BENOÎTLÉVY, JEAN

(1888-1959)

   Director. Jean Benoît-Lévy was a film director during the classical era of French film. Although di-recting popular cinema was not his primary profession, Benoît-Lévy directed a number of fairly popular and critically well-received films during the 1930s and 1940s. His best-known films are La Cygne (1937) and Altitude 3200 (1938), a Lord of the Flies-type story of several friends who withdraw to the Alps and found their own republic. The film stars Odette Joyeux and Jean-Louis Barrault. He also codirected several films with Marie Epstein, the sister of renowned impressionist director Jean Epstein. Their collaborative films include Ames d'enfants (1928), a history of decline and redemption between two families, and La Maternelle (1933). Outside of narrative films, Benoît-Lévy also made a number of documentary films for various social and humanitarian agencies. He also taught film studies for a time in New York, and eventually went on to work for UNESCO.

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

(1888-1959)

   Director. Jean Benoît-Lévy was a film director during the classical era of French film. Although di-recting popular cinema was not his primary profession, Benoît-Lévy directed a number of fairly popular and critically well-received films during the 1930s and 1940s. His best-known films are La Cygne (1937) and Altitude 3200 (1938), a Lord of the Flies-type story of several friends who withdraw to the Alps and found their own republic. The film stars Odette Joyeux and Jean-Louis Barrault. He also codirected several films with Marie Epstein, the sister of renowned impressionist director Jean Epstein. Their collaborative films include Ames d'enfants (1928), a history of decline and redemption between two families, and La Maternelle (1933). Outside of narrative films, Benoît-Lévy also made a number of documentary films for various social and humanitarian agencies. He also taught film studies for a time in New York, and eventually went on to work for UNESCO.