ESRA students met Gérard JUGNOT on Thursday January 23, 2020, during the ESRA Thursdays. He is the director of 13 films, including "Monsieur Batignole", screened for the occasion. A moving film in which Gérard JUGNOT (also an actor) recounts the behavior of the French under Nazi occupation.
Questions were first asked about his early career as an actor. He recounted his childhood, meeting Christian CLAVIER in 5th grade, then Michel BLANC and Thierry LHERMITTE. At first, he was more interested in a career as a film director. Later, he " did a bit of acting in high school", and one thing leading to another, he and his fellow actors began writing plays. Thus was born the café théâtre " Le Splendid". Fifteen years after their debut, Christian CLAVIER's uncle saw the group's success and came up with the idea of doing Les bronzés.
The film " Monsieur Batignole" was then analyzed. Gérard JUGNOT explained that he had always been preoccupied with heroism and how one becomes a hero. He often wondered how he would have acted at that time in history. With his screenwriter, they started from the life of his grandfather, who was a butcher and went bankrupt at the time of the liberation. They chose a child to play one of the main roles, to ensure a clear, simple and educational approach.
For 1h30, questions about comedy and laughter followed one another. Gérard JUGNOT explained his vision of comedy; that laughter is by no means universal, that it is an eternal problem and a complicated emotion, while at the same time being magical. For him, laughter is "eclectic and varied". He's always been careful about how he makes people laugh, because laughter can be dangerous; it gives lightness to drama, and drama gives it weight.
Gérard JUGNOT and the students brought the meeting to a close with a discussion of more technical subjects, such as directing actors, especially children, during filming. The psychology, patience and benevolence required to motivate actors and create emotions. And last but not least, his producer's hat, which enables him to realize projects with his own vision of cinema: "life better, more concentrated, less boring and less sad".
