Raoul Coutard, the innovative French cinematographer, was born on the 16th of September 1924 in Paris. In 1945, he joined the Free French Forces and was sent to Indochina where he became a war photographer. Over the course of his 11 year stay, Coutard distinguished himself as an excellent photographer, working for a number of publications, such as "Indochine Sud-Est Asiatique", "Life" and "Paris Match".
In 1958, Pierre Schoendoerffer asks him to do the cinematography for his first film, "La Passe du Diable". This collaboration marked the start of a very celebrated career, and together they made three films, following which he meets Georges de Beauregard, the famous New Wave producer, who introduced him to Jean-Luc Godard. This was the beginning of a long collaboration, which includes more than 15 films, such as "Breathless", "Contempt"and "Alphaville". Over the course of his career, he also worked with François Truffaut and Jacques Demy, as well as many other important filmmakers.
His rather diverse film choices took him to the Cannes Film Festival eight times and more particularly in 1970, with his own film "Hoa Binh", inspired by his stay in Indochina, for which he won the "Prix de la première oeuvre". Nominated twice for the César of the best cinematography, he won it in 1978 for Pierre Schoendoerffer's "Le Crabe Tambour".
Raoul Coutard's filmography boasts 110 films and documentaries and he remains the most acclaimed French cinematographer of his generation and one of the key figures of the New Wave.
We suggest the following stories as good places to start within the collection:
- Filming conditions during the war
- My first professional film
- The important role of cinematography in cinema
- The impact of "Breathless" on French cinema
- The New Wave