Gérard Brach facts for kids

Gérard Brach (born July 23, 1927 – died September 9, 2006) was a talented French screenwriter. He was especially known for working with famous film directors like Roman Polanski and Jean-Jacques Annaud. He also directed two of his own movies, La Maison and Le Bateau sur l'herbe.

About Gérard Brach

Early Life and Challenges

Gérard Brach was born in Montrouge, a town near Paris, France. He grew up in a family that didn't have much money. When he was 16, he joined the army during World War II.

After the war, he became very sick with tuberculosis. He spent five years in a special hospital called a sanatorium. During this time, he had many operations and was left with only one lung. While recovering, he met a poet named Benjamin Péret. This friendship introduced him to André Breton, a writer who greatly influenced Brach's early ideas.

Starting in the Film World

By the late 1950s, Brach started working in the film industry. He did many different jobs, from acting in small roles to helping out behind the scenes. He sometimes struggled to find a place to sleep and enough food.

From 1959 to 1962, he worked as a publicist for a big movie company called Twentieth-Century Fox. This job helped him learn more about the film business.

Working with Famous Directors

In 1959, Brach met director Roman Polanski in Poland. They started working together on many projects. Both men later moved to London, where they wrote the scripts for the movies Repulsion and Cul-de-Sac.

Brach stayed in Britain for several years. Then he returned to France to direct his first movie, La Maison, in 1970. A year later, he directed Le Bateau sur l’herbe. This movie starred Jean-Pierre Cassel and was nominated for awards at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival. However, neither of his films became big hits at the box office.

Brach found more success as a screenwriter. He worked with many well-known international directors. These included Jean-Jacques Annaud, Michelangelo Antonioni, Andrei Konchalovsky, and Bertrand Blier.

Later Life and Health

In his later years, Gérard Brach suffered from a condition called agoraphobia. This meant he was very afraid of leaving his apartment in Paris. He said the illness started in the early 1980s. It made him feel very scared and panicked whenever he tried to go outside. He received treatment, but he never fully recovered from it.

Personal Life and Passing

Gérard Brach was married two times. His first wife, with whom he had a son, divorced him in 1955. He met his second wife, Elisabeth, in 1969. They got married in his bedroom eleven years later. This was because his agoraphobia was too severe for him to have a public wedding.

Gérard Brach passed away from heart failure on September 9, 2006, in Paris. He was 79 years old.

Film Work

Here is a list of some of the movies Gérard Brach worked on:

• 1965: Repulsion (Writer)
• 1966: Cul-de-sac (Writer)
• 1967: Le Bal des vampires (UK: Dance of the Vampires; US: The Fearless Vampire Killers) (Writer)
• 1967: The Two of Us (Le vieil homme et l'enfant) (Writer)
• 1968: Wonderwall (Story)
• 1969: Secret World (Writer)
• 1970: La Maison (Director and writer)
• 1971: Le Bateau sur l'herbe (The Boat on the Grass) (Director and co-writer)
• 1972: Quoi ? (What?) (Writer)
• 1976: Le Locataire (The Tenant) (Writer)
• 1978: Rêve de singe (Bye Bye Monkey) (Writer)
• 1979: Tess (Writer)
• 1979: Seeking Asylum (Writer)
• 1981: Quest for Fire (Original title: La Guerre du feu) (Writer)
• 1982: Identification of a Woman (Writer)
• 1983: My Best Friend's Girl (Writer)
• 1984: Maria's Lovers (Writer)
• 1986: Pirates (Writer)
• 1986: Jean de Florette (Writer)
• 1986: The Name of the Rose (Writer)
• 1986: Manon des Sources (US title: Manon of the Spring) (Writer)
• 1987: Shy People (Writer)
• 1988: Frantic (Writer)
• 1988: L'Ours (The Bear) (Writer)
• 1992: Bitter Moon (Writer)
• 1992: The Lover (Writer)
• 2004: Blueberry (Writer)
• 2007: His Majesty Minor (Writer)

As an Actor

• 1960: Breathless - He played a photographer (uncredited).