In the past, I was happy to slip Yves Montand into my films, more or less subliminally, and never facing the camera. This time, I finally grasped my lifetime hero with both hands. Ever since I was a teenager, this passion has never left me… This film in the first person is an inventory in the style of Prévert. It is an affectionate inventory, but not an exhaustive one. We made choices; they were inevitably subjective ones. But you should know that we delved deeply into his discography and filmography, as well as some little-known interviews. Our choices were inspired by pleasure and emotion, and sometimes nostalgia… As with my documentary on Chaplin, one thinks that everything has already been shown, but no!
What springs to my mind are some splendid shots of Montand and Simone Signoret in Saint-Paul de Vence in 1950, just after they met. Thanks to Éric Le Roy of Archives Françaises du Film, I was given access to the unedited rushes of a short activist film by Yannick Bellon, shot in 1955: La Maison du Bonheur, which was later renamed Un matin comme les autres. It was Signoret and Montand’s very first film appearance together, even before The Crucible was made. It was produced by Procinex, a company with close ties to the French Communist Party. The cinematography was by Henri Alekan. It is a real gem.
I could also mention photographs, some of which are mine. I’m thinking of Montand with Brassens and Mouloudji, or even in the company of the Fréres Jacques. And then there are those treasured and untapped rushes of the making of Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources, shot by Serge Viallet in 1985. Serge filmed Montand after having his makeup applied; for the role of Papet, he had to age 10 to 15 years. Seeing his reflection in the mirror plunged Montand into existential despair. Discovering these images was for us a wonderful gift.

 Yves Jeuland