another recurrent feature which has been noted, especially in Becker's willingness to depart from the main thrust of the narrative to follow seemingly inessential moments in the lives of his characters through which they become more deeply embedded in their context. The frequent observations that Becker's films are difficult to classify, because they are so varied in style and genre, are supported by a remark that Becker made about himself in an interview: he said that he had been haunted by the notion of being 'pigeon-holed', and this was something he had long paid attention to in his choice of work. Becker also expressed his ideas about film authorship in an article published in 1947, in which he argued that directors should work on their own screenplays and make their films personal. This was some years before proponents of the New Wave expressed similar principles. The judgment that Becker's films can be seen as both classic and modern reflects the fact that he himself learned his craft as Jean Renoir's assistant on some of the great films of the 1930s and he went on to become an inspiration to some of the younger film-makers of the 1950s and 1960s, while his own films often drew intimate portraits of his own times in the years between. Filmography Director Assistant director References Further reading Kemp, Philip. "Jacques Becker: life in the dead time", in Film Comment, vol. 35, no. 1, Jan/Feb. 1999. pp. 40–46. Vignaux, Valérie. Jacques Becker: ou l'exercice de la liberté . Liège: CEFAL, 2000. . [In French]. External links Jacques Becker at They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?. 1906 births 1960 deaths French male screenwriters 20th-century French screenwriters French film directors French people of Irish descent French people of Lorrainian descent Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery Directors of Palme d'Or winners 20th-century French male writers