Jacques Tourneur (; ; November 12, 1904 – December 19, 1977) was a French-American filmmaker, active during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known as an auteur of stylish and atmospheric genre films, many of them for RKO Pictures, including the supernatural horror films Cat People (1942), I Walked with a Zombie (1943) and The Leopard Man (1943), the war film Days of Glory (1944), which marked Gregory Peck's debut film role, and the film noir Out of the Past (1947). He is also known for directing the British horror film Night of the Demon (1957), which was released by Columbia Pictures as Curse of the Demon.

Life

Tourneur was born in Paris, France, the son of Fernande Petit and film director Maurice Tourneur. At age 10, he moved to the United States with his father.

Jacques Tourneur died in 1977, aged 73, in Bergerac, Dordogne, France.

Career

Tourneur began work as an editor and assistant director. He made his debut as a director on the French film ' in 1931. although considered a B movie and made on a limited budget, was distinguished by a style of lighting and cinematography that has been imitated countless times. Tourneur was promoted to the A-list at RKO, directing films including Out of the Past and Berlin Express.

References

Bibliography

  • Jacques Tourneur, The Cinema of Nightfall, Chris Fujiwara, The Johns Hopkins University press 2007.

Further reading

  • Young, Gwenda (2001) 'Shadows: Jacques Tourneur's Cinema of Ambiguity'. Film Ireland, 83 (*):47–51.
  • Young, Gwenda (1999) 'Jacques Tourneur's World War II Films: From Unity to Chaos'. Popular Culture Review, 10 (2):55–65.
  • Young, Gwenda (1998) 'The Cinema of Difference: Jacques Tourneur, Race and I Walked with a Zombie (1943)'. 'Irish Journal of American Studies, 7:101–121.