Lelouch was born in the 9th arrondissement of
Paris to Charlotte () and Simon Lelouch. His father was born to an
Algerian Jewish family while his mother was a
convert to
Judaism. Lelouch says that his first contact with cinema was very young: "My mother hid me in movie theaters when I was little. We were wanted by the
Gestapo. [...] Cinema, for starters, saved my life." Of his personal faith, he says "Today I believe in God. My faith was sparked when I made a film in Israel. Over there, it is impossible not to believe in God. I loved the places of worship of all the religions. Everything which happens is for the best. I sometimes have the feeling that my inspiration comes from heaven. I think it is wonderful to be Jewish." His father bought him a camera as a fresh start after his failure in the
baccalaureat. He started his career with a
reportage – one of the first to film daily life in the
Soviet Union, with the camera hidden under his coat as he made his personal journey. He also filmed sporting events, like the
24 Hours of Le Mans and the
Tour de France. Lelouch served in the
French Army working in the film unit where he made over 100 films. He was demobilized in 1960. His first full-length film as director, ''
Le Propre de l'homme, was decried by the critics: "Claude Lelouch, remember this name well, because you will not hear it again" – said. La femme spectacle (1963), following prostitutes, women shopping, going for nose-jobs, was censored for its misogynist tendency. A Man and a Woman'' changed his fortunes and was met with favour even by the Cahiers group. The 1981 musical epic
Les Uns et les Autres is widely considered as his masterpiece, and his credits now add up to 50 or so films. His 1976 film, ''
C'était un rendez-vous'' purportedly features a
Ferrari 275 GTB being driven at extreme speed through the streets of Paris at dawn. The entire short is shot from the point of view of the car. Legend has it that Lelouch was arrested after it was first shown publicly. In a 2006 interview, Lelouch stated that he drove his own
Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 in the film and created a soundtrack of the radically different sounding Italian sports car for effect. He collaborated more than two dozen times with composer
Francis Lai. They scored a great hit with the theme song for the film
A Man and a Woman sung by
Nicole Croisille and
Pierre Barouh, and more than 300 versions of the song exist. In 1993 he was the president of the jury at the
18th Moscow International Film Festival. In 2020 Lelouch filmed his own modern 'remake' of his 1976 short film (in collaboration with Ferrari) ''
C'était un rendez-vous entitled Le Grand Rendez-vous'', set in
Monaco instead of
Paris and starring
Monegasque racing driver
Charles Leclerc. Filming for the new version took place on the
Circuit de Monaco on 24 May 2020 and features Leclerc driving a
Ferrari SF90 Stradale. It was released on 13 June 2020. The film was criticised by The Verge as 'lifeless'. Top Gear's Chris Harris said on Twitter this version was 'lazy and badly executed'. == Honours ==