Jacques André Marie Prévert
10 min read
Reading time
1,904
Words
Published
16
Film credits
32
Books
Jacques Prévert’s screenplay for Children of Paradise 1945 earned an Oscar nomination. He co-wrote Port of Shadows 1938 and Daybreak 1939 with Marcel Carné. His poems, such as Les feuilles mortes set to music by Joseph Kosma, remain widely taught in French schools.
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Jacques Prévert — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Prévert participated in the Surrealist movement as part of the Rue du Château group with Raymond Queneau and Marcel Duhamel. He left school after earning his Certificat d’études and worked at the Paris department store Le Bon Marché. Born on 4 February 1900 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, he was called up for military service in 1918 during World War I and later served in the Near East.
Prévert wrote screenplays for Marcel Carné, beginning with Drôle de drame Bizarre, Bizarre, 1937. He collaborated on Quai des brumes Port of Shadows, 1938, Le Jour se lève Daybreak, 1939, Les Visiteurs du soir The Night Visitors, 1942, and Les Enfants du Paradis Children of Paradise, 1945, which earned an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay. He also wrote poems set to music by Joseph Kosma and others, sung by Édith Piaf, Yves Montand, and Nat King Cole. His poem Les feuilles mortes became the jazz standard Autumn Leaves. Prévert was a member of the Groupe Octobre agitprop theatre and supported left-wing causes, including writing a poem for Angela Davis in 1971. He worked with Paul Grimault on the animated film Le Roi et l’Oiseau, released in 1980 and dedicated to his memory.
Prévert married Janine Tricotet and Simone Dienne. He collaborated on film adaptations with his brother Pierre Prévert. He owned a dog named Auto, given to a family friend after his death. He died of lung cancer on 11 April 1977 in Omonville-la-Petite, Manche, France, while working on the final scene of Le Roi et l’Oiseau.
Children of Paradise is frequently listed among the greatest films ever made. Prévert’s poems are widely taught in French schools and have been translated globally, including into Nepali by Suman Pokhrel. His poem Les feuilles mortes became the jazz standard Autumn Leaves, performed by many artists; Serge Gainsbourg paid tribute in 1961. In 2007, a film adaptation of his poem To Paint the Portrait of a Bird was directed by Seamus McNally. He is remembered as a master of poetic realism and a beloved French poet.
The complete filmography of Jacques Prévert — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Jacques Prévert's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
Little-known facts about Jacques Prévert — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
French poet and screenwriter of Les Enfants du Paradis 1945 and other films.
In 1961, Serge Gainsbourg paid tribute to Les feuilles mortes in his song La chanson de Prévert, and the poem also bookends Iggy Pop’s 2009 album Préliminaires.
His poems often describe life in Paris and the post-World War II period, and are widely taught in French schools and French language textbooks worldwide.
Prévert remained supportive of left-wing causes; in 1971 he wrote a poem in support of Angela Davis after her arrest.
In 1918, he was called up for military service in the First World War, then sent to the Near East to defend French interests.
In 2007, a film adaptation of his poem To Paint the Portrait of a Bird was directed by Seamus McNally.
He died of lung cancer in Omonville-la-Petite on 11 April 1977, while working on the final scene of the animated film Le Roi et l’Oiseau with Paul Grimault. The film, released in 1980, was dedicated to his memory; on opening night Grimault kept the seat next to him empty.
His dog Auto was given to a family friend after his death.
Prévert’s poems are translated into many languages; poet Suman Pokhrel has translated some into Nepali.
His films, such as Les Enfants du Paradis 1945, are part of the poetic realist movement.
Prévert wrote several screenplays for director Marcel Carné, including Drôle de drame 1937, Quai des brumes 1938, Le Jour se lève 1939, Les Visiteurs du soir 1942, and Children of Paradise 1945, which earned an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay.
After receiving his Certificat d’études, he quit school and worked at the Paris department store Le Bon Marché.
He published his first book in 1946.
Jacques Prévert was a French poet and screenwriter; his poems are popular in the French-speaking world.
He adapted several Hans Christian Andersen tales into animated or live-action films, often loosely connected to the originals, including two with Paul Grimault and one with his brother Pierre Prévert.
He was a member of the agitprop theater company Groupe Octobre, helping craft a left-wing cinema in support of the Popular Front.
He also wrote sketches and spoken choruses for theatre, songs, scripts and dialogues for cinema, and was a writer of poetic realism.
His poems were the basis for Joris Ivens’ film The Seine Meets Paris 1957, with narration by Serge Reggiani.
In primary school, he initially hated writing; later he participated actively in the Surrealist movement and was part of the Rue du Château group with Raymond Queneau and Marcel Duhamel.
Some of his poems, including Les feuilles mortes, L’Addition, La grasse matinée, Les bruits de la nuit, and Chasse à l’enfant, were set to music by Joseph Kosma, Germaine Tailleferre, Christiane Verger, Marjo Tal, and Hanns Eisler, and sung by Marianne Oswald, Yves Montand, Édith Piaf, Joan Baez, and Nat King Cole.
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