Barbet Schroeder
A globe-trotting filmmaker who moved from producing French New Wave classics to directing unsettling, intimate portraits of obsession and crime.
Born 1941 (age 85)·Iranian-born Swiss film director·Birthday: August 26·The Silent Generation
Biography
Born in Tehran in 1941 to Swiss parents, Barbet Schroeder carved a unique path through cinema. He arrived in Paris as a young man and founded Les Films du Losange, a company that became instrumental in distributing the works of Eric Rohmer and other French New Wave figures. Schroeder didn't just finance films; he learned from them, eventually directing his own. His style defies easy categorization, veering from the hypnotic decadence of 'More' to the chilling documentary 'General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait.' He found major commercial success with the psychological thriller 'Single White Female' and earned an Oscar nomination for 'Reversal of Fortune,' his coolly fascinating study of Claus von Bülow. Schroeder's work is united by a fearless curiosity about the darker corners of human psychology.
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.
Barbet was born in 1941, 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 Barbet Was Born
The biggest hits of 1941
#1 Movie
Sergeant York
Best Picture
How Green Was My Valley
Barbet's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1941Born
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1946Started school
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1954Became a teenager
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Could drive
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1959Could vote
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
1962Turned 21
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1971Turned 30
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1981Turned 40
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 50
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 60
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 70
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 80
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 85 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Founded the influential film production and distribution company Les Films du Losange in 1962.
- Directed 'Reversal of Fortune,' which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Director.
- Produced several key early films for director Eric Rohmer, including 'My Night at Maud's.'
- Created the controversial documentary 'General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait,' filmed in Uganda with the dictator's participation.
Did You Know?
He produced the first six films directed by Eric Rohmer.
His film 'More' features a seminal soundtrack by the psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd.
He lived for a period in the same community as Timothy Leary in Millbrook, New York.
He is a skilled chess player and once lost a famous game against Marcel Duchamp.
“I am interested in people who are on the edge of society, who have a different vision of the world.”
