Freddy Buache facts for kids
Freddy Buache (born December 29, 1924 – died May 28, 2019) was a Swiss journalist, film critic, and film historian. He was in charge of the Swiss Film Archive from 1951 to 1996. This archive is a special place that saves and studies films. He also taught at the University of Lausanne.
Life Story
Freddy Buache was born in Lausanne, Switzerland. He spent his early years in a small village called Villars-Mendraz. His parents ran a cafe there. In 1933, his family moved to Lausanne. He later went to school at the Collège Scientifique.
In 1945, Freddy met Henri Langlois at a film conference. This meeting inspired him to start Lausanne's first film club in 1946. He worked with other people who loved movies.
In 1948, Freddy Buache and Charles Apothéloz created a play. It was based on a film script by Jean-Paul Sartre. The play was called Les Faux Nez (The False Noses). Freddy even acted in the play, playing the part of the Prince. The acting group later named themselves "La Compagnie des Faux-Nez" after the play. Their theater, a former wine cellar, is still called "Le Caveau des Faux-Nez."
Freddy Buache also worked as a journalist. He wrote a "Cinema" column for different newspapers from 1952 onwards. He stayed in touch with the people who started the Cinémathèque Française in France. This led to a similar film archive being created in Switzerland.
In 1950, Freddy Buache was one of ten people who helped start the Swiss Film Archive. This foundation works to save and study films. He became its director in 1951 and stayed in that role until 1996. After that, he became the president of its board. When he left, the archive had about 65,000 films.
From 1967 to 1970, Freddy Buache helped direct the Locarno International Film Festival. He also served as the head of the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1973.
His Ideas
In 1955, Freddy Buache wrote for a magazine called Clartés. He also supported the movement for Algeria to become independent. He even showed films from the Algerian government at the Swiss Film Archive to special guests.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Switzerland was quite traditional. Freddy's reviews of films from East Germany caused some arguments. Some magazines accused him of being unfair. In an interview in 1987, he said he hoped he still held his left-wing views.
Personal Life
Freddy Buache married Marie-Magdeleine Brumagne. She was a French journalist and art critic. They met in 1951. Freddy Buache passed away in May 2019 when he was 94 years old.
Books He Wrote
Freddy Buache wrote many books about films and cinema in French. One of his books was translated into English:
- Buache, Freddy; Graham, P. (trans.) (1973). The cinema of Luis Bunuel. International Film Guide Series (reprint). London: Tantivy Press. ISBN 0-498-01302-2.
Film Roles
Freddy Buache appeared in a few films himself.
In Jean-Luc Godard's 1987 film King Lear, Freddy played a professor. His role was not officially listed in the credits.
He also appeared in À la recherche du lieu de ma naissance (1990). This film was directed by Boris Lehman.
In 2007, Freddy Buache provided the voice for Lettre a Jean-Luc Godard. This short film was a tribute to the Nouvelle Vague style of Jean-Luc Godard. It was a reply to Godard's 1982 short film Letter to Freddy Buache.
Awards He Won
- 1985: Prix de la Ville de Lausanne (an award from the city of Lausanne)
- 1996: Prix Maurice Bessy, at the Cannes Film Festival
- 1998: Léopard d'honneur, at the Locarno International Film Festival
See also
In Spanish: Freddy Buache para niños
- Cinema of Switzerland
- Swiss Film Archive
