If you watch French movies, chances are you have seen Bernard Blier in many of them. As for a cinema enthusiast of my caliber, Blier remains an important figure of French cinema covering a period of fifty years; from the late thirties to the late eighties.
One hundred and eighty roles on the big screen, over thirty roles in the theatre; Blier was the quintessential character actor whose popularity remained intact during all his career. At a young age, he had the great Louis Jouvet as his tutor and made a remarkable debut by playing in a number of pre-war great French classics such as "Entree des artistes", "Hotel du Nord" and "Le jour se leve".
Jean-Philippe Guerand is a journalist having written books about Woody Allen and Jacques Tati. He met Blier four years before his passing away. Twenty years later, a voluminous biography of the french actor is published by Robert Laffont with Guerand as the author of this meticulous work. The target audience is obviously readers interested about French movies. I am definitely one of them as i do enjoy reading from time to time biographies of people who have worked or still work in the French cinema industryry.
When an actor has played in one hundred and eighty movies, inevitably some of them are rather average however in our memories we always remember those titles who have made an impact on us. Blier in "Quai des orfevres" made in 1947 by Henri-Georges Clouzot is a good example. He was thirty when he played the jealous husband who is a prime suspect of the death of his spouse. I will be watching this movie again very soon and will very likely write about it in this blog.
Another unforgettable performance of Blier is in his son; Bertrand Blier's sixth movie "Buffet froid" released in 1979. This is a pure joy to watch especially if you like unorthodox stories.
However Blier will always be remembered as Raoul Volfoni from "Les tontons flingueurs". This popular farce thriller has become over the decades the most revered french comedy with regular repeat on french television.
His son, Bertrand is a well respected film director. Father and son did three movies together however only "Buffet froid" is worth talking about. The other two were big failures in Bertrand's career.
Blier was also a passionate book collector. His collection was sold after his death and many purchasers of numerous titles were among his friends and colleagues.
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