Claude Lelouch (b. 30th October, 1937) became for a while one of the most popular and influential directors in Europe after Un homme at une femme (A Man and a Woman, 1966) became an international hit, winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes and an Oscar for best foreign language film. Taking a simpler, more straightforward approach to narrative than his colleagues in the Nouvelle Vague, Lelouch has consistently found success at the box office despite frequent disparagement of his work by critics.