Claude Autant-Lara
A French cinematic provocateur whose elegant, literary films skewered bourgeois hypocrisy and religion for over five decades.
1901–2000 (age 99)·French film director·Birthday: August 5·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Claude Autant-Lara entered the film world as a set and costume designer, a visual training that informed the precise, often sumptuous look of his later directorial work. Emerging as a major voice in post-war French cinema, he specialized in what critics termed 'bourgeois realism,' adapting literary works with a sharp, satirical edge. Films like 'Le Diable au Corps' and 'La Traversée de Paris' were celebrated for their craftsmanship and their frank, often anti-clerical critiques of French society, making him a standard-bearer for a certain intellectual left. His career, however, was permanently shadowed by a late-life political turn. In 1989, at age 88, he was elected to the European Parliament on the ticket of the far-right National Front, a move that shocked his peers. His tenure lasted a mere two months, ending after he delivered a virulently antisemitic speech, a final, jarring act of controversy that eclipsed his considerable artistic legacy.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Claude was born in 1901, placing them squarely in The Greatest 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 Claude Was Born
The biggest hits of 1901
Claude's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1901Born
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1906Started school
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1914Became a teenager
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1917Could drive
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1919Could vote
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1922Turned 21
King Tut's tomb discovered in Egypt
President: Warren G. Harding"April Showers" — Al Jolson
1931Turned 30
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1941Turned 40
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
1951Turned 50
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1961Turned 60
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1971Turned 70
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 80
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
2000Died at 99
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
Key Achievements
- Directed the acclaimed film 'Le Diable au Corps' (1947), a controversial story of a wartime adulterous affair that became a major post-war success.
- His film 'La Traversée de Paris' (1956), starring Jean Gabin and Bourvil, is considered a classic satire of French society under Occupation.
- Served as President of the Jury at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival.
- Maintained a directorial career spanning over 50 years, from the silent era into the 1970s.
Did You Know?
He began his career working in Hollywood in the 1920s as a costume designer for silent film star Clara Bow.
He was a fierce critic of the French New Wave, dismissing its directors as 'spoiled brats' who lacked technical discipline.
His film 'Le Blé en Herbe' (1954) was banned in several countries for its depiction of adolescent sexuality.
He was the son of the architect Édouard Autant and actress Louise Lara, whose surname he combined for his professional name.
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