Alain Tanner
A quietly radical Swiss filmmaker whose intimate, politically-charged portraits of disaffected youth helped define European cinema in the 1970s.
1929–2022 (age 93)·Swiss film director·Birthday: December 6·The Silent Generation
Biography
Alain Tanner was the subtle revolutionary of Swiss film. After a stint with the merchant navy and work at the British Film Institute, he returned home to co-found the Group 5 collective, determined to spark a new cinema in a country he found culturally stifling. His 1969 feature 'Charles Dead or Alive' announced a singular voice: patient, observational, and deeply engaged with the political and personal alienation of the era. His international breakthrough came with 1976's 'Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000,' a wistful, ensemble piece about a group of idealists navigating post-1968 disillusionment. Tanner’s films were never loud; they were thoughtful interrogations of society, often focusing on characters opting out of mainstream life. Over four decades, he crafted a body of work that served as a quiet, persistent critique of conformity, making him Switzerland's most significant film director.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Alain was born in 1929, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alain Was Born
The biggest hits of 1929
#1 Movie
The Broadway Melody
Best Picture
The Broadway Melody
Alain's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1929Born
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1934Started school
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1942Became a teenager
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1945Could drive
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1947Could vote
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1950Turned 21
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1959Turned 30
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1969Turned 40
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1979Turned 50
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 60
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 70
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 80
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2022Died at 93
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Key Achievements
- Directed 'Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000' (1976), a landmark film of post-1968 European cinema.
- Co-founded the Group 5 film collective, which catalyzed the New Swiss Cinema movement.
- His debut feature, 'Charles Dead or Alive' (1969), won the top prize at the Locarno Film Festival.
- Received the Special Jury Prize at Cannes for 'The Middle of the World' in 1974.
Did You Know?
He worked as a sailor on cargo ships in his early twenties, which influenced his worldview.
Tanner made several documentaries for the UK's BBC early in his career.
He was a key figure in the 'New Swiss Cinema' movement of the 1970s and 80s.
“I am interested in people who are on the margins, who resist the dominant flow.”
