Gilbert Dassonville
Known For
Directing
Biography
Gilbert Dassonville was a film and documentary director, as well as a cinematographer and cameraman, who distinguished himself in French cinema during the second half of the 20th century. Gilbert Dassonville was a documentary filmmaker whose experience as a cinematographer was used to create a keen eye for reality, whether documenting mountaineering feats, scientific or educational films, all shot with precision and realism. His experience as a cameraman gave him a concrete sense of framing and movement, which imbued his directing with great visual rigor. This concern for storytelling through images connects him to other French documentary filmmakers of his generation, committed to exploring landscapes and people. Gilbert Dassonville shared his life with the director, producer, and actress Hélène Dassonville, born Marie-Hélène Adrienne Viala-Ricardou, who adopted his name after their marriage. Already known as an actress in French cinema in the 1930s and 1940s, Hélène then devoted he...
