Jean Rouch

Jean Rouch

Known for Directing · 40 credits

Born
1917-05-31
Died
2004-02-18
Place of birth
Paris, France
Also known as
장 루슈

Biography

Jean Rouch (French: [ʁuʃ]; 31 May 1917, Paris – 18 February 2004, Niger) was a French filmmaker and anthropologist.

He is considered to be one of the founders of cinéma-vérité in France, which shared the aesthetics of the direct cinema. Rouch's practice as a filmmaker for over sixty years in Africa, was characterized by the idea of shared anthropology. Influenced by his discovery of surrealism in his early twenties, many of his films blur the line between fiction and documentary, creating a new style of ethnofiction. He was also hailed by the French New Wave as one of theirs. His seminal film Me a Black (Moi, un noir) pioneered the technique of jump cut popularized by Jean-Luc Godard. Godard said of Rouch in the Cahiers du Cinéma (Notebooks on Cinema) n°94 April 1959, "In charge of research for the Musée de l'Homme (French, "Museum of Man") Is there a better definition for a filmmaker?" Along his career, Rouch was no stranger to controversy.

Known For

TV Shows (1)

Movies (39)

Cinématon
Movie

Cinématon

1978

as N°1256

Chronicle of a Summer
Movie

Chronicle of a Summer

1961

as Self

The Lovely Month of May
Movie

The Lovely Month of May

1963

as Self (uncredited)

Son of Gascogne
Movie

Son of Gascogne

1995

as Self

Cinéma! Cinéma! The French New Wave
Movie

Cinéma! Cinéma! The French New Wave

1992

as Self

Cinéma, de notre temps: Mosso, mosso (Jean Rouch comme si...)
Movie

Cinéma, de notre temps: Mosso, mosso (Jean Rouch comme si...)

1999

as Himself

The Doll
Movie

The Doll

1962

as Officer (uncredited)

Jean Epstein, Young Oceans of Cinema
Movie

Jean Epstein, Young Oceans of Cinema

2011

as Self (archive footage)

La Nouvelle Vague par elle-même
Movie

La Nouvelle Vague par elle-même

1964

as Self

My Conversations on Film
Movie

My Conversations on Film

2013

as Himself

Freddy Buache, le cinéma
Movie

Freddy Buache, le cinéma

2012

as Self (archive footage)

Maya Deren, Take Zero
Movie

Maya Deren, Take Zero

2012

as Himself

World Without a Game
Movie

World Without a Game

1966

as Self

Nouvelle Vague : El cine sin dogmas
Movie

Nouvelle Vague : El cine sin dogmas

2000

as Self

Pierre Fatumbi Verger: Messenger Between Two Worlds
Movie

Pierre Fatumbi Verger: Messenger Between Two Worlds

1998

as Self

The Dreamed Films
Movie

The Dreamed Films

2010

as Self

Germaine chez elle
Movie

Germaine chez elle

1994

as himself

Rouch's Gang
Movie

Rouch's Gang

as Self

The Mad Masters
Movie

The Mad Masters

1955

as Narrator

Ispahan: A Persian Letter (The Chah Mosque at Ispahan)
Movie

Ispahan: A Persian Letter (The Chah Mosque at Ispahan)

1977

as Lui-même

Jean Rouch: First Film 1947-1991
Movie

Jean Rouch: First Film 1947-1991

1991

as Himself

Samba the Great
Movie

Samba the Great

1977

as Narrator

Ciné-Portrait of Raymond Depardon
Movie

Ciné-Portrait of Raymond Depardon

1983

as himself

The Sons of the Water
Movie

The Sons of the Water

1959

Outlaw
Movie

Outlaw

2025

as Self

Portrait de Jean Rouch
Movie

Portrait de Jean Rouch

2004

as Self

Ciguri - Tarahumaras 99 - Le dernier chaman
Movie

Ciguri - Tarahumaras 99 - Le dernier chaman

1999

as narrador

Work(ing Together) in Process
Movie

Work(ing Together) in Process

as Self, the filmmaker before the filmmakers (in 240p)

Encountering Jean Rouch
Movie

Encountering Jean Rouch

2003

A Friendly Handshake
Movie

A Friendly Handshake

1997

Jean Rouch, des mensonges plus vrais que la réalité
Movie

Jean Rouch, des mensonges plus vrais que la réalité

2004

as Lui-même

Ciguri – Tarahumaras 98 - La Danse Du Peyotl
Movie

Ciguri – Tarahumaras 98 - La Danse Du Peyotl

1998

as Narrator

Ciné-mafia
Movie

Ciné-mafia

1980

Letter to Jean Rouch
Movie

Letter to Jean Rouch

1992

as Self

Civilisation: L'homme et les images
Movie

Civilisation: L'homme et les images

1967

as Self

Mon père c'est un lion - Jean Rouch pour mémoire
Movie

Mon père c'est un lion - Jean Rouch pour mémoire

2002

as Self

An Egg with No Shell
Movie

An Egg with No Shell

1992

L’Enigma di Jean Rouch a Torino - Cronaca di un film raté
Movie

L’Enigma di Jean Rouch a Torino - Cronaca di un film raté

2017

Rouch in Reverse
Movie

Rouch in Reverse

1995

as himself

About Jean Rouch

Jean Rouch (French: [ʁuʃ]; 31 May 1917, Paris – 18 February 2004, Niger) was a French filmmaker and anthropologist. He is considered to be one of the founders of cinéma-vérité in France, which shared the aesthetics of the direct cinema. Rouch's practice as a filmmaker for over sixty years in Africa, was characterized by the idea of shared anthropology. Influenced by his discovery of surrealism in his early twenties, many of his films blur the line between fiction and documentary, creating a new style of ethnofiction. He was also hailed by the… With 40 credits spanning from 1955 to 2025, Jean Rouch has appeared in 39 films and 1 TV show.

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