The death of Claude Gerard, an emblematic figure of independent Parisian cinema

Emblematic figure of Parisian exploitation, owner of Espace Saint-Michel (5^e arondissement), an independent cinema with two screens, Claude Gerard died on January 24 in Paris at the age of 77. The exhibition wanted to make recorded films, open to the world and revive the debate of ideas. He will live all his life in the capital, where he was born on January 31, 1945, except for some time spent in Senegal, where he did military service.

His Parisian address didn’t change either: it was a cinema at 7, place Saint-Michel, a family history dating back to the end of the 19th century.^e century. Originally, in 1880, the place was a restaurant – “Bouillon” – owned by Victor Gandon. Slowly he felt the wind turn. The cinema took off and Gandon converted the space into a projection room with a balcony: the Saint-Michel cinema opened its doors in 1911. In 1918, it was given to the husband of Victor Gandon’s niece, Gaston Gerard, Claudius’ grandfather. Gaston’s son, Jean Gerard, took over the reins in 1947, and in 1986 he passed the reins to his son, Claude.

However, Claude Gerard started a different career. After high school (Montaigne) and high school (Louis-le-Grand), he entered the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC), founded a consulting company, and taught accounting at the University of Paris-Dauphin. A great athlete, he also played volleyball at a high level. But the cinephile that he was, from an early age—after class, he’d run into the darkroom—he didn’t hesitate to pick up the torch of exploitation.

daily ritual

People close to him describe a man who never gave up, even when a fire broke out in the cinema on the night of October 22-23, 1988: Catholic fundamentalists then set fire to the room to protest the programming. The last temptation of Christ (1988), Martin Scorsese – Thirteen people were injured. The cinema reopened three years later, in 1991, under the new name Espace Saint-Michel, symbolizing a place of life and freedom of expression – with a bar, concerts and above all debates broadcast live for several years. YouTube channel.

Claude Gerard spent his life or almost in his cinema, even if he did not miss the daily ritual of crossing the Boulevard Saint-Michel to buy his newspaper at the kiosk. A craftsman, he delegated a bit, doing “accounts” for the company, fixing the electricity or the leak in the basement (often due to the proximity of the Seine) in overalls.