Schoendoerffer, Pierre

(1928- )

   Director and screenwriter. In the 1950s Pierre Schoendoerffer was a cameraman for the French army in Indochina. He was taken prisoner in 1954 at Dien Bien Phû in Vietnam and released in 1955. As a result of these experiences, the themes of war and colonization permeate his films. His first film was La passe du diable (1959), shot in Afghanistan with Jacques Dupont. His features Ramuntcho (1959) and Pêcheur d'Islande (1959) are both based on novels by Pierre Loti, a writer who often set his work in former French colonies. Schoendoerffer's experiences in In-dochina were the basis of his 1963 novel, La 317e section, which he later adapted for the screen as La 317e section (1965). The film won Best Screenplay at Cannes in 1965. It was followed by the feature Objectif 500 millions (1966).

   In 1968, Schoendoerffer won an Oscar for his documentary about American GIs in Vietnam, La section Anderson (1967). His most acclaimed feature films to date are Le crabe-tambour (1977) and Dien Bien Phû (1992), both of which center around questions of war. Derived from his novel of the same name, Le Crabe-tambour focuses on an officer who served in Algeria and Indochina. Dien Bien Phû depicts the pivotal battle in which French forces in Indochina were defeated. His next film, L'honneur d'une capitaine (1982), broached the sensitive topic of French war crimes in Algeria. Another film adapted from one of his novels, Là haut, un roi au-dessus des nuages (2003), is set in Thailand and features clips from his previous films that serve as flashbacks. In addition to directing and writing fiction, Schoendoerffer has worked as a journalist for Paris-Match and Paris-Presse.

   Historical Dictionary of French Cinema by Dayna Oscherwitz & Mary Ellen Higgins