Vital, Claude

(Claude Elie Vital / November I, 1933, Oran, Algeria-)

   Raised by radio, film, and stage producer, writer, and actor Jean-Jacques Vital (1913-1977), he grew up among artists. In 1957, he landed a job as a trainee assistant director (Le Temps des Oeufs durs, Norbert Carbonnaux). He befriended the first assistant of the movie, Georges Lautner, and became his regular assistant when he began directing (1960 Marche ou crève, France / Belgium; 1961 Arrêtez les tambours! / USA: Women and War; Le Monocle noir / USA: The Black Monocle; 1962 En plein Cirage / Operazione Gold Ingot / USA: Operation Gold Ingot, France / Italy; L'Oeil du Monocle / UK: The Monocle / USA: The Eye of the Monocle; 1963 Les Tontons flingueurs / In famiglia si spara / Mein Onkel, der Gangster / UK: Crooks in Clover / USA: Monsieur Gangster, France / Italy / West Germany; 1964 Des Pissenlits par la Racine / 7-9-18 da Parigi un cadavere per Rocky, France / Italy; Le Monocle rit jaune / L'ispettore spara a vista / USA: The Monocle / The Monocle's Sour Laugh, France / Italy; Les Barbouzes / Quattro spie sotto il letto / USA: The Great Spy Chase, France / Italy; 1965 Les Bons Vivants / Un Grand Sei­gneur / Per favore chiudete le persiane / USA: How to Keep the Red Lamp Burning, France / Italy; 1966 Galia, France / Italy; Ne nous fâchons pas; 1967 La Grande Sauterelle / Femmina / Ein Madchen wie das Meer, France / Italy / West Germany; 1968 Fleur d'Oseille; Le Pacha / La fredda alba del commissario Joss, France / Italy; 1970 La Route de Salina / Quand il sole scotta / USA: Road to Salina, France / Italy; 1971 Laisse aller . . . c'est une Valse / UK: The Troublemakers, France / Italy; Il était une Fois un Flic / C'era una volta un com-missario, France / Italy; 1972 Quelques Messieurs trop tranquilles; 1973 La Valise / UK: The Girl in the Trunk / USA: Man in the Trunk). He also worked with other directors: Luciano Salce (1966 Das Gewisse twas der Frauen / Comment j'ai appris à aimer les Femmes / Come imparai ad amare le donne / UK and USA: How I Learned to Love Women, as second assistant, West Germany / France / Italy), Nicolas Gessner (1968 La Blonde de Pékin / La bionda di Pecchino / Die Blonde von Peking / USA: Peking Blonde / The Blonde from Peking, France / Italy / West Germany, shot in 1966), Jacques Deray (1968 Avec la Peau des Autres / Sciarada per Quattro spie / UK: To Skin a Spy, France / Italy, shot in 1966), Michel Audiard (1968 Faut pas prendre les Enfants du Bon Dieu pour des Canards sauvages / UK: Leontine / USA: Operation Leontine), Claude Sautet (1970 Les Choses de la Vie / L'amante / UK: The Things of Life / USA: These Things Happen, France / Italy), Georges Farrel (1971 Sapho ou La fureur d'aimer / Saffo / UK: Sex Is My Game, France / Italy), Claude Mulot (1971 La Saignée / A denti stretti / UK: Manhunt for Murder / USA: The Contract / The Blood Letting, France / Italy; 1973 Profession: Aventuriers / Profes-sione avventurieri, France / Italy), and Henri Glaeser (1973 Une Larme dans l'Océan, shot in 1971). Eugène Tucherer, who met him on the set of Avec la Peau des Autres, produced the first of the six comedies he directed. He collaborated as a technical adviser on Carmen la de Ronda / USA: A Girl Against Napoleon / The Devil Made a Woman (Tulio Demicheli, Spain) and L'Eté de nos Quinze Ans (Marcel Jullian).

 Filmography

1974 ◘ OK Patron (supervised by Georges Lautner; also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist)

        ◘ Le Chasseur de chez Maxim's (also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist)

        ◘ Le Maestro (also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist)

        ◘ Le Temps des Vacances (also co-screenwriter)

        ◘ Une Merveilleuse Journée (also screenwriter, adapter)

1983 ◘ Si elle dit oui . . . je ne dis pas non!

 Television Filmography

1991 ◘ Quiproquos!

        ◘ Maxime et Wanda: Les belles Ordures

        ◘ Aldo tous Risques (episode "Direct au Cœur")

1992 ◘ Tout ou presque