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Dr.JACKandMr.NICHOLSONA52’documentarydirectedbyEmmanuelleNobecourtProducedbyARTEFranceandMORGANEPRODUCTIONProvisionalDelivery:WINTER2018

PITCH:Everyoneknowshim,butnooneknowsthemanbehindtheactor.

Howdidthiscommonyoungmanbecometheiconofcounter-cultureovernight?

Who is hiding behind the most famous smile of Hollywood, beneath the womanizer and theindisputablybelovedstar?Atormentedman,amanobsessedwithwomen,whohatesthemasmuchashe loves them.Amanplaguedbya silentangeranddrivenbyan irresistible thirst togeteven.Wheredoeshisextraordinarypassionforlifecomefrom?Sexy,crazy,rebel,scary,andoutofcontrol,thisdocumentaryrevealsthemultiplefacesandcomplexpersonalityofJackNicholsonthroughhisfilms.

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SYNOPSIS:Theycallhim“MisterHollywood”.Overacareerspanningfiftyyearswithmorethansixtyfilms,threeOscars,aBestActorawardattheCannesFilmFestivalandnearlyfortynominations,JackNicholsonhasbecomeaninstitutioninHollywood,whileremainingfiercelyrebellious.At80,hehastofaceanewreality:althoughhissoulisstillthatofaninveterateseducer,decencyforbidshimtoparadeatthearmofbeautifulyoungwomenjustoldenoughtobehisdaughters.Secluded inhisHollywoodlair,Jacknowlivesasanoldlonewolf.ButJackNicholsonremainstheleaderofthepack.Hestillhasthisauraofmysteryonwhichtimehasnoeffectandthatonlylivinglegendspossess.Oblivioustocriticism,polemicsandrules,hecontinuestobethemostelusiveofAmericanactors.EveryoneknowsJackNicholson,butnobodyreallyknowswhohe is.He remains an indecipherable enigma,whichhe cunningly keeps behindhis sunglassesandcheekygrin.Jack’sstorystartswith theabsenceofhis father thathealwayssought tocompensate,andwithablurryidentitythatheexploitedratherthanclarified.His filmography is like a treasure hunt, his films are for him “a big book, his hidden work - anautobiography.”Thisconfessionsoundslikeaninvitationtolookforthemanbehindthecharactersandgatherthepiecesofthepuzzlebyourselves.

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TREATMENTFROMJOHNDOETOICON(1950s-1960s)In 1969, when Jack Nicholson became a star with Easy Rider, he was already 32 and had beendesperatelytryingtomake it inHollywoodfor fifteenyears.This laterecognitionwasanythingbuteasy for the “young” actor who had not been destined to be the star we all know. How did thisaverageEast-CoastAmerican, thisordinaryyoungman,becametheheroofcounter-culture in justonemovie?JackwasbornonApril22,1937inNeptune,inasmalltowninNewJersey.Hegrewupinafamilyofstrongwomen:hismother,EthelMay,or "Mud",who ranahairdressing salon;his sister Lorraine,whomarriedearlytobecomeahousewife;andJune,themosteccentric,wholeftforCaliforniatobea dancer. His mother’s business was flourishing, the family was close and Jack was spoiled withattention.Butbehindwhatlookedlikeaclassicandratherhappychildhoodliedamorecomplexreality.Jack'sfather,JohnJ.Nicholson,anexemplarycitizenanddevoutCatholic,fellovernightintoalcoholismandleftthehousebeforeJackreallyhadtimetoknowhim.Theloveandcarethathismotherandsistersprovidedhimwerenotenoughtofillthevoidleftbyhisabsentfather.Todrawattention,theyoungboythrewspectacular temper tantrumsthat“shookthehouse likeanearthquake.”Theangryandsolitarychildbecameanungratefulanddifficultteenager.Ontopofthat,hewasanerdwhoskippedaclass,somethinghewasnotproudof.Duringhisschoolyears, Jack began to act dumber than hewas to get rid of his A-student image. Camouflaging hisintellect,hebeteverythingonhisextraordinarycharisma.Whenat16hedecidedtoleaveeverythingbehindtomovetotheWestCoastandlivewithhissisterJune,hetookeveryonebysurprise.Nobodycould imagine him going anywhere. After all, he was just a class clownwho never took anythingseriously.HearrivedinCaliforniainthemid-1950s.Atthetime,LosAngeleswasstillasmalltown,somewhatprovincial but glamourous. Jack immediately felt at home. There, nobody knew who he was,everyonehadlefttheirpastbehindtoreinventtheirlife.ForJack,itwasthebeginningofsometoughyears,butalsoofthetrainingyears.Hetookactingclasses,ranfromonecastingtothenextwithoutstandingoutinthecrowd,andjoinedagroupofyoungactors,directorsandscreenwriters,makingtheir debut with Roger Corman. The King of B movies in Hollywood gave Jack his first role in acomedy,TheLittleShopofHorrors,asmallbudgetmovie inwhichheplayedamasochisticpatientwhogoestothedentistjustforthepleasureoffeelingpain.

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THELITTLESHOPOFHORRORS(1960)In real life as in his first movie roles, Jack turned out to be an outsider, slightly out of place,embracing the spirit of the timewhile not really being a part of it. If fame finally camewithEasyRider, itwasbecausehewas finally givenapart towhichhe could identify, inwhichhewas trulyhimself:anaverageAmerican,transformedbyhisconfrontationwiththecounterculturethatupsetthisera.

EASYRIDERS(1969)

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ReleasedinJuly1969,themovieinstantlyacquiredcultstatus.Itearned$20millionforabudgetof$500,000andamounted to thebirth certificateof theNewHollywood. Fromoneday to thenextJackNicholsonturnedintostar.FROMILLEGITIMATESONTOREBELSON(1970s)Asheaccessedtothestatusofmovieiconovernight,JackNicholsonbecameoneofthegreatactorsof his generation:Marlon Brando,Warren Beatty, Dennis Hopper... The biggest stars of the timewerealsothewildest. JackmovedtoBeverlyHills,onthecityheights, inamansionthatwassoondubbed “thewildestHouse inHollywood”, locatedbetweenBrando’s andBeatty’s, onMulhollandDrive,otherwiseknownasthe"BadBoyDrive"...

ViewofLosAngelesfromMulhollandDrive

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Although Jack Nicholson was now under the spotlight, neither fame nor wealth could satisfy hisinsatiableneedforrecognition.In 1974, during an interviewwith a journalist from TimeMagazine, Jack learned a terrible familysecretthathewillneverrecoverfrom.Hewas37whenhefoundoutthathissisterJunewasactuallyhismother,andEthelMay,thewomanwhoraisedhimashisson,wasinfacthisgrandmother.Thishadtheeffectofabombshell.Atthetime,thetwowomenwerealreadydead.Jack,whomanagedtodissuadethereportertopublishhisarticle,wasleftalonewithhisquestions.Hisentirelifesuddenlylookedlikeasham.That same year, Jack starred in Chinatown, a thriller set on a background of incest, directed byRomanPolanski.Hownottomakeaconnectionbetweenthefamous lineofFayeDunaway:“She'smy daughter... She'smy sister. She'smy daughter andmy sister!”, and the family secret recentlyrevealedtoNicholson?

CHINATOWN(1974)For the first time inhis life, Jackunderstoodwherethisunfathomablesenseof lack, this feelingofalwaysbeingoutofplacecamefrom:“IcameoutwiththefeelingthatIwasnotawantedchild.MymotherandfathersplitupjustbeforeIwasbornandIrealizedthatithadtobeverycomplicatedforEthelMaytoraiseachildwhilehermarriagewasfallingapart.”Hecouldfinallydecipherthereasonsfor this anger that burned deep inside him for so long and that was now feeding his brutal andtorturedanti-herocharacters.HedisplayedallthenuancesofthatangerinFiveEasyPieces,TheLastDetailandCarnalKnowledge.Hisangerwouldgradually takeover.For Jacknothingwouldeverbe thesame.Onscreen,hewasgettingdarker,morecynical.ItisdifficultnottoseeametaphorforhisgrudgeagainsttheoppositesexinthesceneinwhichhetriestostranglenurseRatchedinOneFlewOvertheCuckoo'sNestin1975.

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ONEFLEWOVERTHECUCKOO'SNEST(1975)He had never understood women and they damaged his self-confidence. Women, who left him,betrayedhimorpreventedhimfrombecomingwhathereallywas.Evenbeforeheknewthetruthabouthisbirth,Jackwasneverafeminist.Whenhedirectedhisfirstfilm,Drive, He Said in 1971, Nicholson insisted that one of the actresses appear naked in all herscenes.Atthetime,hesaid,provocative:“Iwastiredofactingproper.Ijustwantedtoshowanakedwoman,withoutanyparticularreason.”Moviesallowedhimtoseducewomen,manipulatethem,bullythemandabusethem,wheninreallifetheymadehimsuffer.Buttheactordidnotonlydrawfromhispsychetocreatehisperformances. In1970,whenCharlesManson,wastrialledformultiplemurders,Nicholsonwenttothehearingsalmosteveryday.HemayhavebeenfriendswithSharonTate,thewifeofRomanPolanski,oneofthemurdervictims,buttheactorcouldnotresisthisfascinationforthepersonalityoftheguruandhisbulging,dementedeyes.ItishardnottoseethelinkbetweentheterrifyingexpressiononManson’sfaceandthefamousgazethatJackNicholsondevelopedforhischaracterofJackTorranceinTheShining.TherevelationabouthisbirthreleasedsomethingdarkinsideJackNicholson,aninnerragethatheletrunitscourse.Fromthenon,heunleashedinhisrolestheviolentimpulsethatconsumedhim.

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FROMPSYCHODRAMATOTHEPSYCHOPATH(1980S)ThecharacterofthewriterwhofallsintomadnessinTheShiningin1980wasthefirststepofalongcatharsis. In an interview, he declared that everything he was “doing in movies [was]autobiographical”,andthat“havingdubiousorigins [was]agreatasset.”All themoredubiousthathestilldidn’tknowanddidn’twanttoknowwhohisrealfatherwas.SuspicionfellonamannamedDon Furcillo-Rose, a small businessman from New Jersey. When he found out that his son hadbecomeamoviestar,herelentlesslytriedtoreconnectwithhim.Invain.Theonlyanswerhewouldgetwould take the form of an unwavering letterwritten by the lawyers of the actor: “Our clientdeniesanddismissesyourunfoundedallegationsclaimingthatyouarethefatherofMr.Nicholson.Thesestatementsarefalseanddefamatory.”

SHINING(1980)Jackseemedtohavelefthispastbehind.Hisonlyfamilywasagangofhard-corepartiers,likehim,and filmmakers, theonlyonesheagreed toworkwith,because theyknewwhohe reallywasandgavehimtailoredroles inspiredbyhis largerthan lifepersonality.This iswhyherefusedtoplay incultmoviessuchasTheSting,TheGreatGatsbyandTheGodfather,andratherworkedwithRomanPolanskiorJohnHuston.ForJack,JohnHustonwasnotonlyagreatdirectorwhomheadmired,butalsoarolemodelandasurrogatefather.Whichwasnotfarfromreality,asJackandAnjelicaHuston,John’sdaughter,werethemost glamorous couple inHollywood for 17 years. Itwas Jack’s longest andmost tumultuouslovestory.Aftersomanytoughyearsriddledwithguiltandbadluck,Jackfinallygothisrevengeandturnedintoasexualpredator.InThePostmanAlwaysRingsTwiceandinTheWitchesofEastwick,hedeclaredtobe a “horny little devil”. And in real life, his affairwith a 28 years oldmodelwas on the cover ofPlayboy. Anjelica Huston eventually left him for good in 1989, when she learned that another ofJack’smistresseswaspregnant.

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AfterAnjelicaandhebrokeup,hecutloosewitheverythingthatconnectedhimtohisformerlife.Hewasreadytoletthemadnessofhischaracterscompletelyoverwhelmhim.Inhis last80’srole,theJoker inBatman,heabandonedonceand forall theboundariesbetweenmanandactor.This rolerepresentedthepinnacleofhismadnessandofhiscelebrityandestablishedforgoodtheultimatesignatureofJackNicholsoninthecollectiveimagination:hissmile.ThetimehadcomeforNicholsontoshowhistrueself:“Jackisdead.YoucancallmeJoker.”

BATMAN(1989)

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FROM"MISTERHOLLYWOOD"TOJACKTHEVETERAN(1990s-2000s)In the early 1990s, Jack Nicholson was at the peak of his career. People called him “MisterHollywood”.Afterhiswhopping$60millionfeeforBatman,hebecameoneoftherichestactorsinHollywood,withawealthestimatedatmorethan$300million.Now inhis late50s, Jackwaswellrespectedbutstillhadnorespectforanything.Hecontinuedtoblithelysmoke,drinkandusedrugsofallkinds,andtoshowoffwithwomenwhowereyoungenoughtobehisdaughters.Butonceatthetop,thefallwasunavoidable.Bycontinuouslystatingloudandclearhiscontemptfororderandgoodmoralshefoundhimselfincreasinglymarginalized.BehindthegreatNicholson,anotherJackbegantoshow.Anageingman,whohadtroubleacceptinggrowingold.Anincreasinglynostalgicmanwhowashauntedbyhispastdemons.WhenRebeccaBroussard,themotherofhisdaughterLorraineandhissonRaymond, lefthimforayoungermanafterasixyearsrelationship,Nicholsonwasdevastated.Behindhismaskoftheindomitablepredatorliedawoundedanimal,abandonedbyallthewomenheeverloved,andwhoneverreallyrecoveredfromit.HisbeastlyperformanceinWolfin1994showedthefirstsignsofweakness.Forthedirector,themoviewasabout“ageingmenandtheirsexuality.AmoviethatcouldnotfitbetterwithJack’spresentlife.”Lossofappetite,exhaustion,thecrazyanimalhadturnedlittlebylittleintoanoldandwornoutwolf:“TherearealotofnormalthingsIcan'tdoanymore.Icannolongerworkonafilmfortwelvehoursand then go out at night bar-hopping. My sex drive is not the same. It makes me sad.” Hisprovocativegazehaddisappearedbehindsunglassesthathealwayskeptinpublic.Notonlytoshieldhimself from the cameras of reporters, but also to conceal his age: “With my glasses, I'm JackNicholson.Withoutthem,I'mfatandI'm60.”TheisolatedandneuroticwriterwhoeventuallyfoundloveinAsGoodasItGetsin1996constitutedthe transition into the finalphaseofhis career,madeof introspective roles. Jack letgoand finallyshowedhimselfashewas:a tiredbeast,markedby theyears, stillwildbut lessagile,and terriblyhuman.

ASGOODASITGETS(1996)

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In1996,TheCrossingGuard looked for themanbehind thestar. Inanalmostdocumentary-style,Sean Penn, the director, pictured Freddie, the bruised and revenge-obsessed father in aworld ofoutcastsandgirls.Itmarkedtheendofanera.

THECROSSINGGUARD(1996)An era that ended for good withMr Schmidt in 2002, Nicholson’s last major role. He played anarchetypal old and averageAmerican, like a distant and nostalgic echo of the one thatmade himfamousinEasyRider.EPILOGUEJackNicholsonvanishedfromthescreensin2010.Afilmographyof63filmsthatgiveusglimpsesofthe man behind the screen, but the mystery remains. Secluded in his Hollywood mansion, JackNicholson does not need to hide behind his equivocal smile anymore. By retreating from thespotlight,thelastlivingHollywoodiconiscreatinghislegend.

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INTENTION

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Throughacareeroffiftyyearsandmorethansixtyfilmswithsomeofthegreatestdirectorsofthetime,JackNicholsonhascontributedtoredefinethenotionofactorandtoreshapethelandscapeofAmericancinema.An iconicsuperstar,butalso thesubtle incarnationofhis timethroughhis rolesandpersonallife, impervioustocriticism,polemicsandsocialnorms,Jackremainsthemostelusiveof Hollywood actors. Never quite himself, never quite another, he always aimed at creatingconfusion.Hiddenbehindhisirresistiblesmileandhissunglasses,heexposedhisqualmsonscreen,expressinghisidentitydisordersthroughhisroles.Asheconfessed,theyarehis“hiddenbiography”.Withtheclueshegivesusandthroughallthecharactersthathehasincarnated,thefilmattemptstoidentifywhoisactuallythemanbehindthepretence.THENARRATIONEverythingbeginsandendswithJackNicholsonsmiling.Fascinatingandmagnetic,itishissignature,theultimateweapon,aseffectivetoseduceasitistoterrorize,themaskthatconcealshismystery.Fromonesmile to thenext, fromonerole to thenext, the filmgoes insearchof the truthhiddenbeneaththesurface.Thenarrative isbuiltaroundtwoaxes tightlywoventogether: thechronologicalaccountofhis lifeandofhiscareer,withadescriptionofthevariousperiodsinwhichhelivedinthebackground.FILMARCHIVEThe filmography of Jack Nicholson offers all the necessary narrative milestones to tell his life,becausehis filmsdisturbingly reflecthis complexpersonality,his lovesand torments.Filmextractsareadeterminingfactorinthestructureofthefilmandareattheheartofthenarrative.Extractswillbeusedinthefollowingway:

- ToillustratethelifeofJackNicholson.Becauseyoucanneverreallyseparatethemanfromallthecharactersheplayedon-screen,extractsareusedtoevokethestoryofhislife,shinealightonitsdarkcornersandillustrateitshighlights.

- Fromastrictlycinematicpointofview:Toshowcasethehighlightsofthefilmographyofthe

actor,theevolutionofhisroles,themilestonesinhiscareer.STILLIMAGESThe iconographic documents are also important: photos, contact sheets, movie posters, pressarticles,scenarios,completethenarrativeelaboratedbythefilmedimages.Mixingprivateandpublicelements,thediversityofthismaterialcontributestorevealthemanbehindthelegend.InhabitedbytheinimitablevoiceofJackNicholson,theyacquireanevocativepowerthattranscendsit.THESHOOTINGFinally,Hollywoodtodayisoneoftheimportantelementsofthefilm.Notonlyitiswheremostofthewitnessesinterviewedareliving,butthecityisalsothemainsetforJackNicholson’slife,career,andwherehewasmadeking.Heneverleftitsincehegotthereinthe1950s.Wearefollowinghisfootstepsinplacesattachedtohislegend:HollywoodHill,SunsetBoulevard,MulhollandDrive,LaurelCanyon,thegreatstudios...WITNESSESThenarration compiles several voices. First and foremost thatof JackNicholson.Henever fanciedtelevision, and did not participate in the programs that regularly invite actors: talk shows,masterclasses,etc.Alittleuncomfortableinpublic,helimitstoabareminimumhisspeechesinthevariouscelebrations(Oscars,GoldenGlobes).

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However, there are a few and very interesting interviews of him for TV, radio, and also pressconferences.In addition, he has given many and long interviews to the print media, including magazines likePlayboy,RollingStoneandVanityFair,excerptsofwhichwillbereadbythenarratorofthefilm.Theseinterviewsaretherawmaterialfromwhichwegettowriteafirstlevelandintimatenarrative.Other voices respond to him, those of witnesses chosen among co-workers or friends. Directors,actorsandactresses,hisbiographer,afilmcritic...Theiraffectionate,distanced,amused,orcriticaltestimonies are built into a “fictitious” dialogue that complements, supports, nuances or clarifiesNicholson’sstory.MUSICSongsandmusicremindingtheyearswithwhichtheyareassociatedwillbeusedduringeditingassoundarchives.Butanoriginalsoundtrackseemsessential.Like for fiction, itmakesthecharactermore expressive, points out the developments of the narrative, underlines the atmosphere, theadventures,theunderlyingmovements.Itgivesconsistencyandcolourtothefilm.PARTICIPANTSBobRafelson,Director-FriendofJack.Theyknoweachothersince1965,hedirectedhimin5films.He can testify to the tough years, the transition to celebrity, the actor atwork, the intimate andmulti-facetedperson.AnjelicaHuston,ActressandlifecompanionofJackNicholsonfor17years…Shecantalkabouttheirrelationship,Jackandthewomen,hisfamilysecret,Jackandhisfather,hisgang,atwork,etc...DannyDeVito,Actoranddirector-FriendofJackwhoplayedwithhiminOneFlewOvertheCuckoo’sNestin1975anddirectedhiminHoffain1992.Heknowshimintimatelyandatworkasanactor.WarrenBeatty,Actoranddirector-FriendofJackNicholson,withwhomheplayedinTheFortunein1975andthatdirected him in Reds in 1981. He can testify to the wild years of debauchery, the evolution ofHollywoodandhowJackhaschanged.MerylStreep,Actress-AfemininecounterparttoJackintermsofstatusinHollywood.Sheplayedwithhimin2movies:Heartburnin1986andIronweedin1987.Theyarefriends.ShecantellusaboutJackatwork,hisrelationshipwithwomen,hisstardom,theevolutionofhisroles.(Ifnotavailable,eventuallyJaneFonda)SeanPenn,Director -Hedirected Jack inTheCrossingGuard in1995andThePledge in2001. IntroducedatayoungageinthegangofJack'sfriends,heexperiencedthewildyearsofdebauchery.Buthedirectedtheactorinhislateperiodandcantestifytotheevolutionofthemanandofhisrelationtooldage.PatrickMcGilligan,AuthorofthestandardbiographyJack'sLife,2015Hecantalkaboutanypointofthestory.Jean-BaptisteThoret,Filmcritic-Specialistofthe“NewHollywood”.

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JackNicholsonwithAngelicaHuston

…andwithMerylStreep.

Contact:ARTESALES-sales.arte.tv–infosales@artefrance.fr