Robert and Raymond Hakim
Encyclopedia
Robert Hakim and Raymond Hakim (23 August 1909 – 14 August 1980) were Egyptian-born brothers who usually worked in collaboration as film producers in France and other European countries. Their brother André Hakim
is also a film producer.
Initially working for the American company Paramount
, they formed the company Paris-Film Production in 1934, and financed Julien Duvivier
's Pépé le Moko
in 1936, Jean Renoir
's La Bête Humaine
(1938) and Marcel Carné
's Le Jour se lève
(Daybreak 1939), all starring Jean Gabin
, before the brothers emigrated to the United States.
After the war they worked on several American films, including Renoir's The Southerner
(1945) and The Long Night
, a remake of Le Jour se lève with Henry Fonda
.
In 1950 they returned to France and embarked on producing films aimed at an international audience. Casque d'or
(1953) effectively launched the career of Simone Signoret
and Plein Soleil (1960) did the same for Alain Delon
. Notre Dame de Paris
with Anthony Quinn
as Quasimodo and Gina Lollobrigida
as Esmeralda was internationally successful, but not critically well received.
In the 1960s they made two films with a nouvelle vague director, Claude Chabrol
with À double tour (1959) and Les Bonnes Femmes (1960), but worked with older directors (Luis Buñuel
Belle de jour
1968) sometimes relatively new to international audiences (Michelangelo Antonioni
L'eclisse 1962). They also worked with Roger Vadim
on a remake of La Ronde
(1964), which starred Vadim's then wife, Jane Fonda
.
The Hakim's have a mixed reputation; American director Joseph Losey
had an especially fraught relationship with them while making Eva
(1962). In post-production, Losey and his team found the film had been recut during the weekend without their consultation; Losey and Robert Hakim almost came to blows. Michel Legrand
was commissioned for the score without consultation too, but like actor Jeanne Moreau
, was not paid any fee.
André Hakim
André Hakim was a film producer.André and his brothers were in the film industry from the time they were teenagers...
is also a film producer.
Initially working for the American company Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, they formed the company Paris-Film Production in 1934, and financed Julien Duvivier
Julien Duvivier
Julien Duvivier was a French film director. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930-1960...
's Pépé le Moko
Pépé le Moko
Pépé le Moko is a 1937 French film directed by Julien Duvivier and starring Jean Gabin. It depicts an infamous gangster, Pépé le Moko who tries to escape the police by hiding in the casbah of the city of Algiers...
in 1936, Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent era to the end of the 1960s...
's La Bête Humaine
La Bête Humaine (film)
La Bête Humaine is a film directed by Jean Renoir, with cinematography by Curt Courant...
(1938) and Marcel Carné
Marcel Carné
-Biography:Born in Paris, France, the son of a cabinet maker whose wife died when their son was five, Carné began his career as a film critic, becoming editor of the weekly publication, Hebdo-Films, and working for Cinémagazine and Cinémonde between 1929 and 1933. In the same period he worked in...
's Le Jour se lève
Le Jour se lève
Le Jour se lève is a 1939 French film directed by Marcel Carné and written by Jacques Prévert, based on a story by Jacques Viot. It is considered one of the principal examples of the French film movement known as poetic realism....
(Daybreak 1939), all starring Jean Gabin
Jean Gabin
-Biography:Born Jean-Alexis Moncorgé in Paris, he grew up in the village of Mériel in the Seine-et-Oise département, about 22 mi north of Paris. The son of cabaret entertainers, he attended the Lycée Janson de Sailly...
, before the brothers emigrated to the United States.
After the war they worked on several American films, including Renoir's The Southerner
The Southerner (1945 film)
The Southerner is a 1945 American film directed by Jean Renoir, based on the novel Hold Autumn in Your Hand by George Sessions Perry. The film received Oscar nominations for Best Director, Original Music Score and Sound. Renoir was named Best Director by the National Board of Review, which also...
(1945) and The Long Night
The Long Night (1947 film)
The Long Night is a 1947 film noir directed by Anatole Litvak and produced by RKO. It is a remake of Le Jour se lève by Marcel Carné. The drama features Henry Fonda, Barbara Bel Geddes, Vincent Price, Ann Dvorak, and others.-Plot:...
, a remake of Le Jour se lève with Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
.
In 1950 they returned to France and embarked on producing films aimed at an international audience. Casque d'or
Casque d'or
Casque d'or is a 1952 French film directed by Jacques Becker. It is a Belle Époque tragedy, the story of an ill-fated love affair between characters played by Simone Signoret and Serge Reggiani.-Plot:...
(1953) effectively launched the career of Simone Signoret
Simone Signoret
Simone Signoret was a French cinema actress often hailed as one of France's greatest movie stars. She became the first French person to win an Academy Award, for her role in Room at the Top...
and Plein Soleil (1960) did the same for Alain Delon
Alain Delon
Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon is a French actor. He rose quickly to stardom, and by the age of 23 was already being compared to French actors such as Gérard Philipe and Jean Marais, as well as American actor James Dean. He was even called the male Brigitte Bardot...
. Notre Dame de Paris
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1956 film)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1956 French film version of Victor Hugo's novel of the same name, directed by Jean Delannoy and produced by Raymond Hakim and Robert Hakim. The film is the first version of the novel to be made in color.It stars Mexican actor Anthony Quinn as Quasimodo and Gina...
with Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Antonio Rodolfo Quinn-Oaxaca , more commonly known as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican American actor, as well as a painter and writer...
as Quasimodo and Gina Lollobrigida
Gina Lollobrigida
Gina Lollobrigida is an Italian actress, photojournalist and sculptress. She was one of the most popular European actresses of the 1950s and early 1960s. She was also an iconic sex symbol of the 1950s. Today, she remains an active supporter of Italian and Italian American causes, particularly the...
as Esmeralda was internationally successful, but not critically well received.
In the 1960s they made two films with a nouvelle vague director, Claude Chabrol
Claude Chabrol
Claude Chabrol was a French film director, a member of the French New Wave group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s...
with À double tour (1959) and Les Bonnes Femmes (1960), but worked with older directors (Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel Portolés was a Spanish-born filmmaker — later a naturalized citizen of Mexico — who worked in Spain, Mexico, France and the US..-Early years:...
Belle de jour
Belle de jour
Belle de Jour is a 1967 French film directed by Luis Buñuel. The film stars Catherine Deneuve as a woman who decides to spend her days as a prostitute while her husband is at work....
1968) sometimes relatively new to international audiences (Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian modernist film director, screenwriter, editor and short story writer.- Personal life :...
L'eclisse 1962). They also worked with Roger Vadim
Roger Vadim
Roger Vadim was a French screenwriter, director, and producer as well as a journalist, author and actor, who launched Brigitte Bardot's career in the film And God Created Woman.-Early life:...
on a remake of La Ronde
La Ronde (1964 film)
La Ronde is a 1964 film directed by Roger Vadim and based on Arthur Schnitzler's 1897 play of the same name.-Cast:* Jean-Claude Brialy - Alfred / Der 'Junge Herr'...
(1964), which starred Vadim's then wife, Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards and received several other movie awards and nominations during more than 50 years as an...
.
The Hakim's have a mixed reputation; American director Joseph Losey
Joseph Losey
Joseph Walton Losey was an American theater and film director. After studying in Germany with Bertolt Brecht, Losey returned to the United States, eventually making his way to Hollywood...
had an especially fraught relationship with them while making Eva
Eva (1962 film)
Eva is a 1962 drama film directed by Joseph Losey starring Jeanne Moreau, Stanley Baker and Virna Lisi, from the novel of James Hadley Chase .-Plot summary:...
(1962). In post-production, Losey and his team found the film had been recut during the weekend without their consultation; Losey and Robert Hakim almost came to blows. Michel Legrand
Michel Legrand
Michel Jean Legrand is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist...
was commissioned for the score without consultation too, but like actor Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau is a French actress, singer, screenwriter and director.She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française...
, was not paid any fee.
External links
- Essay by John Baxter on the Hakim's career Film Reference site from International Dictionary of Film and Filmmakers, (2000) also here.