Albert Lamorisse

Infobox actor
name = Albert Lamorisse


caption =
birthname =
birthdate = birth date|1922|1|13
birthplace = Paris, France
deathdate = death date and age|1970|6|2|1922|1|13
deathplace = Tehran, Iran
occupation = Writer, Screenwriter
yearsactive = 1950-1967
academyawards = Best Original Screenplay
1956 "The Red Balloon"

Albert Lamorisse (January 13, 1922 – June 2, 1970) was a French award-winning filmmaker, film producer, and writer, who is best known for his award winning short films which he began making in the late 1940s, and also for inventing the famous strategic board game Risk in 1957. He was born in Paris, France.

He first came into prominence for directing and producing "White Mane" (1953), an award winning short film that tells a fable of how a young boy gentles an untamable wild white stallion in the marches of Camargue (the "Petite Camargue").

His best known work is the short film "The Red Balloon" (1956), which earned him the "Palme d'Or" Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and an Oscar for writing the best original screenplay in 1956. [ [http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp?curTime=1198450931704 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Awards Database] ]

Lamorisse also wrote, directed and produced the well regarded films "Stowaway in the Sky" (1960) and "Circus Angel", as well as the documentaries "Versailles" and "Paris Jamais Vu." Outside of films, in 1957, he created the popular strategy board game "Risk". [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0483738/bio "The Red Balloon", IMDb database entry.] ]

Lamorisse and his wife had two children, Pascal, a son, and Sabine, a daughter, both of whom were featured in "The Red Balloon". In 1970, Albert Lamorisse died in a helicopter crash while filming the documentary "The Lovers' Wind," during a helicopter-tour of Iran. [cite news | author=Terence Rafferty | title=Two Short Fables That Revel in Freedom | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/movies/11raff.html?pagewanted=all | work=New York Times | date=2007-11-11 | accessdate=2007-12-23] His widow completed the film, based on his production notes, and released the film eight years later in 1978. It was nominated for a posthumous Oscar for best documentary.

Director filmography

Short films
* "Bim" (1950) ... aka "Bim, le petit âne" (France)
* "Crin-Blanc" (1953); ... aka "White Mane" (USA) and "Wild Stallion"
* "Le Ballon rouge" (1956) ... aka "The Red Balloon"

Feature films
* "Le Voyage en ballon" (1960); ... aka "Stowaway in the Sky"
* "Fifi la plume" (1965) ... aka "Circus Angel" (USA: TV title)

Documentaries
* "Le Songe de chevaux sauvages" (1962)
* "Versailles" (1967)
* "Paris jamais vu" (1967)
* "Le Vent des amoureux" (1978) ... aka "The Lovers' Wind"

Awards

Wins
* Cannes Film Festival: "Palme d'Or", "White Mane", Best Short Film, Albert Lamorisse; 1953.
* Prix Jean Vigo: Prix Jean Vigo, "White Mane", Short Film, Albert Lamorisse; 1953.
* Prix Louis Delluc: Prix Louis Delluc; "The Red Balloon", Albert Lamorisse; 1956.
* Cannes Film Festival: "Palme d'Or du court métrage"/Golden Palm; "The Red Balloon", Best Short Film, Albert Lamorisse; 1956. [ [http://www.festival-cannes.fr/archives/prix.php?langue=6002&edition=1956 Awards lists in 1956] , at the official site of the "Festival de Cannes".]
* Academy Awards: Oscar; "The Red Balloon", Best Writing, Best Original Screenplay, Albert Lamorisse; 1957.
* British Academy of Film and Television Arts: BAFTA Award; "The Red Balloon", Special Award, France; 1957. [ [http://www.bafta.org/site/webdav/site/myjahiasite/shared/import/Film_Winners_1950-1959.pdf BAFTA] . Winners and nominees lits from 1950 to 1959, at the official site of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.]
* Venice Film Festival: OCIC Award; "Le Voyage en ballon"; 1960.
* Cannes Film Festival: Technical Grand Prize; "Fifi la plume", 1965.
* Cannes Film Festival: Technical Grand Prize - Special Mention; "Versailles"; 1967.
* National Board of Review: Top Foreign Films; "The Red Balloon",1957. [ [http://www.nbrmp.org/awards/past.cfm?year=1957 National Board of Review] . Awards for 1957, NBR web site. Last accessed: November 2, 2007.]

Nominations
* British Academy of Film and Television Arts: BAFTA Film Award, "White Mane", Best Documentary Film, France; 1954.
* Venice Film Festival: Golden Lion; "Le Voyage en ballon"; 1960.
* Cannes Film Festival: Golden Palm; "Fifi la plume"; 1965.
* Cannes Film Festival: Golden Palm; Best Short Film, "Versailles"; 1967.
* Academy Awards: Oscar; Best Documentary, Features, "Le Vent des amoureux"; 1979.

References

External links

*
* [http://books.google.com/books?as_auth=Albert+Lamorisse&ots=i53d0ju-hg&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title&cad=author-navigational Albert Lamorisse] at Google Books
* [http://cinema.encyclopedie.personnalites.bifi.fr/index.php?pk=10368 Albert Lamorisse] at Cinema Encyclopedie fr icon