Mise en Scene: Bertrand Blier

Mise en Scène is a brand new series coming exclusively to Cinémoi in which respected film critic Jason Solomons (The Observer) interviews some of the greatest directors in French Cinema.

In the 1st show director Bertrand Blier joins Jason Solomons to discuss his unique body of work, from the 1960s to the present.

Son of the famous French actor Bernard Blier (Quai Des Orfèvres, 1947), Bertrand Blier first gained international recognition with Les Valseuses (1974), a comedy about two men who steal cars, break into houses and seduce women. The film starred the young Gérard Depardieu (Jean de Florette, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Singer), a then unknown, who went on to star in a further seven of Blier's films.

Blier's work is often provocative, characterized by dark humour and an uncompromising approach to filming nudity. Audiences and critics alike embraced his work, and he went on to win numerous awards, including the Grand Jury Prize for Trop Belle Pour Toi in 1989, the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 1978 for Préparez Vos Mouchoirs, and César awards for Merci la ie and Un, deux, trois, soleil in 1993.

Still working today, the 72-year-old's last film was The Clink Of Ice (2010), which follows an alcoholic writer who is visited by an incarnation of his cancer.

Here Cinémoi gains an extraordinary insight into the work of a truly original film-maker, and gives the unacquainted viewer a taste of some of the highlights of his extensive career.