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Exploring how a host of groundbreaking films were made, THE LAST TYCOONS is an eight-part series on the history of French cinema from the postwar era to New Wave and beyond – told from a unique angle.

When film credits roll most people focus on the stars of the show. Not Florence Strauss. She is most interested in the producer, and her series THE LAST TYCOONS unearths the stories behind the films’ creation, through live and archival interviews with the producers of the films in the series, as well as colleagues, family members, and experts on French cinema. And interlaced throughout is footage from a wealth of classic French films.

Episode 1: The Romantic Ones
It takes a healthy dose of romanticism to try and build a film industry in a country whose economy is in ruins after war. But the producers in this episode were up for the challenge. Dissatisfied in Hollywood, brothers Robert and Raymond Hakim returned to France to re-launch their careers. Like the other producers in this episode, they were nothing if not resourceful. André Paulvé was a grain broker who talked his way into his first production. Alexandre Mnouchkine parlayed fur business cash into a life in cinema. And the larger-than-life cigar-chomping Henry Deutchmeister built himself a faux 18th-century manor—complete with modular edit suites on the grounds.

Films spotlighted in this episode:
Casque d'Or (1952) / Robert and Raymond Hakim / dir. Jacques Becker
La Belle et la Bête (1946) / André Paulvé / dir. Jean Cocteau
Fanfan la Tulipe (1952) / Alexandre Mnouchkine and Georges Dancigers / dir. Christian-Jaque
French Cancan (1955) / Henry Deutchmeister / dir. Jean Renoir