Monsieur Hire
Since his beginnings in the 1970s with the Splendid troupe, Michel Blanc has become the darling of French cinema. While he naturally excelled as a comedic actor, embodying the sensitive, insecure, and old-fashioned archetype, he expanded his range over the years by taking on darker, more dramatic roles, imbued with a heightened sensitivity. A prolific and perfectionist actor, he added another string to his bow by moving behind the camera to direct the memorable Marche à l’ombre.
Winner of the Prix Méliès in 1989
Every night, Monsieur Hire spies on his neighbor as she undresses or receives her lover. One day, he witnesses a crime.
Patrice Leconte
Patrice Leconte is a French filmmaker and screenwriter. He came to prominence as a director in the 1970s and 1980s with several popular comedies featuring the Splendid troupe, including Les Bronzés (1978) and Les Bronzés font du ski (1979). He reunited with them 25 years later for Les Bronzés 3 (2006). He also diversified his work, directing several critically acclaimed films: the comedy-dramas Tandem (1987), Le mari de la coiffeuse (1990), La fille sur le pont (1999), and the drama Monsieur Hire (1989), which all earned him César Award nominations for Best Director. However, it was his 1996 period comedy Ridicule that won him the award, as well as the BAFTA for Best Foreign Language Film.
