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Cécile Decugis (May 15, 1930 – June 11, 2017) was a French film editor and director, known for her contributions to the French New Wave cinema. She worked on iconic films such as Breathless by Jean-Luc Godard and Shoot the Piano Player by François Truffaut. Decugis was also a longtime collaborator of director Éric Rohmer, editing nine of his feature films, including My Night at Maud’s.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Early life and career

Cécile Régine Decugis was born in Marseille, France, on May 15, 1930. In the 1950s, she became involved with the Algerian independence movement and worked on several films related to the cause. One of her first directorial efforts was the 1957 short documentary Les Réfugiés, which depicted the plight of Algerian war refugees along the Algerian-Tunisian border.^[4]

Parallel to her activism, Decugis gained recognition as an editor, working on short films by François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, two leading figures of the Nouvelle Vague. Her editing work on Breathless (1960) is considered groundbreaking for its innovative jump cuts, which became a signature style of the movement.

Political involvement and imprisonment

On March 9, 1960, while working with Truffaut on Shoot the Piano Player, Decugis was arrested in Paris for having rented an apartment to a member of the Algerian National Liberation Front. She was sentenced to five years in prison and served two years at La Roquette prison. During this time, Truffaut provided her with financial support. She was released early due to good behavior.^[5]^[6]

Collaboration with Éric Rohmer

Decugis became Éric Rohmer’s primary editor in the late 1960s, editing many of his most acclaimed films, including My Night at Maud’s (1969), Claire’s Knee (1970), and The Marquise of O (1976). Her precise and thoughtful editing style greatly contributed to the quiet, introspective atmosphere of Rohmer’s films.

Later work and legacy

In addition to her work as an editor, Decugis directed a number of short and medium-length films. Her 2016 film, René ou le roman de mon père, was a personal documentary featuring family photos and reflections on her father, who died of tuberculosis at the age of 37. Decugis passed away in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, on June 11, 2017, at the age of 87.^[7]

After her death, her directorial work was screened at retrospectives at the Cinémathèque Française in 2017 and the Il Cinema Ritrovato festival in 2018.^[8]

Selected filmography

As editor

Les Mistons (1957) – dir. François Truffaut (short)
Breathless (1960) – dir. Jean-Luc Godard
Shoot the Piano Player (1960) – dir. François Truffaut
My Night at Maud’s (1969) – dir. Éric Rohmer
Claire’s Knee (1970) – dir. Éric Rohmer
The Marquise of O (1976) – dir. Éric Rohmer
Pauline at the Beach (1983) – dir. Éric Rohmer
Full Moon in Paris (1984) – dir. Éric Rohmer

As director

Les Réfugiés (1957) – Documentary short
Le Passage (1965) – Medium-length film
Italie aller retour (1984) – Medium-length film
La Distribution de pain (2011) – Documentary
René ou le roman de mon père (2016) – Documentary

References

^ Laure Croiset, «Figure clé de la Nouvelle Vague, la mort de Cécile Decugis passée sous silence» sur toutlecine.challenges.fr, 26 July 2017 [1]
^ Lieux de naissance et décès trouvés dans la base MatchId des fichiers de décès en ligne du Ministère de l'Intérieur avec les données INSEE (consultation 5 January 2020)
^ "Cécile Decugis". Edited by - Women Film Editors.
^ Les Réfugiés sur fabriquedesens.fr
^ Antoine de Baecque, Serge Toubiana, François Truffaut, Gallimard, 2001
^ Saïd Mahrane, C'était en 58 ou en 59..., Calmann-Lévy, 2011 : dans cet ouvrage, l'auteur relate l'entretien qu'il a eu avec Cécile Decugis en mars 2010
^ Avis de décès
^ "LES RÉFUGIÉS (LA DISTRIBUTION DE PAIN)- Cécile Decugis". Il Ritrovato.

Literature

Hervé Hamon, Patrick Rotman, Les Porteurs de valises : la Résistance française à la guerre d'Algérie, Albin Michel, 1982
Declan McGrath, Editing & post-production, Focal Press, 2001