Series synopsis
The Last Tycoons, also known as Le temps des nababs is a French documentary television series that premiered on ciné+ on October 12, 2019. It ended on November 30, 2019. It stars André Paulvé, Raymond Hakim and Alexandre Mnouchkine.
An eight-part series on the history of French cinema from the postwar era to New Wave and beyond. Unearths the stories behind the films’ creation through live and archival interviews with the producers of the films in the series, as well as colleagues, family members, and experts on French cinema. Interlaced throughout is footage from a wealth of classic French films.
Premise
An eight-part series on the history of French cinema from the postwar era to New Wave and beyond. Unearths the stories behind the films’ creation through live and archival interviews with the producers of the films in the series, as well as colleagues, family members, and experts on French cinema. Interlaced throughout is footage from a wealth of classic French films.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
Episodes
This series spans 1 season with 8 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 8 | October 12, 2019 | November 30, 2019 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Romantic Ones Dissatisfied in Hollywood, brothers Robert and Raymond Hakim returned to France to re-launch their careers. André Paulvé, a grain broker, talked his way into his first production. Alexandre Mnouchkine parlayed fur business cash into a life in cinema. Larger-than-life, cigar-chomping Henry Deutchmeister built a faux 18th-century manor — replete with modular edit suites. |
October 12, 2019 |
| 2 |
The Tenacious Ones During WWII the Nazis seized the operations of dormant production companies—notably those of Jewish producers who were unable to work. Robert Dorfmann and Pierre Braunberger hid out together during part of the war, then Braunberger was interned as was producer Anatole Dauman. After the war Braunberger regained possession of his old office and went right back to work. The French government reluctantly funded the production of Night and Fog. |
October 19, 2019 |
| 3 |
The Audacious Ones The New Wave was partly driven by producers who saw hand-held cameras and cheaper lighting as ways to save money. Breathless was a collaboration between a producer and director who were both dangerously close to bankruptcy. Robert Dorfmann literally gambled the salaries of crew members to try to win enough to cover his overdrafts on The Sucker. Raoul Levy threatened to tear up his contract with Columbia unless the studio distributed And God Created Woman in the US—a film that turned Brigitte Bardot into a household name. |
October 26, 2019 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | ciné+ |
|---|---|
| First aired | October 12, 2019 |
| Last aired | November 30, 2019 |
| Runtime | 58 minutes |
| Status | ended |