Jean-Jacques Annot: filmography, biography, photo

Jean-Jacques Anno is a director and screenwriter with a world-wide reputation, who has reached incredible heights in filmmaking. It is distinguished by an amazing variety of approaches to the creation of a real, high-quality and spiritualized cinema. At the same time, he succeeds in transferring his optimism, love for life and nature to the screen, opening again and again the world of feelings and sensations that plays in his films like a kaleidoscope.

Towards art

The cult European director Jean-Jacques Annot (pictured below) was born in the French city of Esson. This happened on October 1, 1943. On the path of professional development, there were such stages as the study of literature at the Sorbonne University, as well as training at the Institute of Higher Education in the field of cinema. After graduation, there came an important period in the life of the future director - service in the army. His debt to the country, Anno gave in Cameroon. And this experience had a significant impact on his future creative life. In 1965 Jean-Jacques Annot, whose biography of professional activity began not with full-length masterpieces, acquires the first experience in the film industry. He begins to shoot television commercials, as well as training videos for army soldiers.

Debut and success are compatible concepts

The first full-length film directed by J.-Z. Anno became the picture "Black and white in color", shot in Africa. She came out on big screens in 1976. At home, his first creation was met with a very cool: with a fraction of insulting indifference. However, a year later the high artistic value of the debut film was confirmed by the Oscar prize, which "Black and White in Color" received as the best film in a foreign language. Then came the multiple César awards for other Anno tapes.

Variety of characters and genres - the Anno style

Jean-Jacques Anno is rightly considered to be a director who does not have any specific handwriting. Or, more precisely, his corporate style - an amazing variety of styles. Then he removes a touching melodrama, a historical movie without dialogues, but with expressive landscapes and the heroic make-up of heroes, an erotic drama with beautiful, thoughtful and finely conveyed scenes of love. And all this is possible to him as if without effort: easy and dignified.

Accessible and talented about the life of animals with their eyes

The end of the eighties became very fruitful, according to Jean-Jacques Annot, whose filmography was supplemented with the tape "Bear". On the shooting of a movie dedicated not to people, but to animals, he was inspired by a book called The King of Grizzlies. In the story, a bear cub and an adult bear are trying to survive in conditions close to the tragic ones - they are hunted by two poachers, hungry for their blood. Anno managed to look at the assassination attempt on life not from the usual human point of view, but from the eyes of the one who is being persecuted. "Bear" was released in 1988. But even to this day, the film impresses viewers with drama and documentary, although Jean-Jacques Annaux himself categorically disagrees with the latest characteristic of this movie. In his opinion, there was no attempt to remove the fact, it was only made the assumption about how the victims could think in such a situation. True or not, it does not check, in the words of the director.

Few people have an idea of how unimaginable efforts this painting cost Anna and a huge number of other people involved in the shooting, as well as animals. The main character was played by an adult trained bear named Bart. A huge beast weighing about a ton had to find duplicates in scenes where speed and mobility were required. So, other adult bears of different complexions joined the shoots. The most difficult thing in Bart's training was training his unusual skill - claudication. It took about one and a half years.

It was not easy with the baby either. In shooting scenes with a bear, more than a dozen different four-legged actors were involved. Because the behavior of an ungrown animal was much more difficult to correct. When the "artists" mastered the necessary skills, the exhausting process of filming began. During these times, I had to face boredom, and with impatience, and even with the annoyance of the team. But Anno could not be stopped. And in the end the picture was published in 1988.

Creative multitasking

Multidimensionality of the creative nature of the director was also evident in the fact that during forced pauses in shooting with bears, he did not rest and was not dejected, but immersed in the creation of a completely different film - the adaptation of the novel by Umberto Eco called "The Name of the Rose". In the film starred such stars as Sean Connery and Christian Slater. It would seem, how is it possible - to maneuver between such different projects? Anno proved that he is capable of resolutely everything in terms of cinematography. Both paintings were successful and received high marks from both critics and ordinary viewers.

Underestimated "Lover"

The breakthrough in European cinema was the picture "Lover". Despite the fact that, according to the recognition of many film connoisseurs, the film was shot unusually talented and worthy of all commendable epithets, "Lover" never got along with the most successful creations of Anno. There were many reasons for this. Firstly, the film was full of erotic scenes, not at all vulgar, but in those days still unfamiliar to the general public. Secondly, the director again chose English as the language for filming. At home, he was not forgiven. And this time they did not even consider Anno as a candidate for the next "Cesar".

Creativity and novelties of technology. Experiments with history

As a director who started with the commercials for TV, Jean-Jacques Anno treats new technologies with special partiality. So, he became the first creator of cinema in 3D format. It's about a movie called "Wings of Courage", which was released on the screen in the mid-90's. Simultaneously, one of the biggest projects of Anno is the movie "Seven Years in Tibet", which is based on the story of a climber who adhered to Nazi views and turned out to be an involuntary captive of Tibet for many years. He managed to get the main roles of such stars as Brad Pitt and David Thewlis. Also in the film you can see in the role of the wife of one of the heroes of the actress Ingeborga Dapkunaite. The cinema turned out to be large-scale, entertaining and talented in all respects. Anno was once again caressed by various film awards. And did not make fans wait long. He shot another movie with Hollywood star Jude Lowe in the title role - "The Enemy at the Gates." Here the success was not so obvious. The picture of the Second World War, about the confrontation between Soviet and German snipers, was shot effectively and, from an artistic point of view, correctly. However, at its creation, Anno did not manage to please either side or the other. No matter how he tried to express the neutrality of the position with the whole story, nothing happened. Many spectators remained dissatisfied with the created characters and the non-obviousness of evaluating right and wrong behavior in such a terrible time for all mankind.

Actual creativity

Jean-Jacques Anno has long been living in Los Angeles and is part of the community of Hollywood directors of French origin. Divorced, has two children. Despite his advanced age (director of 72 years), he is still creatively active. In 2015, the filmography of Anna was replenished with another masterpiece - the movie "Totem of the Wolf" was released on the screens. Thanks to the joint production of France and China, the ribbon conveys the delightful national color of Mongolia in the middle of the twentieth century. Efforts of the same Anno once again sang love of nature, the natural desire of man to live in harmony with the world around him and give him his love. Positive perception of life, careful attitude to feelings, respect for everything alive is based on any plot in the films of Anno, regardless of where the action takes place, who is in the lead role and even what the genre is. The mastery of this director in his uniqueness, peaceful competition with himself, the ability to shoot a movie, like a child who takes the first steps, not understanding how he does it. This is Jean-Jacques Annot. The filmography of the director is a treasure trove of European cinema.