Happy 79th Birthday, Barbet Schroeder! Born today in 1941, this Iranian-born Swiss producer and film director started his career in French cinema in the 1960s, working together with filmmakers such as Jean-Luc Godard and Jacques Rivette.
From ages six to eleven, Schroeder lived in Colombia where his Swiss geologist father was a diplomat for the Swiss government. Both he and his family eventually left for France, where Schroeder later studied at The Sorbonne in Paris.
Years later, Schroeder co-founded the production company "Les Films du Losange" in 1962 at age twenty-three.
This was along with French film director, film critic, journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and teacher Éric Rohmer ('My Night at Maud's', 'A Tale of Winter').
The company was later responsible for producing some of the best-known films of the French New Wave.
The following year, Schroder produced French film director and screenwriter Jean-Daniel Pollet's forty-five-minute 1963 French short/experimental film 'Méditerranée'.
The short also had assistance from German filmmaker Volker Schlöndorff ('The Tin Drum').
Six years later, Schroeder helped Rohmer co-produce his 1969 French black and white drama/comedy-drama film 'Ma nuit chez Maud' ('My Night at Maud's). The feature was also a part of the French New Wave.
Some months after, Schroeder's directorial debut, the 1969 French English-language romance drama/crime film 'More', about heroin addiction, later became a hit in Europe.
Pink Floyd wrote music for the film and released the album "More" later that same year.
Schroeder has also made some appearances as an actor. Most notably, he appeared in Rivette's three-hour 1974 French metamodern drama/fantasy film 'Céline et Julie vont en bateau' ('Céline and Julie Go Boating').
This was as playing one of the 'ghosts' named Olivier. For the film, Schroeder also served as co-producer.
Four years later, Schroder co-produced and directed the 1978 French documentary/world cinema film 'Koko, le gorille qui parle' ('Koko, A Talking Gorilla').
In the documentary, Schroeder chronicles the life of Koko, an amazing female gorilla trained by American animal psychologist and Stanford University researcher Dr. Francine "Penny" Patterson. This was done in order to communicate Koko's feelings via basic American Sign Language (ASL).
Through interviews with scientists and researchers, Schroeder also examines the ethics of animal experimentation and asks the difficult question of whether highly intelligent animals with seemingly human emotions should be granted the same rights as people.
Patterson is best known for teaching a modified form of American Sign Language, which she calls "Gorilla Sign Language", or GSL, to Koko beginning in 1972.
The film was later screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 31st Cannes Film Festival in May 1978.
Years later, Schroeder went on to direct more mainstream Hollywood fare. This included the 1987 American comedy dram film 'Barfly' starring Mickey Rourke.
Three years later, Schroeder directed the film of which he is best known. This was the 1990 American drama/mystery film 'Reversal of Fortune'.
The feature had been written by American screenwriter Nicholas Kazan, the son of Elia Kazan ('A Streetcar Named Desire', 'On the Waterfront', 'Splendor in the Grass').
When socialite Sunny von Bülow (Glenn Close) inexplicably slips into an irreversible coma, police suspect foul play -- and the obvious suspect is her urbane husband, Claus (Jeremy Irons).
After being found guilty of murder, Claus is granted a retrial and hires showboat Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz (Ron Silver) to represent him.
Though unconvinced of Claus's innocence, Dershowitz enjoys a challenge and -- along with a group of his students -- fights to have the verdict overturned.
The film was adapted from American lawyer and legal scholar Alan Dershowitz's 1985 law material book Reversal of Fortune: Inside the von Bülow Case.
In 'Reversal of Fortune', Dershowitz was played by American actor/activist, director, producer, and radio host Ron Silver.
Kazan originally envisioned Austrian actor and director Klaus Maria Brandauer in the role of Claus von Bülow, but was thrilled with Irons' performance.
The following year, 'Reversal of Fortune' won an Oscar for Best Actor (Jeremy Irons) for his performance in the film. This occurred at the 63rd Academy Awards in late March 1991.
Also as an actor, Schroeder had a cameo as a Porsche driver in the 1994 American action comedy film 'Beverly Hills Cop III'.
Two years later, Schroeder appears as the President of France in Tim Burton's 1996 American comic science fiction parody film 'Mars Attacks!'.
Schroder also appeared as a hair products salesman in the 2006 French/Lichtensteinian/Swiss/German/American drama/romance anthology film 'Paris, je t'aime' ('Paris, I Love You').
The following year, Schroeder appeared in Wes Andersons' 2007 American comedy-drama/road film 'The Darjeeling Limited', credited as The Mechanic.
For the American drama television series Mad Men (2007–2015). Schroeder directed the episode "The Grown Ups" (S03E12). It first aired on November 1, 2009, and is notable for its depiction of the events of the Kennedy assassination.
According to Schroeder's personal life, he currently resides in France and is married to French actress and screenwriter Bulle Ogier.
Despite his many commercially successful films, Schroeder continues to be interested in making smaller films with a more limited audience.
Schroeder had been active from 1963–2017.
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