Makovski, Claude

(July 31, 1936, Paris, France - )

   He abandoned his studies in letters to direct a pup­pet film on the theme of the Roman de Renart. In 1960, he co-founded the Mac Mahon circle (the Mac Mahon is a Parisian movie theater), which defended and released the works of underrated (at the time) American directors Joseph Losey and Raoul Walsh or almost-forgotten filmmakers, such as Fritz Lang. The same year, he created his own production company, Cythère Films. In 1962, he became general secretary of Les Cahiers du Cinéma with Jacques Rivette and Jacques Doniol-Valcroze. He ran two movie theaters, Le Passy (1962) and the art house Le Dragon (1963). In 1964, filmmaker Nelly Kaplan joined Cythère Films, which financed some of her documentary shorts (1963 La Nouvelle Orangerie; 1966 Dessins et Merveilles; Les Années 25; A la Source, la Femme aimée). After working as a press attaché, he dedicated himself to film production (1967 Le Regard Picasso, medium-length, documentary, Nelly Kaplan; 1969 La Fiancée du Pirate / UK: Dirty Mary / USA: A Very Curious Girl, also co-screenwriter, actor, Nelly Kaplan; 1971 Papa, les petits Bateaux, also co-screenwriter, actor as Iks Vokam, Nelly Kaplan; 1979 Charles et Lucie / USA: Charles and Lucie, also co-screenwriter, Nelly Kaplan; 1991 Plaisir d'Amour, Nelly Kaplan). He occasionally served as an assistant director (1968 Treize Jours en France / UK: Challenge in the Snow / USA: Grenoble, documentary, Claude Lelouch, François Reichenbach, Guy Gilles) and appeared as an actor in films (1964 Bande à Part / UK: The Outsiders / USA: Band of Outsiders, Jean-Luc Godard; 1977 Néa / Nea—Ein Madchen entdenckt die Liebe / UK: A Young Emmanuelle, Nelly Kaplan, France / West Germany; 1990 Lacenaire / L'Elegant Criminel / US video: The Elegant Criminal, Francis Girod) and TV movies (1982 Ce fut un bel Eté, Jean Chapot; 1987 Pattes de Velours, Nelly Kaplan; 1990 Les Mouettes, Jean Chapot; 1993 Polly West est de retour, Jean Chapot; 1994 Honorin et l'Enfant prodigue, Jean Chapot). He authored as Claude Makowski a monograph titled Albrecht Durer, le Songe du Docteur et de la Sorcière: Nouvelle Approche iconographique (Editions Slatkine / La Différence, 1999; reedited in 2002 by Jacqueline Chambon).

 Filmography

1964 ◘ La Nouvelle Orangerie (short; documentary)

        ◘ Les Années 25 (short; documentary)

1967 ◘ Le Regard Picasso (short; documentary)

1970 ◘ Au Verre de l'Amitié (short)

1975 ◘ Il faut vivre dangereusement (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist)