Pierre Cottrell was a pivotal figure in bridging the Nouvelle Vague and the New American Cinema. As a producer and associate producer, he collaborated with many innovative filmmakers over the past five decades. His involvement often spanned multiple aspects of filmmaking, often uncredited.
Cottrell met Éric Rohmer at Cahiers du Cinéma when he was 15. Four years later, in 1964, he joined Barbet Schroeder and Rohmer to launch Films du Losange. During a short training program at Alcoa Aluminum Company in New York in 1963, he befriended the renowned Otto Preminger.
In 1967, Cottrell worked with Films du Losange when Roger Corman asked him to organize the production of two films in Istanbul and Monte Carlo: The Wild Racers (1968) and Target: Harry (1969). He also linked up with Jack Nicholson, who was rising to stardom with his role in Easy Rider (1969).
Before the Cannes Film Festival screening of Easy Rider, Bert Schneider, the founder of BBS, asked Cottrell to rewrite the French subtitles. Cottrell had been subtitling films with Bernard Eisenschitz, his friend from lycée Henri-IV, since his return to France. From 1969 to 1972, he concentrated on producing films for Films du Losange, including My Night at Maud's (1969),Claire's Knee (1970),and Love in the Afternoon (1972).
In 1966, Cottrell helped Nicholson find French distribution for two Corman pictures directed by Monte Hellman: The Shooting (1966) and Ride in the Whirlwind (1966). After the success of Easy Rider, Nicholson and Rafelson provided funding for Jean Eustache's The Mother and the Whore (1973),which won two prizes at Cannes.
In 1975, Cottrell worked as an associate producer on Wim Wenders' The American Friend (1977) and brought Dennis Hopper to the production. He later originated Lightning Over Water (1980),shot in New York by Wenders and the dying Nicholas Ray. Cottrell continued to shuttle between Europe and the US until Roger Corman asked him to produce Saint Jack (1979) in Singapore.
Throughout his later life, Cottrell worked as one of the world's most prestigious subtitlers, collaborating with renowned directors such as David Lynch, Spike Lee, Pedro Almodovar, and Ridley Scott. He strived to achieve the perfect balance between translation and nuance, leaving viewers with the impression that they had not been reading at all. His dedication produced truly magical results.
