During the 1920s, undeterred by this first failure, Duvivier continued making films. His first notable success was in 1925, with his poignant adaptation of Jules Renard’s Poil de Carotte (which he later remade in 1932, one of his favourite works). This resulted in an invitation from from producers Marcel Vandal and Charles Delac to work for their film production company, Film d’Art. Here, Duvivier stayed for nine years, perfecting his craft as a film-maker and learning the value of team work.

In was in the 1930s, with the arrival of sound, that Duvivier’s career as a film director suddenly took off. By the end of the decade he had earned an international reputation as one of the most important French film-makers of his generation. His successes included such works as David Golder (1930), Poil de Carotte (1932), La Tête d'un homme (1933), La Bandera (1935), Un Carnet du Bal (1935), La Belle équipe (1936) and Pépé le Moko (1937).

It was the international success of Pépé-le-Moko which earned Duvivier an invitation from MGM in 1938 to direct a lavish Hollywood musical, The Great Waltz, a biography of the composer Johann Strauss. Duvivier returned to America during World War Two where he made a number of big-budget films, most notably Tales of Manhattan (1942) and Flesh and Fantasy (1943).

In the late 1940s and 1950s, Duvivier’s more serious films show a marked change from the poetic realism of the 1930s to a far darker kind of realism which explored the worst qualities of human nature. Examples of this are to be found in Sous le ciel de Paris (1951) and Voici le temps des assassins (1956). Meanwhile, he was making popular comedies such as Le Petit monde de Don camillo (1951), the first in a series of films starring the popular actor Fernandel. This film won him a prize at the Venice Film Festival in 1951.

Duvivier’s last great film was Pot-Bouille (1957), which combines the grim realism of Zola’s novel with popular farce. Le Diable et les dix commandements (1962) is less impressive but shows Duvivier’s flair for comedy and, thanks to its all-star cast, proved to be a popular success. On 30 October 1967, shortly after completing his final film, Diaboliquement v?tre, Julien Duvivier died tragically in a car accident, aged 71. (here)

Biography

Date of Birth 19 March 1896, Paris, France

Date of Death 8 June 1982, Paris, France

French composer Jean Wiener penned the scores for theatrical and music hall productions and numerous films. He also composed orchestral works such as his Concerto for Accordion and Orchestra. In film, he has worked with such directors as Renoir, Becker, Duvivier, and Bresson. Wiener's daughter, Elisabeth, became an actress.(here)

Mini Biography

When one thinks of Edith Piaf, one thinks of love, sorrow and music. One did not breathe without the other two. Born in Paris practically on the streets on December 19, 1915, she struggled from day one, the daughter of street performers. The mother, a singer, eventually abandoned both Edith and her father for a solo career. Piaf spent her youth entertaining passers-by, receiving little formal education in the process. She often accompanied her father's acrobat street act with her singing and at various times was forced to live with various relatives, in alleys or in cheap hotels. An aborted love affair left her with a baby girl at age 17, but little Marcelle died of meningitis at 2 years old. Devastated, Piaf returned to the streets she knew, now performing solo.

Her fortunes finally changed when an impresario, Louis Leplee, mesmerized by what he heard, offered the starving but talented urchin a contract. He alone was responsible for taking her off the streets at age 20 and changing her name from Edith Gassion to "La Mome Piaf" (or "Kid Sparrow"). Piaf grew in status entertaining in elegant cafes and cabarets and became a singing sensation amid the chic French society with her throbbing vocals and raw, emotional power. From 1936 Piaf recorded many albums and eventually became one of the highest paid stars in the world. She was first embroiled in scandal when her mentor, Leplee, was murdered and she was held for questioning. She managed to survive the messy affair and carry on while her ever-growing society circle now began to include such elite members as writer/director Jean Cocteau. Piaf also took to writing and composing around this time; one of the over 80 songs she wrote included her signature standard, "La vie en rose." Although she appeared sporadically in films, it was live audiences that sustained her.

Piaf later toured the United States to branch out internationally. America was slow to accept the melodramatic Piaf but she persevered and eventually won legions of fans. She also continued a series of affairs with the likes of actor Paul Meurisse, composer Henry Contet and, most notably, boxing champion Marcel Cerdan. The latter's death in a 1949 plane crash left Piaf devastated and many claim this was the beginning of her downfall. Piaf had a life-long habit of involving herself heart and soul in the launching of her lovers' careers. Over the years this would include Yves Montand, Charles Aznavour and Eddie Constantine. Two serious car accidents suffered in 1951 led to a morphine and alcohol addiction that left Piaf's life skidding out of control despite a potentially happy marriage in 1952 to actor Jacques Pills. Though slowly crippled by severe arthritis, a series of spectacular comebacks in concert and recordings would follow over the years but her health would slowly waste her away. Her last appearance was at the Paris Olympia, racked and hunched over with pain and barely able to stand. Her last recorded song was "L'homme de Berlin" in 1963, the year of her death. She died in poverty on the same day as her friend Cocteau and at the age of 47, the same age as her equally tortured American counterpart, Judy Garland. Piaf left many debts for her second husband (and protege Theo Sarapo, who was twenty years younger (he died in 1970, at age 34). Piaf's funeral was massive yet, because of her lifestyle, was forbidden a Mass. It was the only time since WWII that Parisian traffic was completely stopped. A museum was dedicated in her honor. Piaf remains the epitome of the French singer in heart, soul, style and passion; for many Piaf IS France.(IMDB)

La rose de France

A swirling, impressionistic portrait of an artist who regretted nothing, writer-director Olivier Dahan's La Vie en Rose stars Marion Cotillard in a blazing performance as the legendary French icon Edith Piaf. From the mean streets of the Belleville district of Paris to the dazzling limelight of New York's most famous concert halls, Piaf's life was a constant battle to sing and survive, to live and love. Raised in her grandmother's brothel, Piaf was discovered in 1935 by nightclub owner Louis Leplee (Gerard Depardieu), who persuaded her to sing despite her extreme nervousness. Piaf became one of France's immortal icons, her voice one of the indelible signatures of the 20th Century.