PostED ON 20.10.2022

From auteur films to Maigret, portrait of a great actor: Bruno Cremer.

Laurent Heynemann, who directed Bruno Cremer on several occasions for television, and in particular in four episodes of the ‘Inspector Maigret’ series (Cremer played Simenon's character over fifty times), gives one of the keys to the performance of this unique actor: a rhythm full of restraint, far from the speed of his early theatre career, when he played Thomas Becket for Jean Anouilh. Such was Bruno Cremer (1929-2010) in the latter part of his career, a bearish actor with an imposing physique, a mysterious old sage with a tremendous capacity for listening.

This impressionistic documentary explores a halftone film career, made up of many supporting roles, often dramatic, and of a few solid friendships. In particular, the relation that united Bruno Cremer to Jean-Claude Brisseau, for three films (‘A Brutal Game’, ‘Sound and Fury’, ‘White Wedding’/’Noce blanche’) in which he invariably played a fictional double of the director. He made his debut with Pierre Schoendoerffer in ‘The 317th Platoon’, his natural authority and powerful voice allowing him to be convincing as Warrant Officer Willsdorf, lost in the turmoil of Indochina.

© DR

He then went on to work for Costa-Gavras, Patrice Chéreau and Claude Sautet, among others. And even with the Dardenne brothers, who recount with emotion how Cremer kindly welcomed apprentice filmmakers (until then documentary directors), preparing a unique adaptation of a play (‘Falsch’ by René Kalinsky). It was their main actor Cremer, they say, who put them at ease, suggesting that they tone down the torrent of indications they were giving the actors. The voice of Cremer closes this film-investigation on a largely unknown actor. He confesses, without false modesty or irony, to what extent he existed only through his roles, judging himself to be of little interest off screen...

A.F.

Screening:

Le Mystère Cremer  by Sandra Marti (2022, 52min)

Villa Lumière Thu. 20 2pm