Jean-Marie Straub (born 8 January 1933) is a French-born German film director. He is best known for his collaborations with his wife and creative partner Danièle Huillet. Straub has been described as one of the most influential filmmakers of the postwar era, and is considered a major figure in the New German Cinema of the 1970s and 1980s.
Straub was born in Metz, France, to a German father and a French mother. He grew up in an artistic family and attended the Lycée Voltaire in Paris before studying at the Sorbonne. He was deeply influenced by Jean Renoir's films, particularly his early works, and was inspired to become a filmmaker. Straub was also inspired by the films of Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut, and by the work of German director and writer Robert Bresson.
Straub co-directed his first feature film, Machorka-Muff, with Huillet in 1963. The film, which was based on a Heinrich Böll story, is an exploration of the power of the military and its effects on the human soul. The film was well received and was nominated for the 1965 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Straub and Huillet went on to collaborate on a number of films, including Not Reconciled (1965), Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach (1967), and The Bridegroom, The Comedienne, and the Pimp (1968). Their films often focused on the intersection of politics and art. They also experimented with form, often combining elements of documentary and narrative in their work.
Straub and Huillet's most celebrated and influential film is The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach (1968), which is a portrait of the life of Johann Sebastian Bach. The film has been described as a “masterwork” and was praised for its innovative use of music, its formal rigor, and its precise mise-en-scène. The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Straub and Huillet continued to make films together, including Moses and Aaron (1975) and Too Early, Too Late (1981). Their films were often controversial and were often banned in Germany due to their political content.
In recent years, Straub has continued to work as a filmmaker, making films such as Italy, Year One (
