Bertrand Tavernier, Princess of Montpensier

Film critic-turned-filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier turns 70 this month. Known for his 1974 directing debut with The Clockmaker of St. Paul, other titles include: the 1981 Coup de Torchon, a Jim Thompson adaptation with Isabelle Huppert set in French-colonial Africa; A Sunday in the Country ('84); 'Round Midnight, in which jazz legend Dexter Gordon portrays a tenor sax musician struggling with alcoholism ('86); and the marvelous Safe Conduct (2002), an historical drama about the Nazi-controlled Paris film industry in WWII.

His new film, Princess of Montpensier (an adaptation of Madame de La Fayette's short story anonymously published in 1662) is set against the 16th century Catholic slaughter of the Protestant Huguenots. He discusses certain key elements in the story's plot, including the social status of the unmarried Princess (Melanie Thierry), who is regarded by her father as a mere piece of property to be married off for political or economic alliance.

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