Jean-Paul Rappeneau (8 April 1932 — 2 September 2026) was a French film director and screenwriter. He started out in film as an assistant and screenwriter collaborating with Louis Malle on Zazie dans le métro in 1960 and Vie privée in 1961. In 1964, he was co-screenwriter for L'Homme de Rio, which starred Jean-Paul Belmondo. The first film that he both wrote and directed was A Matter of Resistance in 1965. Although it was a great critical and popular success, he did not make another film until 1971, when he directed Les Mariés de l'an II, again starring Belmondo and Marlène Jobert. Since 1975, Rappeneau has written only for his own films, including Le Sauvage, starring Yves Montand and Tout feu, tout flamme (1981), again with Montand, who co-starred with Isabelle Adjani. In 1990, Rappeneau directed a deluxe Technicolor film version of Cyrano de Bergerac, his adaptation of the classic French play by Edmond Rostand, starring Gérard Depardieu. Rappeneau's film version is the most elaborate film version of the play ever made, and one of the most expensive French films ever produced. It is the only rendition of the play in the original French to be released widely. At the 1991 César Awards, Rappeneau won the César Award for Best Director and César Award for Best Film. The 2003 comedy Bon voyage, co-written with Patrick Modiano, again starred Depardieu, this time with Isabelle Adjani. The film was nominated 11 times at the 2004 César Awards. Source: Article "Jean-Paul Rappeneau" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Biography from TMDB.
- April 8, 1932
- September 2, 2026 (aged 94)
- Auxerre, Yonne, France
- Writer and director, also actor
- 14 on MovieCove · 20 credits in all
What are Jean-Paul Rappeneau's films like?
Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 3 · Earnest 11
Light 10 · Serious 4 · Dark 1
A split, not a type: Grounded 6 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 4
Gentle 2 · Charged 12 · Intense 1
Steady 9 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 4
Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 3
A split, not a type: Casual 9 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 11 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 0
Resolved 13 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy9
- Bittersweet4
- Tragic1
- Other1
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 Jean-Paul Rappeneau's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Jean-Paul Rappeneau'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
20 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page; 12 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Families(2015)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films
Henri Langlois vu par... (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Bon Voyage(2003)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
The Horseman on the Roof(1995)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Cyrano de Bergerac(1990)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
All Fired Up(1982)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Le sauvage(1975)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Le Magnifique(1973)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
The Swashbuckler(1971)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
A Matter of Resistance(1966)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Marco the Magnificent(1965)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
That Man from Rio(1964)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Le Combat dans l'île (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
A Very Private Affair(1962)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Saint-Tropez Blues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Zazie in the Metro(1960)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Signé: Arsène Lupin(1959)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Provincial Chronicle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Appelez le 17 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
That Man from Rio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 19 titles, 18 of them dated from 1957 to 2015.
Biggest box office
Le sauvage (1975)
Highest rated
Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)
Most popular right now
The Horseman on the Roof (1995)
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 Jean-Paul Rappeneau's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 69th percentile, the median of all 14; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 68th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up5
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th3
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
8 of their 14 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser8
- Broadly Agreed3
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the dialogue 55/100 and the plot and story 48/100 in their films, across 13 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 Jean-Paul Rappeneau work with?
People who share at least 2 of Jean-Paul Rappeneau's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Pierre Lhomme shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Philippe de BrocaShared titles: Le Magnifique (1973), That Man from Rio (1964)See all 2 shared titles with Philippe de Broca
- Louis MalleShared titles: A Very Private Affair (1962), Zazie in the Metro (1960)See all 2 shared titles with Louis Malle
Writers
- Daniel BoulangerShared titles: The Swashbuckler (1971), A Matter of Resistance (1966), That Man from Rio (1964)See all 3 shared titles with Daniel Boulanger
- Julien RappeneauShared titles: Families (2015), Bon Voyage (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Julien Rappeneau
- Élisabeth RappeneauShared titles: All Fired Up (1982), Le sauvage (1975)See all 2 shared titles with Élisabeth Rappeneau
- Claude SautetShared titles: The Swashbuckler (1971), A Matter of Resistance (1966)See all 2 shared titles with Claude Sautet
Actors
- Catherine DeneuveShared titles: Catherine Deneuve, à son image (2023), Le sauvage (1975), A Matter of Resistance (1966)See all 3 shared titles with Catherine Deneuve
- Gérard DepardieuShared titles: Bon Voyage (2003), The Horseman on the Roof (1995), Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)See all 3 shared titles with Gérard Depardieu
- Jean-Paul BelmondoShared titles: Le Magnifique (1973), The Swashbuckler (1971), That Man from Rio (1964)See all 3 shared titles with Jean-Paul Belmondo
- Nicole GarciaShared titles: Catherine Deneuve, à son image (2023), Families (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Nicole Garcia
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Pierre LhommeShared titles: Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), All Fired Up (1982), Le sauvage (1975), A Matter of Resistance (1966)See all 4 shared titles with Pierre Lhomme
- Michel LegrandShared titles: Le sauvage (1975), The Swashbuckler (1971), A Matter of Resistance (1966)See all 3 shared titles with Michel Legrand
- Thierry ArbogastShared titles: Families (2015), Bon Voyage (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Thierry Arbogast
- Marie-Josèphe YoyotteShared titles: All Fired Up (1982), Le sauvage (1975)See all 2 shared titles with Marie-Josèphe Yoyotte
Producers
- Laurent PétinShared titles: Families (2015), Bon Voyage (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Laurent Pétin
- Michèle PétinShared titles: Families (2015), Bon Voyage (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Michèle Pétin
- Alexandre MnouchkineShared titles: Le Magnifique (1973), That Man from Rio (1964)See all 2 shared titles with Alexandre Mnouchkine
- Georges DancigersShared titles: Le Magnifique (1973), That Man from Rio (1964)See all 2 shared titles with Georges Dancigers