Luc Besson Films

French film director, writer and producer Luc Besson originally wanted to become a marine biologist, until a diving accident forced him to think about an alternative. He deciding on filmmaking, and since 1981 he has not only directed 10 major features (commencing with The Last Battle in 1983) but has written and produced dozens more, including s... show more >

French film director, writer and producer Luc Besson originally wanted to become a marine biologist, until a diving accident forced him to think about an alternative. He deciding on filmmaking, and since 1981 he has not only directed 10 major features (commencing with The Last Battle in 1983) but has written and produced dozens more, including some of the most commercially successful French movies ever made.

Themes of alienation, death and unlikely pairings characterize many of Besson’s films, including Subway, Léon and Angel-A, while his passion for the beauties and mysteries of aquatic life inspired the story of The Big Blue and the later documentary Atlantis.

His work as a true cinema aesthete made him a pivotal figure in the 'cinema du look', with its highly stylized and slick visuals, and if his reputation as 'the most Hollywood of French filmmakers', has led to a certain sniffiness on the part of French critics to embrace his work, then he has undoubtedly been key to moving French cinema away from a perceived arthouse ghetto into more mainstream channels.

Lastly, don't look for any interviews or audio commentaries on his DVD or Blu-ray releases - he believes they ruin the impact of a film so refuses to do them. < show less