Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    EmmysSuperheroes GuideSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideBest Of 2025 So FarDisability Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Biography
  • Awards
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Jean-Paul Le Chanois(1909-1985)

  • Writer
  • Director
  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Jean-Paul Le Chanois
For many decades, no French director was held in greater contempt than Jean-Paul Le Chanois (1909-1985). He was the perfect target of criticism by the New Wave filmmakers of the late 1950s and 1960s. However, unlike other targets of the Young Turks, Chanois was never restored to favor. Nevertheless, a small number of his films deserve recognition.

A member of the Communist Party and a union man, Chanois collaborated (as Jean-Paul Dreyfus, his real name) with famed director Jean Renoir and others on "La vie est à nous" (1936). A propaganda film for the French Communist Party, "La vie est à nous" has not aged well and failed to capture the Front Populaire zeitgeist like Duvivier's "La Belle Equipe" did.

Chanois' next film "The Time of the Cherries" (1938) borrowed its title from the eponymous revolutionary song of the Paris Commune and was an overtly socialist movie: It told the story of two families, a wealthy one and a working-class one, but a muddled screenplay undermined its overall quality.

After serving as a resistance fighter during World War II, Chanois resumed his film career in 1946 with "Messieurs Ludovic" which featured endearing characters and an overt populism which reflected his deep political convictions. Next came "Au Coeur De L'Orage" (1948), a patriotic documentary about the French Resistance which compared favorably to René Clément's "La Bataille Du Rail." At the time, the French public tolerated only heroic depictions of France's wartime events. It would take Marcel Ophüls' "The Sorrow and the Pity" (1971) to show the dark side of the mirror. But, as a resistance fighter himself, Chanois knew what he was talking about, and the sincerity of his documentary cannot be called into question.

Then came arguably Chanois' finest work: "L'Ecole Buissonnière" (1949), based on the life of teacher Celestin Freinet. In the film, a war hero becomes a teacher in a small village. He rejects the old methods of instruction: Gone is the iron discipline; gone is the lesson you learned by heart even if you did not understand a single word of it; gone is the dunce shamefully hidden in the back of the classroom. Although tarnished by its association with Chanois' later works, the film is one of the best postwar movies and is still relevant today.

"Sans Laisser D'Adresse" and "Agence Matrimoniale" resumed Chanois' populist theme and added a heartfelt humanism. In these films, all his directorial trademarks were in evidence; in particular, his sympathy for lonely people and for the character who must face a hostile world.

At the time, Chanois' career was progressing in a good direction, but it didn't seem that way after both "Papa, Mama, the Maid and I" and "Papa, Mama, My Wife and Me." The films gave a false picture of the average French family of the nineteen-fifties - a biology teacher, a former actress, and a lawyer aren't exactly typical representations of working people.

Chanois' later film "Les Miserables" (1958) is perhaps his most well-known work. Although a massive hit in France and the second most widely seen film of 1958, contemporary critics vocally preferred Raymond Bernard's classic 1930s version. They deemed Chanois' film to be a disappointing adaptation of Victor Hugo's mammoth novel; various members of the French press ridiculed the casting of singer Bourvil as Thénardier.

Chanois' other filmography is unremarkable except for "The Fugitives" (1955). The film's action occurs in a train boxcar. The screenplay was based on a true story with one of the actors portraying himself during the war. Another notable film is "The Case of Dr. Laurent," a heartfelt plea for painless childbirth.
BornOctober 25, 1909
DiedJuly 8, 1985(75)
BornOctober 25, 1909
DiedJuly 8, 1985(75)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 2 wins total

Known for

Without Leaving an Address (1951)
Without Leaving an Address
6.6
  • Writer(uncredited)
  • 1951
The Case of Dr. Laurent (1957)
The Case of Dr. Laurent
6.4
  • Writer
  • 1957
Father, Mother, the Maid and I (1954)
Father, Mother, the Maid and I
6.8
  • Writer(as J.P. Le Chanois)
  • 1954
Passion for Life (1949)
Passion for Life
7.1
  • Writer
  • 1949

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Writer



  • Michel Vitold in La paroi (1973)
    La paroi
    TV Movie
    • Writer
    • 1973
  • Madame... êtes-vous libre? (1971)
    Madame... êtes-vous libre?
    6.8
    TV Series
    • dialogue
    • scenario
    • 1971
  • Le jardinier d'Argenteuil (1966)
    Le jardinier d'Argenteuil
    5.7
    • Writer
    • 1966
  • Mandrin (1962)
    Mandrin
    5.6
    • dialogue
    • 1962
  • The Fabiani Affair (1962)
    The Fabiani Affair
    5.7
    • adaptation
    • 1962
  • Par-dessus le mur (1961)
    Par-dessus le mur
    4.9
    • screenplay, adaptation and dialogue
    • 1961
  • Love and the Frenchwoman (1960)
    Love and the Frenchwoman
    6.1
    • adaptation
    • dialogue (segment "La Femme seule", as Jean-Paul le Chanois)
    • 1960
  • Les Misérables (1958)
    Les Misérables
    7.4
    • writer
    • 1958
  • The Case of Dr. Laurent (1957)
    The Case of Dr. Laurent
    6.4
    • story
    • written by
    • 1957
  • Lola Montès (1955)
    Lola Montès
    7.2
    • co-adaptation (uncredited)
    • 1955
  • Father, Mother, My Wife and I (1955)
    Father, Mother, My Wife and I
    6.1
    • dialogue
    • screenplay
    • 1955
  • Les évadés (1955)
    Les évadés
    6.7
    • Writer
    • 1955
  • Le village magique (1955)
    Le village magique
    5.2
    • screenplay
    • story
    • 1955
  • Father, Mother, the Maid and I (1954)
    Father, Mother, the Maid and I
    6.8
    • dialogue
    • screenplay (as J.P. Le Chanois)
    • 1954
  • Alerte au sud (1953)
    Alerte au sud
    6.2
    • dialogue
    • 1953

Director



  • Cinéma 16 (1975)
    Cinéma 16
    6.7
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1976
  • Michel Vitold in La paroi (1973)
    La paroi
    TV Movie
    • Director
    • 1973
  • Madame... êtes-vous libre? (1971)
    Madame... êtes-vous libre?
    6.8
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1971
  • Le jardinier d'Argenteuil (1966)
    Le jardinier d'Argenteuil
    5.7
    • Director
    • 1966
  • Liselotte Pulver, Mireille Darc, and Jean Gabin in Monsieur (1964)
    Monsieur
    6.6
    • Director
    • 1964
  • Mandrin (1962)
    Mandrin
    5.6
    • Director
    • 1962
  • Par-dessus le mur (1961)
    Par-dessus le mur
    4.9
    • Director
    • 1961
  • Love and the Frenchwoman (1960)
    Love and the Frenchwoman
    6.1
    • Director (segment "La Femme seule")
    • 1960
  • Les Misérables (1958)
    Les Misérables
    7.4
    • Director
    • 1958
  • The Case of Dr. Laurent (1957)
    The Case of Dr. Laurent
    6.4
    • Director
    • 1957
  • Father, Mother, My Wife and I (1955)
    Father, Mother, My Wife and I
    6.1
    • Director
    • 1955
  • Les évadés (1955)
    Les évadés
    6.7
    • Director
    • 1955
  • Le village magique (1955)
    Le village magique
    5.2
    • Director
    • 1955
  • Father, Mother, the Maid and I (1954)
    Father, Mother, the Maid and I
    6.8
    • Director
    • 1954
  • Agence matrimoniale (1952)
    Agence matrimoniale
    7.0
    • Director
    • 1952

Actor



  • Madame... êtes-vous libre? (1971)
    Madame... êtes-vous libre?
    6.8
    TV Series
    • L'examinateur de la visite médicale (uncredited)
    • 1971
  • Mandrin (1962)
    Mandrin
    5.6
    • Le confesseur de la baronne d'Escourt
    • 1962
  • Par-dessus le mur (1961)
    Par-dessus le mur
    4.9
    • 1961
  • Les Misérables (1958)
    Les Misérables
    7.4
    • Petit Rôle (uncredited)
    • 1958
  • The Case of Dr. Laurent (1957)
    The Case of Dr. Laurent
    6.4
    • Figuration (uncredited)
    • 1957
  • Father, Mother, My Wife and I (1955)
    Father, Mother, My Wife and I
    6.1
    • Le client sourd (uncredited)
    • 1955
  • Les évadés (1955)
    Les évadés
    6.7
    • (uncredited)
    • 1955
  • Le village magique (1955)
    Le village magique
    5.2
    • 1955
  • Father, Mother, the Maid and I (1954)
    Father, Mother, the Maid and I
    6.8
    • Le spectateur 'qui ne dit rien' (uncredited)
    • 1954
  • Agence matrimoniale (1952)
    Agence matrimoniale
    7.0
    • (uncredited)
    • 1952
  • Without Leaving an Address (1951)
    Without Leaving an Address
    6.6
    • Un infirmier (uncredited)
    • 1951
  • La belle que voilà (1950)
    La belle que voilà
    4.0
    • L'infirmier (uncredited)
    • 1950
  • Passion for Life (1949)
    Passion for Life
    7.1
    • Un gendarme (uncredited)
    • 1949
  • Le flirt
    Short
    • 1948
  • Edwige Feuillère and John Lodge in From Mayerling to Sarajevo (1940)
    From Mayerling to Sarajevo
    6.7
    • Prinzip (uncredited)
    • 1940

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative names
    • J.P. Dreyfus
  • Born
    • October 25, 1909
    • Paris, France
  • Died
    • July 8, 1985
    • Passy, Haute-Savoie, France(natural causes)
  • Spouses
      Micheline FontaineMay 10, 1965 - July 8, 1985 (his death)
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 2 Portrayals

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    French director, who was a member of the French Resistance during World War II. He was strongly affiliated with the French Communist Party.

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More to explore

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
Get the IMDb App
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
Follow IMDb on social
Get the IMDb App
For Android and iOS
Get the IMDb App
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • License IMDb Data
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.