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Claude Sautet

Claude Sautet

Writer and director · Died July 22, 2000, aged 76 · Montrouge, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Claude Sautet (23 February 1924 – 22 July 2000) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was a chronicler of post-war French society. He made a total of five films with his favorite actress Romy Schneider. Born in Montrouge, Hauts-de-Seine, France, Sautet first studied painting and sculpture before attending a film university in Paris where he began his career and later became a television producer. His first movie, Hello Smile! (originally Bonjour Sourire) was released in 1956. He earned international attention with The Things of Life (Les choses de la vie, 1970), which he wrote and directed, like the rest of his later films. Featuring Michel Piccoli in the male lead, it was shown in competition at the 1970 Cannes Festival. The film also revived the career of Romy Schneider; she acted in several of Sautet's later films. In his next film Max and the Junkmen (Max et les Ferrailleurs, 1971) Schneider played a prostitute, while in César and Rosalie (César et Rosalie, 1972) she portrayed a married woman who copes with the reappearance of an old flame. Vincent, François, Paul and the Others (Vincent, Paul, François, et les Autres, 1974) is one of Sautet's most acclaimed films. Four middle-class men meet in the country every weekend mainly to discuss their lives. As well as Piccoli, it featured Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu, and Stéphane Audran. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian in a 2020 tribute article to Michel Piccoli thought it was "arguably the best" of the "five very well-regarded movies" on which the actor and director collaborated. Sautet achieved even further critical success with Mado (1976). His film A Simple Story (Une Histoire simple, 1978) was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film featured Schneider again, this time as a dissatisfied working woman in her 40s. She won the César Award for Best Actress for her performance. In the 1980s, he made only two films Waiter! (Garçon!, 1983), a drama starring Yves Montand as a middle-aged waiter, and the comedy A Few Days with Me (Quelques Jours Avec Moi, 1988). Claude Sautet won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the César Award for Best Director for A Heart in Winter (Un cœur en hiver, 1992) and received the César once more for Nelly and Mr. Arnaud (Nelly et Monsieur Arnaud, 1995). Both films starred Emmanuelle Béart. Apart from his own directing, he also wrote screenplays for other directors. Claude Sautet died of liver cancer in Paris in July 22, 2000 and was buried there in the Montparnasse Cemetery. In 2001, from May 5th to July 14th, Canal Plus aired eleven of its feature films in their final versions, following the work done with Béatrice Valbin. Description above from the Wikipedia article Claude Sautet, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 23, 1924
Died
July 22, 2000 (aged 76)
From
Montrouge, Hauts-de-Seine, France
Works as
Writer and director
Titles
22 on MovieCove · 35 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 13% in 30 days

What are Claude Sautet's films like?

Across their 21 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 88th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Crime7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 46th percentile
: browse their Action movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
38%
Morality
29%
Power
15%
Self
10%
Survival
5%
Society
4%
Romantic love5 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty4 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 21 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 6 · Serious 4 · Dark 11

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 13 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 10 · Intense 7

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 13 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 14 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 9 · Engaged 10 · Full focus 2

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 12 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 4

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Melancholic
11
Contemplative
7
Warm
6
Thrilling
6
Other
17

How their films linger

Bittersweet12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet10
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Claude Sautet's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 22 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Claude Sautet's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

35 credits, 22 with a MovieCove page; 11 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud(1995)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Intersection(1994)

    Original Film Writer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • A Heart in Winter(1992)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • A Few Days with Me(1988)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • My Friend the Traitor(1988)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Waiter! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Director · Screenplay

  • A Bad Son (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director · Screenplay

  • A Simple Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director · Writer

  • Death of a Corrupt Man(1977)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Mado (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Vincent, François, Paul and the Others(1974)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Cesar & Rosalie(1972)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Swashbuckler(1971)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Max and the Junkmen(1971)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Borsalino(1970)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Things of Life(1970)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Under the Sign of the Bull(1969)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • The Devil by the Tail(1969)

    Adaptation · Writer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Pillaged (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Dialogue · Screenplay

  • A Matter of Resistance(1966)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Atout coeur à Tokyo pour OSS 117(1966)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The Dictator's Guns(1965)

    Director · Adaptation

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • That Tender Age (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Screenplay

  • Backfire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Writer

  • Symphony for a Massacre(1963)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Banana Peel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Screenplay

  • The Big Risk(1960)

    Director · Adaptation

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Eyes Without a Face(1960)

    Adaptation · Assistant Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Tiger Attacks(1959)

    Director · Adaptation · Assistant Director · Scenario Writer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Back to the Wall(1958)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Hello Smile! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Director

  • L'honneur est sauf ! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Production Manager

  • Fernand cherche du boulot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Production Manager

  • The Rebels of Lomanach (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Assistant Director

  • L'Homme Que Nous Aimons Le Plus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Assistant Director

Career shape

A full career of 32 titles from 1949 to 1995.

Biggest box office

Intersection (1994)

$21M worldwide

Highest rated

Eyes Without a Face (1960)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

Cesar & Rosalie (1972)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing14 of 32: 1 only directing, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score88thWriting26 of 32: 11 only writing, 15 with another role · typical Midcredits score83rdOther crew7 of 32: 5 only other crew, 2 with another role

32 titles, 15 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 13 of them.

By decade

1940s1 · crew1950s6 · crew1960s11 · crew1970s8 · crew1980s3 · crew1990s3 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Claude Sautet's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 77th percentile, the median of all 22; across their 21 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 74th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

74thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Approval · how many liked their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Reach · how many have seen their films

73rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Midcredits score across 22 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up13
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 22 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Crowd Pleaser15
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · writer

My Friend the Traitor (1988)

56th percentile spread · 19% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Eyes Without a Face (1960)

Midcredits 95th · 83% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 65/100 and the plot and story 57/100 in their films, across 19 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Claude Sautet work with?

People who share at least 2 of Claude Sautet's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jacqueline Thiédot shares the most, 9.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers