Luc Besson: filmography, biography and best films of the director

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Luc Besson is a talented director, screenwriter, actor, producer, editor and cameraman. He is also called the “Spielberg of French origin”, because all his works are bright, interesting, and after being released on the big screens they immediately become a sensation. Unlike the creations of his Hollywood counterpart, Besson's films have a unique French taste and style that sets them apart from other films. Luke is one of the most popular and world-famous directors. None of his brainchildren was a failure, many were awarded the highest awards, as well as praise from viewers and film critics.

Besson's childhood

Luc Besson was born in Paris (France) March 18, 1959 in a family of diving instructors. The boy spent most of his childhood near the Mediterranean coast. Luke really liked the work of his parents, he himself wanted to devote his life to this cause in the future. At the age of 10, Besson met a dolphin at sea. He looked him straight in the eyes, the boy swam for several minutes, holding on to the creature's fins. After this amazing meeting, Luke was determined to become a marine biologist. Because he was addictedphotography, then spent hours underwater, taking pictures of crabs, colorful fish and other marine life.

It would seem that the guy had a dream, since childhood he decided on a profession, everything was clear and definite, but at the age of 17 a misfortune happened. Luke was in a terrible car accident. He survived, but due to his injury, he was never able to dive again. For the guy, this was a terrible blow, all his plans and hopes collapsed. At that moment, there was no one to support Luc, his mother was in Corsica, and his father was in Tunisia.

Finding your way

After the car accident, Besson left for Paris. He was bored and lonely in the big dusty city. Studying did not attract him, so in his free time he went to fictional worlds. It was then that Luke wrote the short story Z altman Bleros, which many years later turned into the popular film The Fifth Element. The guy discovered the cinema. He liked this field of activity, so Besson began to watch films, look closely, study, earn extra money as an assistant to film crews.

At age 19, Luke moved to Los Angeles in the hope of finding his place in the sun. Three years of work as an "errand boy" did not bring any result, so the young man returned to his homeland. Besson was actively looking for his niche. In the 1980s, music videos came into vogue. Luke also shot several clips, but quickly realized that it was not his. The young man really wanted to make real, interesting, vivid and memorable films. As a result, he founded a small company "Wolf Films" and set about creatinghis first job.

Luke's first serious work

In 1981, Luc Besson shot his first work. Filmography began with the short film "Penultimate". The young talent faced a difficult task - to make a high-quality film with a meager budget. Luke did not have the necessary funds, but the number of ideas just rolled over. Voice acting at that time was a luxury, so the lack of dialogue was explained by the plot: the characters were victims of an unknown virus and could not talk. The film turned out to be low-budget, black and white, but nevertheless it received 20 national awards and brought fame to its creator. Besson was known not only in France, but also far beyond its borders.

The game of contrasts between the outer and inner worlds

In 1985, the film "Underground" was released. Today it is considered a cult classic. The work was appreciated by both the audience and film critics. She brought the creator a decent income. After that, Besson renamed his company Dolphin Films and took on new projects. Beautiful musical accompaniment, spectacular scenery, amazing acting, depth of visual images - all this unites the films of Luc Besson. The director once admitted that he considers every film his child. He is immensely glad that he is not ashamed of any work.

Besson in most of his films creates a contrasting balance between the outer and inner worlds. Such an idea allows him to prescribe characters in detailcharacters, endow them with deep feelings and experiences. This applies to the "Blue Abyss", "Leon", "Nikita" and other films. Melodrama and intense action is Luke's specific style, which can be seen in all his projects.

Besson's filmography

During his creative career, more than a hundred works were shot by Luc Besson. Filmography is replenished annually and more than one film. The short film "Penultimate" was released back in 1981, then there were small works "The Last Battle" (1983) and "Do not hang up" (1984). The 1985 crime drama Underground allowed Luke to get rich and get on his feet. Then the work began to fall one after another. In 1986 - the fantastic thriller "Kamikaze", in 1988 - the drama "The Blue Abyss", a short film Jeu de vilains.

In 1990, the action movie "Nikita" was filmed, in 1991 - the drama "Cold Moon", the documentary film "Atlantis", in 1993 - the family film "Lion Cub", and in 1994 Besson's greatest pride is the thriller Leon. In 1997, the director pleased everyone with the drama Do Not Swallow, in 1998 with the action movie Taxi, in 1999 with the drama Joan of Arc. In 2000, Luc Besson demonstrated several works at once. The filmography was replenished with the action movie "Taxi-2", the drama "Dancer" and the fantastic thriller "Exit".

In 2001, the films "Kiss of the Dragon", "Wasabi", "August 15" were released, in 2002 - "Chaos and Desire", "Angel Skin", "Blanche", "The Carrier". 2003 turned out to be a very productive year for Besson. His best works: "Tristan", "I, Caesar","Bloody Harvest", "Taxi-3". In 2004, Luke directed New York Taxi, District 13. In 2005, the director pleased with the action movie "Danny the Watchdog", the thrillers "Deception" and "Transporter-2", the fantasy "Angel-A". If we take the latest works, then, of course, Luc Besson conquered everyone with the melodrama “Lady”. 2013 brought audiences the delightful thriller Crossroads and the comedy The (Un)Expected Prince.

Besson's best films

Luc Besson's movie is a sensation, but still there are some works that the audience liked the most, deserved their sympathy. These films, of course, include the thriller "Leon". Luke conceived the idea of making the film as early as the time of the creation of Nikita, because he saw the unrealized potential of the janitor Victor. "Leon" is one of those films that all people need to watch in order to rethink their lives, to find the meaning of existence.

The category "Best films of Luc Besson" should also include a fantastic action movie with an amazing plot "The Fifth Element", action movie "Hostage", drama "The Blue Abyss". The documentary "The House" by Luc Besson deserves special attention. It shows the perfect beauty of the planet and the consequences of the destructive activities of people. Thanks to the motion picture, the audience saw the real situation on Earth.

Talent recognition

In 1986, the world started talking about Besson. At that time, his third work, "The Underground", was released, which was a resounding success. The film was even nominated by the British Film Academy for "Best Foreign Language Film". An interesting fact is that Luc Besson became the founder of the film corporation EuropaCorp, which is called the "European Hollywood". The director does charity work for African countries and organizes photo exhibitions from the hottest continent.

Private life

Director Luc Besson has been married four times and has five daughters. The first wife was Anna Parilot, an actress who played the main character in Luke's film Nikita. The couple had a daughter, Juliet. The next chosen one of the director was the famous French actress Mayvenn Le Besco. True, she gained fame a little later, because at the time of her marriage to Besson, the girl was only 16 years old. Their joint daughter Shana was born in 1993.

In 1997, Luke married actress Mile Jovovich, but this marriage was unsuccessful, two years later he broke up. In 2004, Luc Besson offered his hand and heart to producer Virginia Silla. With her, he lives in peace and harmony to this day. The couple has three daughters: Satin, Talia and Mao. Virginia Sille is the co-producer of many of Luc Besson's latest works. Their tandem is very productive.

Interesting facts from the biography

• From childhood, Besson was firmly convinced that in the future he would become a dolphin specialist. His film Atlantis is a kind of farewell to childhood hopes and dreams.
• The director first got acquainted with the TV only at the age of 18, before that he had never even seen it.
• For Taxi, Luc Besson wrote the script in just one month.
• Luc grew up on the Mediterranean coast of France.
• Film composer Eric Serra recorded music for all of Besson's films, with the exception of Angel-A.