Country: France
Year: 1963
Duration: 44'
“I traveled for three and a half months to make Méditerranée, through fifteen countries along the Mediterranean, but I refused from the get-go the idea of making a documentary. I could’ve dwelled upon pyramids, Greek temples, town fairs, but I refrained from delving into the various subjects. Which is why there’s only one element per shot: so I could them use them like words or signs once I sat at the editing table. I shot expressions of these buried cultures that still find a way to communicate with us. I wanted the presence of things to remain undisturbed. I find it easier to film things rather than people. I truly believe in Francis Ponge’s ‘voice of things’. Modern literature proves that the environment surrounding us is just as important as life itself. I refuse to consider the environment like a simple backdrop. Contemporary authors are often criticized for being too cerebral and complex, but it isn’t so: they just want to have a fresh look on things. There is nothing simpler and more honest than their approach.” (J.-D. Pollet)
Biography
film director
Jean-Daniel Pollet
Jean-Daniel Pollet (La Madelaine, France, 1936 - Cadenet, France, 2004) as a filmmaker can hardly be classified in a school of thought or trend. He decided he would become a director in high school, and has dedicated his life to cinema ever since, with mixed success: La ligne de mire (1960), for instance, was never publicly released and was severely criticized by the Nouvelle Vague; Méditerranée, on the other hand, was a resounding success, elevated as a masterpiece by the “Cahiers du cinéma.” His creative partnership with Claude Melki, his role in France’s May 1968 protests, or in the circles of Brazilian Cinema Nôvo are all elements that resurface in Pollet’s cinema. He died in 2004 after a long and prolific career, to which the Torino Film Festival dedicated a complete retrospective in 1998.
FILMOGRAFIA
Bassae (cm, 1964), Une balle au cœur (1965), Le Horla (mm, 1966), La femme aux cent visages (cm, 1966), Les morutiers (cm, 1966), Tu imagines Robinson (1967), L’amour c’est gai, l’amour c’est triste (1968), Le maître du temps (1970), Le sang (1972), L’ordre (1973), L’acrobate (1975), Pascale et Madi (cm, 1976), Pour mémoire (1980), Au père Lachaîse (cm, 1986), Contretemps (1988), Trois jours en Grèce (1990), Dieu sait quoi (1996).
Volker Schlöndorff
Volker Schlöndorff (Wiesbaden, Germany, 1939) moved to France in 1956 and worked as assistant director to Louis Malle, Jean-Pierre Melville and Alain Resnais; his 1965 film Young Torless marked the first international success for New German Cinema and won the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes. The Tin Drum, based on the novel of the same title by Günter Grass, won the 1979 Palme d’or in Cannes and an Oscar. Many of his movies participated to the most important film festivals around the world: among them, The Ogre was presented in Venice, and won the UNICEF Prize. He has also directed theatre and opera productions, including works by Janácek and Henze.
FILMOGRAFIA
Der junge Törless (I turbamenti del giovane Torless, 1965), Mord und Todschlag (Vivi ma non uccidere, 1966), Michael Kohlhaas - Der Rebell (La spietata legge del ribelle, 1969), Baal (id., tv, 1970), Die Moral der Ruth Halbfass (La morale di Ruth Halbfass, 1972) Strohfeuer (Fuoco di paglia, 1975), Die Blechtrommel (Il tamburo di latta, 1980), Die Fälschung (L’inganno, 1982), The Handmaid’s Tale (Il racconto dell’ancella, 1990), Der Unhold (L’orco, 1996), Die Stille nach dem Schuss (Il silenzio dopo lo sparo, 2000), Ten Minutes Older: The Cello (ep. The Enlightenment, id., cm, 2004), Ulzhan (2007), La mer à l’aube (2011), Diplomatie (2014).
Jean-Daniel Pollet, Volker Schlöndorff:
Méditerranée (mm, 1963).
Méditerranée (mm, 1963).
Declaration
film director
“I traveled for three and a half months to make Méditerranée, through fifteen countries along the Mediterranean, but I refused from the get-go the idea of making a documentary. I could’ve dwelled upon pyramids, Greek temples, town fairs, but I refrained from delving into the various subjects. Which is why there’s only one element per shot: so I could them use them like words or signs once I sat at the editing table. I shot expressions of these buried cultures that still find a way to communicate with us. I wanted the presence of things to remain undisturbed. I find it easier to film things rather than people. I truly believe in Francis Ponge’s ‘voice of things’. Modern literature proves that the environment surrounding us is just as important as life itself. I refuse to consider the environment like a simple backdrop. Contemporary authors are often criticized for being too cerebral and complex, but it isn’t so: they just want to have a fresh look on things. There is nothing simpler and more honest than their approach.” (J.-D. Pollet)
Cast
& Credits
regia/directors
Jean-Daniel Pollet, Volker Schlöndorff
sceneggiatura/screenplay
Philippe Sollers
fotografia, montaggio, produttore/cinematography, film editing, producer
Jean-Daniel Pollet
musica/music
Antoine Duhamel
contatti/contacts
La Traverse
Gaël Teicher
nostraverses@gmail.com
Jean-Daniel Pollet, Volker Schlöndorff
sceneggiatura/screenplay
Philippe Sollers
fotografia, montaggio, produttore/cinematography, film editing, producer
Jean-Daniel Pollet
musica/music
Antoine Duhamel
contatti/contacts
La Traverse
Gaël Teicher
nostraverses@gmail.com
