenessthat earned him some baiting. not being sturdy, pierre wasone of the weaker students. and to parryhis physical deficiency, he found a way of making them laugh. he was always monkeying about,
his hands flailing. he woulddo funny gestures for a laugh. he made people laugh,a sort of defensive posture, but also to hide something,a deep pain. not feeling comfortable atschool, as with his family, pierre richard sought releaseby scaling the walls. one day, he went to thecinema in valenciennes to see an american film,called up in arms. he slipped inside, keeping hidden, because the defays familywas well known.
he wore a cap. he suddenly got it! a bolt of lighting struck him. he saw danny kaye. danny kaye is an american actor, who can dance, singand do funny roles, someone eminently droll, one with a curiousresemblance to pierre. pierre wasn't sure what he wanted.
it was when he sawdanny kaye on the screen that he said, "i'll be an actor." he harboured this wishlike a shameful disease. he knew if he revealed it,he was done. if he revealed it,all hell will break loose. he garnered courageto tell his father's family of his sudden wish. pierre richardwants to be an entertainer. in rougeville, it didn't pass.
"no, not this. it's not a real job." an actor is not a goal. it was seen as a lowly job.one must be a polytechnician. his grandparentswanted him to be either a lawyer, notary,or along that line. but he didn't think so. so, what then? stay or walk outthe castle gates forever? he finally decidedto join his mother in paris.
he just had to follow this path. he couldn't stay behind. he cast aside thewhat-will-your-family-say. but going to paris,to the unknown, was a risk. he still did it.it was a brave decision. pierre richard takes a bold risk, to leave behind a plush life to satiate his thirst to entertain and be on stage.
soon in paris,he joined a drama school. he has dreams and an ambition, but is it enough for success?he will soon find out. on his first lessons at dullin, pierre richard sticks out yet again. his comedy talentswere quite remarkable. a teeming imagination, an incredible inner tempo. he already possessed
the ability to make you laugh. the way he looked, his fastpace, his gesticulations. he knew that tragedywas not for him. his diction, a bit too fast and chaotic, wasn't at all the lungs of someone who can deliver an alexandrine. yet, the novicedreams of playing tragedies. jean vilar,
the director of the famednational theatre, will give him hope. vilar comes in one day and asks the boys to stand up and chooses the taller ones. not necessarily the bestactors, mind you. he was lean and tall.around 6 feet. "you, you, you" and "you",the last one being pierri. pierri, so nicknamed,is chosen by vilar.
he later calls valenciennes, telling his pals of his firstplay at the nt in paris. we went to a packed chaillotto see prince of homburg with gã©rard philipe,pierre richard... the play starts, it goes on, and pierre richard's friendsstill await to see him. we thought, "what's going on?where is he?" we saw him at the end and said,"but you didn't come on?" he said,"i was a 3rd row hallebardier."
pierre richard was wellon stage, but as an extra. a token role that raisesfurther questions. "how do you move up in this job?" and, especially,"how do you feed yourself?" he could have askedhis family money. but he wanted to succeedby his own means. his grandmother was onewho did abet him, letting him use her small flat in a chic area.but it's not nearly enough.
his grandmother worried abouthim, him being far away, and would send him crates of porto. pierre lived on portoand porto-dipped bread. he needs to eat,so he did his part of busking. he opened the doors of hishome on the ground floor and with a friend,he played the guitar, hoping for coins to flood into his16th arrondissement flat! four years after coming to paris, pierre richard has been onstage, but no breakthrough.
his special physical traits will finally get him noticedwhen in a tv comedy series. he has hypermobility, meaninghis feet stretch awkwardly, more than normal dancersdoing their stances. he's incredible. he is a bendy man,and that's no exaggeration. he was so agile,to be lifting his legs... it was incredible,how he moved his body. he could fall so brilliantly.
credited in la belle equipe, it's his whole name that appears, pierre richard defays. which was not to the tasteof his family. he must now make a decision. pierre richard adopts his name as astage name, his pseudonym, and discards his family name. maybe he didn't want to usehis family name
in a job that his family decried. his father, who until thennever cared about his life, will suddenly make a reappearance. his father told him,"you have no talents. "if you could act,they'd know by now. "like jean-claude brialyand others." he was someone after whoseaffection he hungered, saying this to him.it was crushing.
he must have sworn to himself,"i will prove him wrong." he stuck to his guns to try and prove to his father that he, too, can be likejean-claude brialy and others. meanwhile, his personal lifeis moving on. at dullin school,he meets a 16 year old girl. a certain danielle minazzoli. she was a dancer, also part of the artistic world.
physically, she's very pretty. very lean, very slim, very slender. they fell totally in love,carefree, in the moment. love at first sight. love that ends up in marriage,in february 1960. and a first child as the year ends. with his first born, pierre richard realisesthat his job is not enough. he takes up physiotherapy lessons.
it was something on the side,in case he didn't make it. in the end, despitehis loony air, he is sensible. he is pragmatic, very much so. each evening, pierre playsin the left bank cabarets. with victor lanoux,a young actor like him, they set up a comedy duo. he never aimed to be a physio,pierre wanted to perform. he wanted to do things,to be an actor, on stage, in films.
excuse me, sir,would you have a match? a match? sure. in my lower pocket. sorry.my top pocket. i don't know, i was surei had one, but where is it? ah! oh no, a toothpick. they were a classic duo. like auguste and the white clown. it was lanoux, stockyand dark-haired, and the... gangling blond, tall.
one was the meany,the other the gentle. the stooge. we both wrote the lines,always seeking to be absurd. it's always the same.we stuff our pockets. it galls us. i so want to find it for you. ah, got it.another toothpick! it works. our method works.they like what we are doing. i have the match, i swear!and i intend to give it you! i'm sick of these toothpicks!
but don't worry. when i put my mindin my pocket, i will find it. you're mad!people are watching us. we became aware, both of us, of our mental capabilities. artistically.it was a revelation. of all the sketches, peopleliked one in particular, alas for pierre richard. he got 3 slaps... in the sketch.
after 3 or 4 cabarets each night, multiply by 3 or 4,so it means he got 12 slaps. - please allow me, sir.- of course. thank you. at the end of the night,pierre's cheeks get all red. lanoux's slaps hurtand there's no pretending. it's gone 9 pm. so kind of you. but i told you the time.
i'm messed up,when i miss the time. me, at any time,i'm always good for a slap. he took the slaps so well,and i could give them forever. i don't think it hurt him too much. but it needed to be heard good. with the duo acclaimed each night, with success finally arriving, backstage,their friendship was fraying. they were very hot-headed,pierre and victor.
victor was quite tetchy. and pierre liked... to stick it in. our relationship wentfrom one of conviviality, deep friendship. disgust, to sheer hatred. we spent... many weeks, months,without talking to each other. we come in without talking.do the sketch.
and leave,without so much as a look. but it wasn't due to their tiffs that the duo had to end their act. i was asked to join the nt. it wasn't compatiblewith the cabaret. at some point, we had to end it. he was lost for a while. "what will i do?how will i survive?" so, how did he survive?
a more pressing question,with his second child arriving. at 33, pierre richard is again a dad. and just then, he receives an offer. the actor-director,yves robert, had spotted him. he wrote pierre a role in his film,happy alexander. what yves robert liked in him was his gesticulations above all. pierre was like plasticine,which was perfect for yves.
yves robert understoodthe talent of pierre richard. and he never let him go. in his film, yves robert had a simple notefor pierre richard's scene. "colibert makes somestretching movements." he goes on to makean eye-popping scene. some totally ludicrous farce.the whole package. without warning the director. pierre does a sudden splitin the middle of shooting.
it's his very first film set. so he wanted to hand outhis visiting card, "i'm pierre richard,this is my first film "and i want to do more." robert said, "cut!" pierre instantly comes over,"so, was it good?" the director, greatly experienced, takes it further and says, "you're not an actor,but a character."
words that sounded harshto pierre richard. it was an utter shock, after giving your all foryour career and hearing this. yves says, "don't expect to be offeredparts, make your own." "roles don't exist for you.you're an own character." what about that character,pierre richard? a book would put himon the right path. pierre reads characters,by de la bruyere,
and in there,was the role he sought. it's about this absent-mindedman, who goes out, locks his front doors securely, to find himself outside,alas in his pjs and bare feet. he knew thenthat this was his book, thinking, "la bruyã©rewrote about me." for he will always bethat bumbling child, constantly stared at,for as long as he lives. his mind always drifted.
always daydreaming.living in his head. going to the restaurant,he's sure to forget his keys. or else his hat. he'll miss the door to the toilets. it's not deliberate,his head's in the clouds. he truly would trip on a rope,or trap his finger in a cup. you agree to meet him,he calls saying, "where are you?" you're in the wrong town, pierre! finishing de la bruyã©re's book,
he thinks of writing afilm script with its star based on his own clumsiness. he quickly finishes it. he meets yves robert, "remember what you saidabout my own films, "my own character? here." it was the distracted. excited by the script, yves robert decidesto coproduce the comedy
but tells pierreto direct it himself. pierre retorts,"but i'm no director“. yves says, "better the faultsof someone living the life "than the skills of a detached man." on 23 july 1970, shootingof the distracted starts. it's a huge challengefor pierre richard. for someone starring in the film and also directing it. directing a filmis a massive endeavour.
you need much self-belief,it's not done off the cuff. he makes a mistakeand it's the end game for him. but pierre can't let downyves robert, who assists every step of the way, especially at the editing stage. pierre was nervous, he wouldalways check how yves reacted. "was he happy?did i do it well?" he felt always under the microscope,fearful of criticism,
of falling short. yves robert knows the business. he will review the scenes,improve on things. he found pierre's takesa bit too timid. he'd say,"you should have broken it down." pierre would stare back blankly, "broken it down?" these terms justdidn't speak to him at all. yves robert was very influential.
he'd been a producer, a teacher, a director's assistant, or a coach. between yves and pierre,there formed a bond. it was like a father to a son.he would oblige him a little. he knew there was something there. and he wanted it all to come out. so it was his viewsthat counted above all. and the verdict soon came, the day the film was shownto the crew.
yves takes pierre's arm andsays, "well done, i'm happy." his dream came true. for there it was,from a true movie man, a father figure, something that a fathertells his son. a lead. a marker. on 9 december 1970, the distracted opens. the day
becomes another trial for pierre. he drives ug and downchamps-elysã©es, hoping to see the queues. he goes ten times along thecinema to see if people go in. the audience discoverspierre malaquet, a fresh face in the moviesin the 70s, an adman,stumbling from gag to gag, as seen in this clip, at a client. it's delicious, this...
oh, i'm sorry. don't worry.it's nothing, nothing really. - here.- thank you. i don't understand,i just did this. robert. get a mustard glass. i'm sorry, i just... it's very amusing,your little show, mr... pierre malaquet. we are in a well-to-do home,
all very proper, very neat. in his striped blazer,coming from god knows where. he's a walking time bomb. my briefcase. who is he? a bit late, but we're good now.just sign the campaign papers. enough! your boss willbe hearing of me! get out! get the hell out! in this film,
he sows the seedfor his funny character, his ever riotous comic romp, the irksome grain of dust. with 1.5 million admissions, the distractedis a total success. the one who made it,became admired for who he is. people love him, for theyrealise that is who he is. i use my uncertainty,my confused mind... just like i use my angst, my fears.
i play around with them. they reflect who i am... what i think, what i feel. i was an absolute nothing. the distracted made meachieve a dream that i harboured for 20 years. he will don this character,distracted and clumsy, in two other films,which he also directed, alfred's woes andi know zilch, i'll tell all.
now he needs a blockbusterto cement his fame. maybe yves robert holds that key. he stars pierre in his next film. on that occasion, a tv crewcame filming backstage of the tall blondwith one black shoe. on screen, pierre richard dons once morehis zany role. yves robert had this idea, to plunge a naive man
into this extraordinary world, that of secret agents. he is partneredwith an assured star, wreme dare. a few friends are coming over.why don't you join us? here's my address,85, rue des plantes. see you tonight. she realises that he is unsettled by her confidence on the film set.
she tries to lead him on. i was very happyto be in the film with him. he was a lovable actor. maybe i did rough him up a bit. when the journalists came, he still had the good mannersto rise to say hello. wreme dare says,'no, don't stand up m: them, "they will come to you. "you are pierre richard, a star."
she shows him the ropes. she takes him by the hand. better assured, the actor puts on his act,when facing journalists. more woes, pierre richard? no. i'm done with woes.good times are here. what's going on then? it's going on that i'm nowsolely an actor. that's why it's good times.
i am relaxed,i only worry about myself. the actor is liberated. he has now free reinsto fully live out his role. notably, for a key scene in the film, when he must seduce mireille darc. i'll remove my pearls now.what a day! time to relax. please do. back soon. if you're thirsty,just help yourself. in the next frame,
he must pull out the sofa-bedon which he sits. the director and scriptwriter rely solely on the actor's dramatics. yves robert gives hima very brief cue, "press this button to unfoldthe bed." that was it. he just needed to drophis cigarette on his trousers. but just like in happy alexander, the actor uses his freedomto let loose, right from take one.
his shenanigans from hisfalling cigarette is unreal. he's a jack-in-me-box. you really see his innate hilarity. it's all him, his own body,his awkward legs. i stand aside to look.i just laugh. he is so brilliant. an actor apart. you can sensethat it was something in his bones,coming from deep within him.
we are all elated.we feel the recipe is good. pierre and mireille, on the set, enjoyed themselves like crazy. they were always cackling, making it hard for yves robertto focus on the shooting. some while later, pierre is in the recording studio, to listen to the film score, by vladimir cosma.
he was happy. he was dancing.he thought the music great, that went, badaba badaba. he loved it. i tell him,"this is just the main tempo. "i need to add the theme,the panpipes, maybe tomorrow." he said, "oh shame,it is good as it is." when he heard it,he thought it a disaster. i say, "wait. tomorrow,i'll add the orchestra, "with the strings, violins."
he left and didn't returnthe next day. in fact, pierre richard is worried. he thinks the film will fail. the premiere,when the media sees the film, is not comforting. it was catastrophic. chilling. the screening was dreadful.there was no laughter. pierre took it bad.
he was dumbstruck by the silence. the media didn't get it. forcing pierre richardto make an extreme decision. he quits. he's leaving. he can't be here for the criticism. he leaves for guadeloupe,far away from it all. he is despondent.he thinks he's failed. his earlier successes,he knew it had to end. "so now it's over. i'm going."
the way he protects himself is an escapism. escapism,which doesn't bar the news, on opening day ofthe tall blond with one black shoe. yves robert calls and tells him, "you must come back." contrary to pierre richard's fears, the tall blond with one black shoe is an enormous hit.
the film is greatly entertaining. it's very funny, typical ofyves robert's comedies. the script is brilliant.the pace is non-stop. he became a star, one of thebest french comic actors of the new generation. on the level of chaplin,buster keaton, bourvil, de funã©s... there's his title.the tall blond with a black shoe. his character has a name now.
it is a hit across europe, even in the soviet union. then on to new york, where hemakes a remarkable encounter. the audience is excited.pierre is over the moon. a lady comes up to him,patting his shoulder, "your film touched me, "for you remind me a lotof my father." the woman moving awayis the daughter of danny kaye, the american comicwho inspired pierre richard
into this career. pierre gets delirious, knowing that the daughterof danny kaye admires him, when it was due to her dadthat he is here. a meeting that takes him back17 years, to valenciennes, when the teenagerfound his acting idol. it only makes him ache to goback to where it all began. to celebrate his success, he invites his daddy's familyto the top restaurant in town.
it's his way of saying,"you see, i was right." it is a generous thought,never revengeful. it's a family celebration. he must have felt proud doing it. and he must have felt proudbeing able to do it. but my god... what a relief! how they doubted him. a relief, but only briefly, for he hears from his father,not about his success,
but his father's own money issues. his father's first reactionis to come ask for funds. to borrow money. his father was ruined. his father wasn'tthe thrifty kind of person. he was no businessman,no entrepreneur. he squanderedhis family's finances. pierre richard will give moneyto his father unconditionally. he is a proven star, but onethe public knows little of.
the actor rarely talks. there are no articles in thepapers or on tv about him. the audience thinkhe is who they see on screen. which began to slowly annoy him. i don't want to be categorisedas a scatterbrain forever, a sure dreamer. i intend to move on, not toalways float in the clouds, not in my life, not in my films. but i can't deny who i am.i will keep on being me...
there's some truth in all of this? yes, i've heard it a lot. i'm fed up to be often askedif i'm distracted, or if i have alfred's woes,or if i have a black shoe. it's a bit less now, but i'm still stoppedto look at my shoes. for a whole year,i was asked if i'm distracted. - fed up?- right. prisonerof his on screen image
he sufferedfrom the character he was. they'd say, watch him stumble. he'll catch a tile, a rock,or a bucket on his head... we would go skiing together, down the ski slope. the people down,waiting for the ski lift, would see pierre comingand cry, "the tall blond!" so he would try not to fall. but he'll tense up and,for sure, he'll go tumbling.
to try and fend offhis fictional character, pierre richard will livesimply and discreetly. he never considered himselfas a star. success never got to his head. he never said, "look at me."he stayed simple. once the oddity of the family,and now in his working life. he hates the highlife. at the restaurant, when most actors would facethe room, so to be seen,
pierre turns his back. he takes the metro. i say, "look, if you go down there,they won't go to your films." he had to be taught. he had such a simple mind. but pierre refused to followthe system. when interviewsbecame a touch too personal, he adopted this same posture. he hides.
he hates it.he asks me not to accept. he can certainly talk aboutacting, for that was his job, but not his private life. he has this one condition, "for interviews, anythingbut not my private life." he was no introvert, his reticence is more... because of his real humility. but what hides this real humility?
a quiet life with his wifeand two children, in this house far from paris. he buys this old mill withhis gains from the tall blond. they settled there. it was a 70s ambition, going back to the country. it's a place where he feels happy. among the woods and greenery.and there's the gentle stream. it's certainly an ideal placeto reflect and meditate.
the grounds are vast,very peaceful... in this house, pierre richardhopes to achieve a goal, to become a good father. but it's hard to see his sons. he was always coming and going. it was a struggle for himto be there. my father was often away. notably in the holidays,when he'd be out filming.
he didn't much seehis children growing up. pierre wasn't really a father.he wasn't quite fatherly. simply because his mindwas elsewhere. he didn't have the mind for it. he surely harbours muchregrets of not doing better, how a father should be,thinking of his own father. his own father indeed. pierre richard tries to makeamends whenever he's back. though not often,our time together was great.
for the second tall blond,in rio, he went a long time. he returned with many recordsand instruments from brazil. we got into brazilian moodat home, hitting the drums... he acted as the father he was... "had good grades?"he quickly checked them. once in a while, he'll talkwith the teachers at school, to make sure that all is well. this old mill, his family,at first he wanted to rebuild his own childhood
through that of his children. in fact, he reproduced it over again. pierre reproduceshis father's errors. the absence that scarred him.with his job taking over. shooting is continuous.he is simply untouchable atop the box office. he has it all, the rave reviews, but is it enough for someonewho seems empty inside? maybe not.
i don't know if you are content, but you'd be ungratefulnot to be happy with the reviews on running wild, also with jane birkinand directed by claude zidi. great critics. yes. bouvard, rarely gentle,unusually compliments pierre. bouvard stays pleasant andrecounts the rave reviews. aurore says, "he's our newgreat french comic."
- it's really... a huge cheer.- they give it straight. categorically. the sunday journal,"the superman of gaffes." and everyone waitsfor the coming criticism, but strangely, it is notfrom philippe bouvard. pierre richard pulls out some paper. he shows a criticism. mine. did i miss one? "pierre richard robsfrom the american comics."
what pushes a man,invited on tv, when at home, to recopy the phrase that hurt him, and bring the hurtful phraseover? he's mad. thanks for bringing it. in the end, it's more awkwardhearing good news than the bad ones. pierre holds onto the one bad review. the bad review wins over a plethora of good reviews.
pierre is in fact, despitehis front, a thin-skinned man, utterly sensitive. to any reactionhe provokes in people. there's the proof,definite, tangible, of a man, an artist,with self-doubts. an artist with self-doubts, who chides the critics fornot getting the real message. the distracted raps the ads. alfred's woes decriesthe dumbing-down tv games.
i know zilch, i'll tell allis anti-arms industry. his true meaning,his fight, his charge, his revolt,the critics miss all that. he suffered because of this. there were times... when he told me,he would cry at night. to get his outcry heard, the actor acceptsfrancis veber's new offer. about a reporter who isbought, as you do a toy,
by a millionaire's son. it's a film about the power of money. it was a powerful message, which he believed in. it's the biggest chargeyou can make, on how money can buy everything. in the toy, he's not a comic. he's a man someone buys. pierre gives his all
for this tragicomedy,with echoes of his childhood. he sees himself in thissmall boy in need of love, whose father switches hugs with toys and a pile of presents. him and me, curiously enough, we had similar failing fathers. we felt for each other. but that wasn't the precondition. he didn't do it because of this.
go on. damn, my foofs on the steering bar. keep going. for this film, pierrehad urged francis veber to be the director. but on the set, he was unsettledby his way of working. veber lorded over everything,fussily so. he's a director who is,let's say, finicky.
he's flinty. as opposed to yves robert,who lets him free, pierre must here abideto francis veber's timings. the film starts and pierre is deliveredto the child who bought him. he's told to do nothing.so he settles down as a toy. i told him,first one hand on the side, then the other,as if apprehensive, and last, his head peeking out.
i was doing a reportabout the shop and your son wanted me hereat all costs. this scene, francis veber would askpierre richard to redo it again several times. something not quite right.what, we don't know. maybe something pierre did,a little itch, and back in he goes. it's not 3 takes each time.
with veber, it's 30 or 40 takes. i continue to think,"he can do more." he might have thought, "what can i do more, or less, "when i'm doing nothing?" go! a same action, every take, will be repeated untilthe director was happy. i love the way he jumps out,how he removes the fake straws
from his hair. i love it all. go finish your supper. why are you still here? - what's your name?- perrin. frangois perrin. oh yes... filming of the toy is an ordeal for the actor. he can forget his instinctive flair. he talked very rapidly,stumbling over his words.
i didn't want that.i wanted it said cleanly. i told him, "don't runwith your knees up. not now." he taught him how to temper his some amour. he doesn't make me laughand that's good. he's not wanting me to laugh. someone acting funnyin a comedy is a pleonasm. so we tried to act seriouslyin funny situations. he doesn't need to knowif he's funny.
he is because of the situationand by the person he is. pierre richard soonunderstands that veber is helping him break outof his formulated role. i wanted to see a real actor.i knew he had it. he abided to everythingfrancis asked of him. he bettered his acting skills. it energised him. will the critics and audience notice his refinement
and the message behindhis role as a purchased man? there were many filmstimed for christmas release that were delayed for fearof being crushed by the toy. they saw it asthe film of the moment, the christmas filmto smash all records. the producersexpect a huge family hit. the film is releasedon 8 december 1976. it does only fairly.people want pierre in a comedy. it made 1.25 million admissions.
but with pierre's image at the time, his star power,the producers expected more. one wrote, "less funny thana molinaro or lautner, oh mercy! he went on, "how sad if a toycan't make you laugh." for pierre richard, he feltthat he failed the audience, fearing he's now stuck tothe role of the tall blond. the toy had takenhim back to his childhood. seven months afterits release, his father died. i went to the funeral.
i rememberwhen we exited the church, i went to hug him. at that point,he was extremely disconsolate. it truly scarred him. he'd lost his father, after all, even if his father neglected him. it's a blood thing. what people don't know is what happenedthe eve of the funeral.
the actor recounted it inhis book a few years later. "after he passed away,i was there alone. "the whole night next to his coffin, "i swore at himuntil blue in the face. "yes, i swore at himwith tears in my eyes." he was angryfor not knowing his father, for never being closer,rarely talking. he regretted his absence,feeling abandoned, never understanding why.
we do swear at thosewe deeply love. it was surely out of angerfor not knowing his love, for lacking it. or not as much as he yearned for. pierre had waited for a kindword from his father, in vain. then came another blow. the film he loved the most,one akin to his childhood, the toy, is not a clear success. working with the directorhad been taxing.
four years on, whenfrancis veber sought a double act for his new movie, he didn't consider pierre richard, but lino venturaand jacques villeret. ventura didn't want villeret.he thought he was slow. i then called pierre richard,on a break in tunisia, and offered him this new film.he said, "you bet!" problem was, this second option stilldidn't please lino ventura,
who chose to abandon ship. he saw pierre as a bit wild,like de funes. we then find ourselveswith only pierre... wondering which actor to call next. we had the same idea. "what if the characterwas younger for depardieu?" this time. it's francis veber's turn to doubt. depardieu was known in filmsof truffaut, duras...
i said, "depardieuhas never done comedies." meanwhile, pierre richard insistedon getting gerard depardieu. depardieu radiated power and prestige,unlike pierre, with a more commendablevisiting card than pierre. it was about being acceptedand recognised by an actor who wasthe darling of all the media. to get to a decision,
the producer calls overthe two actors to his office. they sat in the two armchairsfacing me. and what did they talk about?their childhood. the disadvantaged childrenthey looked after. i didn't know.i learnt it then. for both of them. i was dumbstruck. even those closeto pierre richard didn't know this secret, nowrevealed to gerard depardieu. i don't know all of his deeds.
i don't really know all about him. he holds things back. but these are things he has done. without much crowing. he's so secretive that i don't doubt it... he has a lot of heart. straight away, there was this incredible bond between them,
a delightful togerthemess. however, there was still a man toconvince the duo can work. francis veber. lunch is arranged. when pierre richard dines,beware anyone who's near. soon as he gets talking,small peas, ketchup, bits of eggs,go flying onto depardieu, who looks down at his suit,then stares at pierre,
saying, "who's this bozo?" i thought, "that's chemistry.that's my duo." everyone approves the duo. the filming of the goatcan now begin. the bond, startedin the producer's office, would definitely persist on the set. they got on so well during filming. they formed a new duo,similar to bourvil-de funã©s. we have two characters,
the blunderer and the bully. a laurel and hardy. in truth,it's two opposite characters, forced to team up to searchfor a missing girl in mexico. you're no magician, perrin. i believe in logic.you know what that means? i'm rational, lucid. i don't investigatebased on woolly events. it's two clownsinteracting wondrously.
the two together is magical,phenomenal. what is it now? - i think i'm sinking.- and why? i just don't know. stop joking, i'm talking to you. it's no joke.the soil is melting. i'm sinking. you've got a plastic bullet,which is pierre richard, and the concrete wallthat is depardieu. the reverse angle shots,so powerful,
magnify the comical takesof the bozo. and why aren't i sinking? you are surely on solid groundand i'm not. you wanted to leave the road,now look where i am. so you'll just sink? if i move, it will be worse.i'm in quicksand. perm, no quicksand has beenreported 'm this area. with 7 million admissions, the film is a triumph.
the goat was a huge hit. it earned a lot of money,at least producer-wise. what to do with the money? pierre richardhad always harboured a wish. he squandered it allby producing films in need of funding;by alain resnais, alain cavalier, indian films,north-african, arthouses... it's also to join a different cinemathan what he knew then. but two years later,
pierre richard cannot resistfrancis veber's call. he sought to reunite the duo,and in shooting the stooges, a tv crew would witnessthe close relationship between these three bigwigsof the movies. i just want to say,i've never been happier. they are two great actors,if i can say this now, i am just so happy. - we make someone happy.- good lord! with no audience,be lucky there's one...
i'm happy to have you. - go on, bozo, answer.- you answer. i've always been the teacher type. pierre richard ate too much. i saw him one day,eating a sandwich like a pig, with a piece of hamdangling out of his mouth. i told him, "still eating you?"he said, "no". the piece of ham swayingas he said no. i said, "there's hamout of your mouth."
"really?" as if it got thereby a miracle. the stooges was also a success. there had to be a next one. three years later,in the fugitives, francis veber tells pierre richardto be a tear-dropper. problem was, he was no teary-eyed. some actors can tear up easily. get ready with the glycerinfor pierre's eyes. 760f 11, 2nd.
roll! we can't stay here. damn, i'm crying. too much, pierre. pierre richard would trytoo hard on the first take. but he corrected himselfso quickly, being so smart. he'd take a moment to focus,going over the scene. my little girl talked.damn, crying again! that was great.
- you like that?- yes, great. forget funny. he doesn't need to be funny,just to be honest. 760f 11, 7th. roll! she talked because of you.my little girl talked to me. damn, i'm crying again. only an actor can do this.i'm proud of him. because we got to avoid the antics like he doesin the tall blond.
three films, three successesfor the duo. but pierre richard anddepardieu would split up. i got to get depressedfrom our success. i did the goat,7 million admissions, the stooges, 5 million,the fugitives, 5 million, i can't ever do better. veber wanted to fleeacross the atlantic, to test himself in hollywood. there won't be a fourth film,alas, with the double act.
never thinking they will endtheir work together, francis veber's departurehurt pierre richard. our break-off affected him,due to our distance apart. he's like an orphan,for he must now find a veber clone doing comedies. it gets harder. the films he is offered will never compare to thethree he did with veber. how can he best this?
from then on, pierre richard's films are nowhere near as good. for once in 17 years,he has time to spare. time to reflect on things,on his past, and to put it all in a lengthy letterto his two sons. he wrote to his sons,as if duty-bound to do so. but you don't talk to your sons like you do the next man. he wrote aboutlots of intimate things
and about his father. "he was my migratory birdand i awaited his fly over. "there was i on my boat, "moored. "but dizzy with longing." the fact that he missed his father, he just let it all out. he felt the needto pour his heart out, the little secrets he kept inside...
he put on paper the little murmuringshe'd muttered in the past. a past spentfacing the rolling cameras. a past marred by a deep regret. for some years, from the 1970s, he was swept by a kind ofmaelstrom from film to film. then ten years on,you realise your sons have grown. it was in his mind that he was not often therefor his children.
he knew that. this letter, in which pierre richardtells of his hurt and regrets, is the only way he findsto talk to his sons. pierre richard is not someonewho will unload easily. he is kind of secretive, wary. for he's of a generationwho keep things under wraps. he rarely mentions things like that. he's not one to say, "now listen to me...life is like this."
it doesn't come naturally. strangely enough,this extremely discreet man will get convinced by a friendto publish this letter. it was in this book, the blond boy in a big place,dedicated to them, that christophe and olivierlearn about their dad's past. i got to know many things. his regret about his father,he never told us anything. this man, i saw twice,
we never ever talked. i didn't hate him.nothing bad was said about him. he was nobody. "i knew when he would come. "here and gone in a flutter, "head benttowards other pastures, "where he'll never take me. "but once in while, i'll hearhis tweet over the others." the book is well written.like a secret letter.
sowing little markers to his heart, without ever truly revealinganything. a man with such subtleness. this intimate reflectionthrough his writings, would reignite his desire for more serious roles. he tells me that he would liketo try other roles, than what he is usually offered. i tell him that nobody elsecan do what he is doing.
what excited him,were the westerns, people like robert mitchum... those actors,not necessarily comics. but pierre doesn't getany offers against type. in the shadow of success pierre richard was locked intothese energetic type of roles, moving wildly about. in extremely funny scenarios. they can't give him much else,for the fear of it.
many directors, my colleagues,who are serious pros, they never think of him. they say he's floatingup there somewhere, so let's not bother him. he wasn't as lucky as bourvil, to have a man like melvilleask him to play a cop. he would have been a great cop in a drama,or in a film by claude sautet. sautet loved pierre,
but he couldn't imagine himin a daily grind. he even told pierre, "i can't see you out shoppingwith your bag, leeks and all." even francis veber, with whom he had his best successes, ignores him for the dinner game, a funny film, which pierre richardgoes to see one night. he said: "it's great. "but i thought duringthe film, 'what a swine.
"'why didn't i get this role?“ but since i refused villeretfor the goat due to ventura, i felt like i owed him. so i didn't call pierre,i called villeret. it upset him.and he still hasn't forgotten. without quitting acting for good, pierre goes more often to hissouth of france property, bought during his successes. i bought this property,then i looked down
and saw the vines, the vine stock, with their twisted arms,crying, "daddy! we're hungry." so i took careof my 30,000 children. he was up for the challenge, the desire to revive the vineyard, to restore it properlyand to get it back up. a vineyard needs a lot of careand patience. and then there's thisearthly side to it. i was stunned.i suppose he was too.
it's a way of getting outof the movie world. when he's there,he forgets the movies. so he stays in the wine-growing land. among winemakers. talking abouttotally different issues. pierre richard stillacts in some films, but success is sparse. this long barren stretch
will sow a seedfor a more serious film, based on his journey. straight into the wallis about an old comedy star, who has lost his sparkle. it's about a redundant actor,getting no acting offers, but for one last chance. it's a film straight out of his life. a winner and now no more.he just has to tell it. but there will be a snagduring shooting,
pierre richard and the producerhave varying ideas. i saw livi appearing on the set and who said,"be funny, okay? go for it." he was caught in two minds. i think he wanted... not to, once again,do a pure comedy. the director sees his filmbeing deviated. for the first time on a film set, his anger explodes in the open.
will you shut up! for god's sake! he delayed filming, a week before it even started. he lost his will. among the crew,i recall people telling me, "what are we doing?" with only 18,000 admissionsin france, straight into the wallbore its name well.
the film is a flop... clearly. no one understands,nor the audience. a massive flop. it cost him a lot. meaning, no other chanceof doing another film. it could have been hisswansong or his coming of age, but no. it is a disaster, becausethe doors close behind him. after straight into the wall,pierre forsakes directing.
what does he do now? in 2003, at 70, he gets backon stage, where it all began. in memory heist,he talks about the film sets with his friends,blier, carmet and depardieu. a one-man show,acclaimed by the audience, even recommended by a critic, who, until then, slated him. 2 years later, it's the turnof the people in movies who wish, as you'll see,to tell him something.
on this 26 february 2006,just past 10 pm, a honorary award is about tobe given to pierre richard. i was shaking. you know, i love this man,who is a dear friend. he had to fight offhis humility to accept this honorary cesar. ladies, gentlemen, pierre richard. he walks up, in a tuxedoand white trainers, not to be too formal.
it's in derision. it proves his freedomand the stance he takes. "i'm a free spiritand always will be." that night, everyone stood upto salute the man who was once one of thegreatest french stars, 20 years back. the standing ovationwas not manufactured. the audience was excited,for it went on a while. you could feel the warmthin the place.
it was really... i think, a big thank youfrom everyone there. he is taken abackby this standing ovation. he looks around the place,looking at their faces. he is moved becausehe never expects people to say they love him. to see everyone in thechã©telet theatre rising, shouting, "we love you,"it stunned him. he didn't expect it.
why me? silence. i guess you're alsothinking, "why him?" i see it on your faces, "why him?" me, who enjoyed beingat the back of the class with the burns of my kind. suddenly, i'm asked to join you, when i've always beenthe odd one out. to finally be recognisedby his peers in a formal manner, powerfully,
for all that he has givento cinema. it's great. on the stage of chã©telet, pierre richard will let ona personal regret. i would have loved to bechaplin's little rolls, the dancing rolls. i would have loved beingbuster keaton's hat, name's ham. jerry lewis's legs or tati's. i'm not keaton, i'm no tati,
but i do know that we can'tattempt great things without bettering yourself. he will always harbour this regret, not having directed the greatfilms like he wished, which he could have done. thanks to all, and thank you. he would have deserveda cesar much earlier. it was time he got one. a funny actordo honour the profession too.
it was good he had a honorary cesar, but it's too bad he didn't geta cesar for his acting. when recognition arrives,it's in vain. although, he was happy to get it, it didn't tastelike it could have done, had he got the recognitionwhen he really wanted it. years go by, a new era breezes in, but pierre richardjust can't shake off his now outdated character.
until he gets an offerfrom jean-pierre mocky, for a role in a short film and resuming his oncewinning partnership with gã©rard depardieu. we needed a close duo.growing up, we revered the goat, the stooges, fugitives. so we thought, if he accepted this role now,it would be fantastic. he is happy,but somewhat surprised
that they didn't ask before. they waited 28 yearsto renew their duo. 28 years, during which timepierre richard looked on, as his old partnercements his star power. without him. pierre got sad when depardieudoubled up with others, a bit like a betrayal, at one time. that's what i sensed. he was sad. they were a great team inthe goat as in the stooges.
there were superb. so funny. he got sadwhen depardieu rarely called. i know it pained him. then came this offer, as he finally receivedthe call he so yearned. he grabs his phone and goesin his study to listen calmly. "what do you know!depardieu just called me. "gã©rard called me!" i say, "you're pierre richard,you can also call depardieu."
"but i wouldn't dare." it's in anjou, in a castle loaned outby depardieu for the shoot, where the reunion, so dreadedby pierre richard, is to occur. once his face done, i said to pierre, "why don't we go and say hito gã©rard?" so we set for gã©rard's place, there appears gerardat the window, in his briefs,
otherwise naked, who says, "pierrot, come on in." over there, to the right. the second one. - and left?- yes. they were as two happy boysback together. army buddies. army buddiesreunited 20 years after, "hey you!"
they started ribbingeach other, joking around... they just laughed,the shooting delayed an hour. a car was waiting for pierre. "pierre, you're not taking the car. "get on my quad,the fresh air will wake you up." come on, pierrot, climb on! feels good, eh? they spent the whole daytogether, really close. as if time had stood still,
the two actors renew theirbond of the good old days back in the 1980s. i'm sure it's a harbinger fora future film. i just know it. they will do a film together. it will come from themor from other channels, but they will do a filmtogether, definitely. i can't say. pierre isn'tthe pierre i knew back then and depardieu like a berliet truck. i can't seehow you can cast those two.
what is certain, is that far away from hisgrandpa's castle, now felled, pierre richard retainshis rebellious nature, which set him onto his journey. pierre wouldn'thave had this super career, without his early life and childhood, had he not sufferedas much as he did. he had the courage toreject his comfortable life, all that luxury.
recognition is a portraitpainted over time. he is truly among those stand-out actorsin french movie history. he just lacks this one majorrole with a reputed director to redo what he has done, for he has plenty morekept deep within him. he is an extremely poetic man, kind and mad. hence the storyof the tall blond and more,
one with a few more pagesof cinema to write, when he may, at long last,truly let go, but with his humility intact. too many yearswearing his funny mask, his mask of derision, hiding. thanks for watchingand see you again soon. olivier defays, his son,leads a career as a musician. he composes and plays in public,sometimes with his dad, in jazz festivals.
willy weibel, his cousin,lives in pierre's old mill. it is where he keeps all theirchildhood photos and films. his sister, vã©ronique gillet,assists her brother with the administration dutiesrelating to his activities. subtitles: eclair media