Happy 75th Birthday Claude Lelouch

Claude Barrock Joseph Lelouch was born on October 30, 1937 in Paris, France. The son of an Algerian Jewish confectioner, Lelouch was billing himself as a "cinereporter" when he made his first short documentary films in the mid-1950s. In 1960, he formed Les Films 13 productions, where he produced over two hundred "scopiotones" -- short musical films designed for jukebox use, much like the "Soundies" produced in the U.S. in the 1940s and 1950s. He produced, directed, wrote and acted in his first feature, “The Right of Man” (1960). His first international hit, “Un Homme et Une Femme” (A Man and a Woman) made in 1966 -- captivated audiences with its warmth and simplicity. It also caused the auteurists to fall all over themselves finding hidden meaning in this old-fashioned romance; when asked the sub-textual purpose of shifting between black-and-white and color in some scenes, Lelouch explained that he'd run out of money towards the end of production and couldn't afford color film stock. Lelouch directed one Euro-western “Another Man, Another Chance” (1977) starring James Caan and Genevieve Bujold. Today we celebrate Claude Lelouch’e 75^th birthday.