Filmmaker Michel Deville, who filmed Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve and Michel Piccoli, died on February 16 at the age of 91 and was buried on Monday February 20, said his wife and collaborator Rosalinde Deville.
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“We are only announcing it today because we wanted to gather in family intimacy and Michel hated ceremonies”, she said. The director of Peril in the housedeceased “of old age”according to his wife, was “buried in the cemetery of Boulogne-Billancourt, his city”.
Two Caesars
Author of around thirty feature films, he received 2 César for File 51 (1979, best screenplay) and for Peril in the house (1986, best director).
Almost all of his films were based on literary works that he adapted, such as The readerwith Miou-Miou, adapted from the novel by Raymond Jean, File 51 according to Gilles Perrault’s book or Sachs diseasewith Albert Dupontel, adapted from the novel by Martin Winckler.
Born in April 1931, Michel Deville had learned the profession of filmmaker for about ten years, with his mentor Henri Decoin. He had been successful with Benjamin or the memoirs of a virgin (1967), performed by Michèle Morgan, Michel Piccoli and Pierre Clémenti. In 1970, he directed Brigitte Bardot in the comedy,The bear and the doll, one of the star’s last films.