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The History of French Cinema: 1964

4/3 -

Luis Buñuel’s dark version of Octave Mirbeau's novel Le Journal d'une femme de chambre (Diary of a Chambermaid), previously filmed by Jean Renoir in 1946, is released.   Jeanne Moreau and Georges Géret star. [ADD]

22/10 -

Abel Gance’s Cyrano and d'Artagnan, based on the works by Edmund Rostand and Alexandre Dumas is released.   It receives scant praise from critics. [ADD]

14/5 -

Jacques Demy's Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) wins the Grand Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. [ADD]

20/5 -

François Truffaut’s La Peau douce (The Soft Skin), in his own words "a violent answer to Jules et Jim... a truly modern love; it takes place in planes, elevators; it has all the harassments of modern life," is released.   Jean Desailly, Nelly Benedetti and Françoise Dorléac star. [ADD]

26/6 -

Christian-Jaque’s La Tulip noire (The Black Tulip) is released.   Alain Delon stars. [ADD]

3/8 -

Alain Delon sues a journalist for the Herald Tribune for misrepresenting him ‘in order to make (him) appear a doubly stupid cretin, a churlish boor, a fathead reeking of hollow pretensions only good enough to be locked away in the nearest padded cell.’ [ADD]

27/9 -

Leni Riefenstahl’s German film Olympia, made in 1936, is shown on French television for the first time. [ADD]

13/10 -

British director Clive Donner begins filming What's New, Pussycat? written by American comedian Woody Allen (who also appears in the film) at the Billancourt studios in Paris.   The cast also includes Peter O'Toole, Peter Sellers and Romy Schneider. [ADD]

30/11 -

The Théâtre National Populaire (TNP) in Paris screens a musical comedy cycle that includes Stanley Donen's Singin' in the Rain. [ADD]

7/12 -

Elizabeth Taylor has her handbag stolen at a party she is holding for studio personnel at Boulogne-Billancourt to celebrate completion of filming of Vincente Minnelli's The Sandpiper. [ADD]

15/12 -

Costa-Gavras, former assistant director to René Clément and Yves Allégret, begins shooting Compartment tueurs (The Sleeping Car Murders), his first film. [ADD]

Other Key French Films of 1964

Bande à part (Band of Outsiders) (Jean-Luc Godard) [ADD]

Thomas, l’imposteur (Thomas the Impostor) (Georges Franju) [ADD]

The History of Cinema: 1964