José Giovanni facts for kids
José Giovanni (born Joseph Damiani) was a French writer and filmmaker. He was born in Paris, France, on June 22, 1923, and passed away in Lausanne, Switzerland, on April 24, 2004. He later became a Swiss citizen in 1986.
Giovanni's life was quite eventful. He had a difficult past and was even sentenced to death at one point. He often used his own experiences or stories about real-life figures as inspiration for his books and movies. He wrote about strong friendships and people facing tough challenges. While his stories often explored the world of criminals, he kept his own past connections during World War II a secret for a long time.
About His Life
Early Years
Joseph Damiani came from a family with Corsican roots. He received a good education, attending well-known schools like the Collège Stanislas de Paris. His father was a professional gambler who once spent a year in prison. The family owned a hotel in Chamonix, a town in the French Alps. Young Joseph worked there and developed a strong interest in mountain climbing.
During World War II
During World War II, France was occupied by German forces. Joseph Damiani had a complicated past during this time. He was involved with groups that supported the Vichy Government, which worked with the German occupiers. His family members also had connections to these groups.
Later, he joined an organization that helped the Germans. He was involved in finding people who were trying to avoid forced labor. He also took part in arrests and sometimes used blackmail.
In August 1944, he pretended to be a German police officer in Lyon. He blackmailed Jewish people who were hiding from the authorities. One of the people he blackmailed, Joseph Gourentzeig, had a father who was later killed by the Germans.
Trouble with the Law
After France was freed from occupation, Joseph Damiani faced serious legal problems. In May 1945, he and a group of others pretended to be military officers. They kidnapped a wine merchant, accusing him of illegal trading. They tortured him, took his money, and then killed him, throwing his body into the Seine River. Damiani used a fake identity to cash a check from the victim.
A few days later, the same group kidnapped two brothers who made electrical appliances. They forced the brothers to write a letter, then demanded a large sum of money. When the brothers refused, they were tortured, their hidden gold was taken, and they were shot. Their bodies were buried in the woods near Versailles.
Joseph Damiani was arrested in June 1945.
Prison Sentences
In July 1946, Damiani was sentenced to twenty years of hard labor. This was for his involvement with the German-backed groups and for helping to arrest French people who were sent to forced labor in Germany. He also lost his civil rights for life because he had been part of a fascist political party.
In July 1948, he was tried for the three murders. The court found him and an accomplice guilty and sentenced them to death. However, the French President changed their sentences to hard labor for life in March 1949, saving them from the guillotine.
In May 1949, he received another ten-year prison sentence. This was for blackmailing Jewish people during the war.
After serving eleven and a half years, Joseph Damiani was released from prison in December 1956, when he was 33 years old. His sentences had been reduced over time.
Becoming a Writer and Filmmaker
Right after leaving prison, Joseph Damiani started a new life. He wrote his first novel, The Break (Le Trou), using the name "José Giovanni". The book was based on his own experience trying to escape from prison by digging a tunnel. His lawyer encouraged him to write, and the book was published by a famous company. It was later made into a film in 1960.
In 1958, he became well-known for three more novels:
- Classe tous risques, which became a film in 1960.
- L'Excommunié, which was made into a film starring Jean-Paul Belmondo. Giovanni later remade this film himself.
- Le deuxieme souffle (Second Breath), which was also made into a film and later remade again.
José Giovanni wrote 21 novels and two books about his life. He also wrote 33 film scripts and directed 15 movies.
His Hidden Past Revealed
In January 1984, Joseph Damiani's civil rights were given back to him. This meant he was "rehabilitated," but it didn't mean he was innocent of his past crimes.
During his life, José Giovanni often spoke about being a former criminal and having been on death row. However, he never talked about his convictions for working with the Nazis or for blackmailing Jewish people during the war.
In October 1993, two Swiss newspapers revealed his secret past. They showed that José Giovanni was the same person as Joseph Damiani, the convicted fascist. At first, Giovanni denied it, saying he had helped the Resistance. He even threatened to sue the newspapers, but he never did. Finally, he said, "I've paid. I am entitled to forgiveness and oblivion."
Later Life
José Giovanni believed in strong values like family and law and order. He was against the death penalty, even though he had been sentenced to it himself. However, he believed in personal revenge for certain terrible crimes.
In his later years, he often visited prisons. From 1968, he lived in a Swiss village near Chamonix. He passed away from a brain hemorrhage on April 24, 2004, in Lausanne.
Books Written by José Giovanni
- 1957: Le Trou (The Break)
- 1958: Le Deuxième Souffle (Second Breath)
- 1958: Classe tous risque (Consider All Risks)
- 1958: L'Excommunié
- 1959: Histoire de fou
- 1960: Les aventuriers (The Adventurers)
- 1962: Le Haut-Fer (High Fear)
- 1964: Ho!
- 1969: Meurtre au sommet n°866 (Murder on Summit 866)
- 1969: Le Ruffian (The Ruffian)
- 1977: Mon ami le traître
- 1978: Le Musher (The Great Husky Race)
- 1982: Les Loups entre eux
- 1984: Un vengeur est passé
- 1985: Le Tueur de dimanche
- 1987: Tu boufferas ta cocarde
- 1995: Il avait dans le cœur des jardins introuvables (My Father Saved My Life) - His life story
- 1997: La Mort du poisson rouge (The Death of the Goldfish)
- 1998: Le Prince sans étoile
- 1999: Chemins fauves (Favorite Paths)
- 2001: Les Gosses d'abord
- 2002: Mes grandes gueules - His life story
- 2003: Comme un vol de vautours (Like a Flight of Vultures)
- 2004: Le pardon du grand Nord (The Forgiveness of the Far North)
Films Connected to José Giovanni
José Giovanni wrote or directed many films. Here are some of them:
- 1960: Le Trou (The Hole), directed by Jacques Becker (Giovanni wrote the script and the original novel)
- 1960: Classe tous risques (The Big Risk), directed by Claude Sautet (Giovanni wrote the script, dialogue, and original novel)
- 1961: Un nommé La Rocca, directed by Jean Becker (Giovanni wrote the dialogue and original novel)
- 1962: Du rififi chez les femmes (The Riff Raff Girls), directed by Alex Joffé (Giovanni wrote the script)
- 1963: Symphonie pour un massacre, directed by Jacques Deray (Giovanni wrote the script)
- 1963: Rififi in Tokyo, directed by Jacques Deray (Giovanni wrote the dialogue)
- 1965: That Man George, directed by Jacques Deray (Giovanni wrote the script)
- 1965: Les Grandes Gueules (The Wise Guys), directed by Robert Enrico (Giovanni wrote the dialogue and original novel)
- 1966: To Skin a Spy, directed by Jacques Deray (Giovanni wrote the script)
- 1966: Le Deuxième souffle (Second Breath), directed by Jean-Pierre Melville (Giovanni wrote the original novel)
- 1967: Les Aventuriers (The Last Adventure), directed by Robert Enrico (Giovanni wrote the script, dialogue, and original novel)
- 1967: La Loi du survivant (Giovanni directed and wrote)
- 1968: Le Rapace (Giovanni directed and wrote)
- 1968: Ho!, directed by Robert Enrico (Giovanni wrote the script)
- 1969: Le Clan des Siciliens (The Sicilian Clan), directed by Henri Verneuil (Giovanni wrote the script)
- 1970: Dernier domicile connu (Last Known Address) (Giovanni directed and wrote)
- 1971: Un aller simple (Giovanni directed and wrote)
- 1971: Où est passé Tom? (Giovanni directed and wrote)
- 1972: La Scoumoune (The Hit Man) (Giovanni directed and wrote)
- 1973: Deux Hommes dans la ville (Two Men in Town) (Giovanni directed and wrote)
- 1975: Le Gitan (Giovanni directed and wrote)
- 1976: Comme un boomerang (Giovanni directed and wrote)
- 1979: Les Égouts du paradis (The Sewers of Paradise) (Giovanni directed and wrote)
- 1980: Une robe noire pour un tueur (Giovanni directed and wrote)
- 1983: Le Ruffian (Giovanni directed and wrote)
- 1985: Among Wolves (Giovanni directed and wrote)
- 1988: Mon ami le traître (Giovanni directed and wrote)
- 1991: L'Irlandaise (TV film) (Giovanni directed)
- 2000: Mon père, il m'a sauvé la vie (Giovanni directed and wrote)
- 2007: Le deuxième souffle (Second Breath), remake directed by Alain Corneau (Giovanni wrote the original novel)
- 2014: Two Men in Town American remake of Deux Hommes dans la ville, directed by Rachid Bouchareb (Giovanni wrote the script)
See also
In Spanish: José Giovanni para niños
