Claude AutantLara was a French film director and later Member of the European Parliament MEP Born at Luzarches in ValdOise AutantLara was educated in France and at Londons Mill Hill School during his mothers exile as a pacifist Early in his career he worked as an art director and costume designer his bestknown work in this vein was possibly for Nana 1926 a silent film directed by Jean Renoir AutantLara also acted in the film As a director he frequently created provocative movies saying if a film does not have venom it is worthless In the 1960s he turned his back on the New Wave movement and from then on he had no popular successes On 18 June 1989 he came to public notice again controversially when he was elected to the European Parliament as a member of the National Front and the oldest member of the assembly In his maiden speech in July 1989 he caused a scandal by expressing his concerns about the American cultural threat provoking a walkout by the majority of the deputies In an interview granted to the monthly magazine Globe in September 1989 he accused exPresident of the European Parliament and Holocaust survivor Simone Veil of playing ethnic politics to try and infiltrate and dominate saying that If they try to speak to me about genocide I say they missed mother Veil He also described Nazi gas chambers as a string of lies The resulting scandal led to his resignation as European deputy Moreover the members of the Académie des BeauxArts of which he was a vicepresident for life voted to prohibit him from taking his seat thenceforth His memoir The Rage in the Heart appeared in 1984 He died at Antibes in AlpesMaritimes in 2000 From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
HydraHD
