Patrice Chéreau

Directing

Patrice Chéreau

Born — Died

1944-11-02 — 2013-10-07

Place of birth

Lézigné, Maine-et-Loire, France

Known for

Directing

Credits

60 titles

Patrice Chéreau (November 2, 1944 – October 7, 2013) was a French opera and theatre director, filmmaker, actor and producer. In France he is best known for his work for the theatre, internationally for his films La Reine Margot and Intimacy, and for his staging of the Jahrhundertring, the centenary Ring cycle at the Bayreuth Festival in 1976.

Known for

Film credits

2000s · 2 titles

1990s · 6 titles

The Last of the Mohicans poster
7.4

In war-torn colonial America, in the midst of a bloody battle between British, the French and Native American allies, the aristocratic daughter of a British Colonel and her party are captured by a group of Huron warriors. Fortunately, a group of three Mohican trappers comes to their rescue.

The Last of the Mohicans

1992

Lucie Aubrac poster
6.4

A love story or a tale of the resistance, this poignant movie tells both the haunting story of a French resistance cell in Lyon but also the love of Lucie Aubrac for her husband...

Lucie Aubrac

1997

No artwork available
NR

Benoît Jacquot films "In the Solitude of Cotton Fields" by Bernard-Marie Koltès, performed and directed by Patrice Chéreau, at the Théâtre des Amandiers.

dans la solitude des champs de coton

1991

Patrice Chéreau, Pascal Greggory, une autre solitude poster
10.0

A look at the entire process of creating and developing Patrice Chéreau’s third staging of "In the Solitude of Cotton Fields" by Bernard Marie Koltès with Pascal Greggory and Chéreau himself. From the first reading around the table through the first contact with the performance space, rehearsals and lighting to opening night, the entire creative process unfurls in front of our eyes. The film shows us the evolving and ongoing dialogue between Greggory and Chéreau, a dialogue full of crises and magical moments of harmony and insight via which the truth, intensity, complexity, mystery and depth of Koltès’ text gradually emerge to form an implicit bond between these two men. The film also shows Chéreau directing rehearsals for Mozart’s "Don Giovanni" in Salzburg, revealing both the unity of and profound differences between his opera and theater work.

Patrice Chéreau, Pascal Greggory, une autre solitude

1996

No artwork available
8.0

Bernard Nissille’s little gem imagines a love triangle between the director, the Queen, and the Bear during a staging of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. An actor who appeared with Bulle Ogier in Olivier Assayas’s Irma Vep, Nissille enlisted the brilliant opera and film director Patrice Chéreau to appear in the film opposite Ogier, Michel Piccoli, and Emmanuelle Salinger, the star of Arnaud Desplechin’s The Sentinel.

Bête de scène

1994

No artwork available
NR

Patrice Chéreau has chosen fragments of two plays by Shakespeare, Richard III and Henri VI, to offer them to student actors in a class at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Paris. The purpose is a show, presented at the Manufacture des Œillets. Without comment nor interview, Stéphane Metge follows this work, from the first readings to the "general".

Un atelier de Patrice Chéreau à la Manufacture des Œillets

1999

1980s · 4 titles

Series credits

Behind the camera

Intimacy poster
6.2

Failed musician Jay abandoned his family and now earns a living as head bartender in a trendy London pub. Every Wednesday afternoon, a woman comes to his house for graphic, almost wordless, sex. One day, Jay follows her and learns about her. This eventually disrupts their relationship.

Intimacy

2001

Intimacy poster
6.2

Failed musician Jay abandoned his family and now earns a living as head bartender in a trendy London pub. Every Wednesday afternoon, a woman comes to his house for graphic, almost wordless, sex. One day, Jay follows her and learns about her. This eventually disrupts their relationship.

Intimacy

2001

Queen Margot poster
7.2

Paris, Kingdom of France, August 18, 1572. To avoid the outbreak of a religious war, the Catholic princess Marguerite de Valois, sister of the feeble King Charles IX, marries the Huguenot King Henry III of Navarre.

Queen Margot

1994

Queen Margot poster
7.2

Paris, Kingdom of France, August 18, 1572. To avoid the outbreak of a religious war, the Catholic princess Marguerite de Valois, sister of the feeble King Charles IX, marries the Huguenot King Henry III of Navarre.

Queen Margot

1994

The Wounded Man poster
5.7

A fleeting encounter in a train station draws a withdrawn young man into a shadowy world of desire and danger. As obsession deepens, innocence destroyed, and an irreversible transformation begins.

The Wounded Man

1983

The Wounded Man poster
5.7

A fleeting encounter in a train station draws a withdrawn young man into a shadowy world of desire and danger. As obsession deepens, innocence destroyed, and an irreversible transformation begins.

The Wounded Man

1983

Flesh of the Orchid poster
5.4

A disturbed young woman is kept prisoner in a castle by her aunt for her money. The game-keeper, her guardian, tries to rape her but she escapes. In her flight she meets a man also running away, from two killers.

Flesh of the Orchid

1975

Flesh of the Orchid poster
5.4

A disturbed young woman is kept prisoner in a castle by her aunt for her money. The game-keeper, her guardian, tries to rape her but she escapes. In her flight she meets a man also running away, from two killers.

Flesh of the Orchid

1975

Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train poster
6.2

A group of mourners travels by train to bury a recently deceased artist in Limoges. As they journey, secrets and desires unfold, with relationships shifting, past loves resurfacing, and personal connections revealed. At the funeral and afterward, tensions rise among the group, leading to further emotional complexities at the artist’s family home.

Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train

1998

Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train poster
6.2

A group of mourners travels by train to bury a recently deceased artist in Limoges. As they journey, secrets and desires unfold, with relationships shifting, past loves resurfacing, and personal connections revealed. At the funeral and afterward, tensions rise among the group, leading to further emotional complexities at the artist’s family home.

Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train

1998

Wagner: Das Rheingold poster
7.1

This is a beautifully conducted and thoughtfully staged performance of the first opera (the prologue) in Wagner's Ring Cycle. As soon as the clouds of mist have dissipated, while the daring, long-held opening chord is still reverberating, the screen clears to show not only the River Rhine and the three maidens (dressed like prostitutes in this production) assigned to guard the gold hidden there. It also shows an enormous dam (not mentioned in Wagner's text). This is the underwater base of a hydroelectric plant, and its presence tells us two things immediately: that this production takes the story out of the vaguely medieval fantasy world in which Wagner had placed it, and that a basic theme of the four-opera cycle would be power. Alberich, the Nibelung, is willing to renounce the love of women, after stealing the gold from the Rhine, to become the ruler of the world. Another basic theme is greed.

Wagner: Das Rheingold

1980

Wagner: Götterdämmerung poster
6.9

Götterdämmerung, the fourth of Richard Wagner's four Ring operas. The cast features Manfred Jung as Siegfried and Gwyneth Jones as Brünnhilde, with music provided by Bayreuther Festspiele Orchester conducted by Pierre Boulez. This title is available in a boxed set with the other Ring operas, Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, and Siegfried.

Wagner: Götterdämmerung

1980

Hôtel de France poster
5.4

A French family is shown as they go through the daily routines of life. Arguing, feasting, crying, and yearning for love are just some of the human emotions encountered. The mood wavers between excessive noise to silence while those not participating in the conversations eavesdrop.

Hôtel de France

1987

Hôtel de France poster
5.4

A French family is shown as they go through the daily routines of life. Arguing, feasting, crying, and yearning for love are just some of the human emotions encountered. The mood wavers between excessive noise to silence while those not participating in the conversations eavesdrop.

Hôtel de France

1987

Wagner: Die Walküre poster
7.2

The second part of Patrice Chérau's epoch-making Bayreuth Ring is a radical re-imagining of Die Walküre, unprecedented in its psychological penetration. This production of " Die Walkure," staged as part of Patrice Chereau's Centenary celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the completion of the "Ring," this lavish performance features Donald McIntyre as Wotan, Peter Hofmann as Siegmund, and Gweneth Jones as Brunnhilde; Pierre Boulez conducts the Orchester Der Bayreuther Festspiel.

Wagner: Die Walküre

1980

Persecution poster
4.4

A solitary man and his partner share a tense love/hate relationship. Their lives are disrupted when a stranger enters, gradually insinuating himself into their world. The stranger’s persistence creates strain, leaving the man with lingering questions about his motivations and the impact on his life.

Persecution

2009

Persecution poster
4.4

A solitary man and his partner share a tense love/hate relationship. Their lives are disrupted when a stranger enters, gradually insinuating himself into their world. The stranger’s persistence creates strain, leaving the man with lingering questions about his motivations and the impact on his life.

Persecution

2009

Siegfried - Bayreuther Festspiele poster
6.2

The third opera in Richard Wagner's epic Ring cycle, Siegfried follows the adventures of the son of demigods Siegmund and Sieglinde as he conquers his enemies and rescues the beauteous Brunnhilde with the help of his magic sword. This video preserves the controversial 1976 Bayreuth Centenary production, with Pierre Boulez leading the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra. Manfred Jung leads the cast as Siegfried, with Gwyneth Jones as Brunnhilde, Donald McIntyre as the Wanderer, and Hermann Becht as Alberich.

Siegfried - Bayreuther Festspiele

1980

Lest We Forget poster
7.0

A compilation of 30 French filmmakers, Alain Resnais and Jean Luc Godard among them, who use film to make a plea on behalf of a political prisoner. Jean Luc Godard and Anne Marie Mieville's film concerns the plight of Thomas Wanggai, West Papuan activist who has since died in prison. The short films were commissioned by Amnesty International.

Lest We Forget

1991

Gabrielle poster
5.8

Wealthy but arrogant writer Jean Hervey comes home one day to find that his wife, Gabrielle, has left him for another man. Realizing her mistake, Gabrielle returns, and the pair begin a merciless analysis of their marriage as the relationship comes undone.

Gabrielle

2005

Gabrielle poster
5.8

Wealthy but arrogant writer Jean Hervey comes home one day to find that his wife, Gabrielle, has left him for another man. Realizing her mistake, Gabrielle returns, and the pair begin a merciless analysis of their marriage as the relationship comes undone.

Gabrielle

2005

Gabrielle poster
5.8

Wealthy but arrogant writer Jean Hervey comes home one day to find that his wife, Gabrielle, has left him for another man. Realizing her mistake, Gabrielle returns, and the pair begin a merciless analysis of their marriage as the relationship comes undone.

Gabrielle

2005

His Brother poster
5.3

After years of estrangement due to difficulties accepting his brother's sexuality, a man diagnosed with a terminal illness decides to reconnect. As the brothers grow closer, their renewed bond starts to alienate their partners, leading to emotional turmoil and strained relationships.

His Brother

2003

His Brother poster
5.3

After years of estrangement due to difficulties accepting his brother's sexuality, a man diagnosed with a terminal illness decides to reconnect. As the brothers grow closer, their renewed bond starts to alienate their partners, leading to emotional turmoil and strained relationships.

His Brother

2003

Wozzeck poster
8.5

Franz Woyzeck, a lowly soldier stationed in a mid-nineteenth century provincial German town, is the father of an illegitimate child by his mistress Marie.

Wozzeck

1994

Peer Gynt poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Peer Gynt

1981

Judith Therpauve poster
6.4

A former hero of the French anti-Nazi resistance is approached by old comrades to lead a financially struggling liberal newspaper. Initially reluctant, she takes on the challenge, mortgaging her house to keep it afloat. As conservative forces intensify their opposition, she is eventually forced to sell the paper, seeing it as a personal failure.

Judith Therpauve

1978

Judith Therpauve poster
6.4

A former hero of the French anti-Nazi resistance is approached by old comrades to lead a financially struggling liberal newspaper. Initially reluctant, she takes on the challenge, mortgaging her house to keep it afloat. As conservative forces intensify their opposition, she is eventually forced to sell the paper, seeing it as a personal failure.

Judith Therpauve

1978

No artwork available
NR

Benoît Jacquot films "In the Solitude of Cotton Fields" by Bernard-Marie Koltès, performed and directed by Patrice Chéreau, at the Théâtre des Amandiers.

dans la solitude des champs de coton

1991

Patrice Chéreau, Pascal Greggory, une autre solitude poster
10.0

A look at the entire process of creating and developing Patrice Chéreau’s third staging of "In the Solitude of Cotton Fields" by Bernard Marie Koltès with Pascal Greggory and Chéreau himself. From the first reading around the table through the first contact with the performance space, rehearsals and lighting to opening night, the entire creative process unfurls in front of our eyes. The film shows us the evolving and ongoing dialogue between Greggory and Chéreau, a dialogue full of crises and magical moments of harmony and insight via which the truth, intensity, complexity, mystery and depth of Koltès’ text gradually emerge to form an implicit bond between these two men. The film also shows Chéreau directing rehearsals for Mozart’s "Don Giovanni" in Salzburg, revealing both the unity of and profound differences between his opera and theater work.

Patrice Chéreau, Pascal Greggory, une autre solitude

1996

Strauss: Elektra poster
6.5

The great singing actress Nina Stemme gives a heart-wrenching performance in the title role of Strauss’s blazing one-act drama, adapted from the ancient Greek myth. Patrice Chéreau’s acclaimed production—the last staging he worked on before his death in 2013—also stars Waltraud Meier as Klytämnestra, Elektra’s nightmare-haunted mother, Adrianne Pieczonka as Chrysothemis, her sister, and Eric Owens as Orest, their brother, whose return home brings their family story to a terrifying climax. Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the monumental and highly influential score.

Strauss: Elektra

2016

Tristan und Isolde poster
NR

The legendary Patrice Chéreau (Bayreuth Jahrhundertring, Queen Margot, Intimacy) directed this production of Richard Wagner's psychological music drama Tristan und Isolde at the Teatro alla Scala in 2007. It stars Ian Storey, Waltraud Meier, Matti Salminen, Gerd Grochowski and Michelle DeYoung; the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Alla Scala provide musical support, under the baton of Daniel Barenboim.

Tristan und Isolde

2007

No artwork available
NR

Computer animated short featuring a clumsy skeleton.

Teaspoon

2000

No artwork available
NR

A rat is subjected to a gene-splicing experiment that yields surprising results.

ADN

1997