“You planted well!” : 49 years ago, this legend of French cinema with 4 César lived badly this resounding failure in the dining room, but she then caught up well!

When Jean-Jacques Annaud recounts his debut in the cinema, we discover anecdotes as exciting as authentic. His very first feature film, the victory while singing, is a striking example. Despite his Oscar in 1977, Annaud said he never really took advantage of this award.

Listening to famous filmmakers returning to their journey is always fascinating, especially when they do not try to embellish reality. Jean-Jacques Annaud is one of those rare directors who open without detour, whether during Masterclass as The one he gave in Lyon in 2023 Or in long interviews, like the one he gave to the magazine in the laser years in May 2024.

In 1976, Jean-Jacques Annaud released his first film, The victory by singing. The idea came to him from a historical account of Cameroon, written by an ecclesiastics, as he explained.

“” “I drew the idea from a history of Cameroon written by an ecclesiastics, which told how a German general had resisted in a small village in the north of the country to the assaults of the French and the English during the First World War.»

But the production was not simple: the financial editing turned out to be complicated, “especially in France where Claude Berri I told me, I quote it, that the films of Nè ****, that does not interest anyone '.»

Finally, the shooting took place in Côte d'Ivoire, with a large local team.

A shock victory and a prize he has never seen

The shock was total when the film won the Oscar for the best foreign film in 1977. A triumph which came to alleviate the scathing failure met in French theaters, where less than 175,000 spectators had come to see the film. During her masterclass in Lyon, Annaud had even dropped: “My film was a monstrous flop in France, to the great enjoyment of my colleagues”, Emphasizing the lack of support from his peers in the community.

As for the famous statuette, Jean-Jacques Annaud admits never having seen it closely. The day the film won, it was in Paris, not in Los Angeles. Its Swiss co -producer, Arthur Cohn, had indeed suggested to the Americans that Annaud was black, thinking that it could help the film. A pretty incredible idea when you think about it.

“” “When he won the Oscar, I was at home, in Paris and not in Los Angeles, because my Swiss co -producer, Arthur Cohn, had maintained with the Americans the idea that I was black, and that it would have harmed the film if they had known that I was white.»

In a few hours, however, the director's status completely changed: “The fact remains that I became in a few hours a formidable guy doubled with a brilliant filmmaker, including in the eyes of Claude Berri and my wife who was leaving me in a everything but amicable way. The day before, she was swinging me: 'you planted my friend well!' Because the film did not work well in theaters.»

Finally, he concluded with a bit of bitter humor: “As for the Oscar, I have never seen it. He must be on the desk of Arthur Cohn.»

Carried by remarkable actors like Jean Carmet, Jacques Dufilho and Catherine Rouvel, The victory by singing – also known by the black and white title in color – is a fierce satire of French colonization. The script was co-written with Georges Conchon, famous author and prize Goncourt, who had himself seen his novel adapted to the cinema a few years later.

If you want to honor the film, the victory by singing is to be found in VOD.