“We can no longer continue to do everything with impunity; the day will come when we will have to pay for everything, pay very generously, because we forget to be aware of violence, vileness, perversion. "
Laurent Butonna.
Composer, director, screenwriter, producer, cameraman.
Laurent Boutonne was born in Paris, France and was the eldest of 5 children. He would later employ some of his siblings in recording firms, and in 1978 his brother Dominique would star in Laurent's first feature film, La Ballade de la Fee Conductrice. Since childhood, Laurent has been shooting amateur shorts with his parent's camera - the first attempt dates back to 1971, when he filmed Bambi. When shooting, he already subordinated everything to himself - from staging to musical accompaniment, from makeup to performing roles. At the same time, he has been playing piano music since the age of 5.
During his school years, Laurent was educated by the Jesuits, and his traces can later be seen in one of his first short films. He does not like to study, he is given only literature, several times he is excluded. At the age of fifteen, he decided to quit school and look for a job. Together with the search for a part-time job, Laurent is engaged in theater courses for three years, and also writes under the guidance of a philosophy teacher.
Laurent Butonna already knows that his only goal is cinema. In his head, sketches of a full-length film begin to emerge, which he called “Georgino” (he will resume this project only ten years later). In the end, he shoots “The Ballad of the Fairy Guide”, which lasts for two weeks. Instead of returning to school, a frustrated Laurent does nothing before meeting Jean-François Chauvel. This well-known television reporter (who died in 1986) was supposed to make several scientific reports on nuclear energy. Laurent clings to the chance and persistently pursues the role of cameraman for the entire series of reports. And so he goes for a year to chronicle all over France.
Laurent Butonna is 20. He embarks on a new adventure where he uses his writing skills and recent experience in journalism. He is still drawn to the dark side of man and the ability to subvert—he begins research to write a book about infanticide. At this time, he shoots TV commercials - not out of inclination, but to make some money. Laurent makes several commercials and meets a producer working for Parafrance. He offers to make a horror film with a budget of 1,500,000 francs in two weeks. The movie will never come out. It was during this period that the first version of Georgino was written. One evening, in the company of a friend, Jerome Daan, he decides to write the words of a song that touches on the theme of childhood, which he so cares about. The next day, Jerome writes music for her, and they are happy with the result. This is how Maman a Tort, a future hit of the summer of 1984, was born. In the meantime, the book gradually remains on the sidelines - it is not destined to see the light.
The lyrics of the song speak of madness, abandonment - they would have had a greater effect if they were performed by a girl. After trying with a fifteen-year-old girl - too many legal problems - Jérôme Daan and Laurent Boutonne arrange a trial. There are about fifty girls, including Mylène Gaultier. Laurent chooses her immediately, without even listening to her sing - "because of her slightly abnormal appearance," as he would tell Noel Momer in a 1986 TV show. After the clip, shot in a video format with a budget of 5,000 francs, he has a project of a real short film to illustrate the song. Maman a tort was released in March 1984 and was quite successful thanks to manager Bertrand Le Page, who is engaged in promotion. Ten months later, the duo Daan-Boutonne wrote two more songs for Mylene Gauthier, who by then had become Mylene Farmer. On est tous des imbeciles makes itself noticeable only because of the second side of the record, signed by Boutonne. L'Annonciation talks about rape - truly Laurent's theme. The failure disappoints Laurent, and record firm RCA terminates their contract. Laurent Boutonna parted ways with Jerome Daan - they can not agree on the future career of Mylène Farmer. Almost by accident, Milin writes the lyrics of the song Plus grandir - esoteric verses to the music of Laurent. Alain Levy recently created a record company, Polydor, which bets on a French song. He immediately signed with Milin and Laurent for three albums at a time when there is no guarantee of their commercial success. The first of these albums, 1986's Cendres de lune, was almost entirely conceived by Laurent. He writes all the music, almost all the lyrics and makes the cover. This black-and-white design directly shows what Laurent wants to make of their tandem: an image built on myth. How not to remember Greta Garbo in “Romance” or Marlene Dietrich, looking at this photo, as if came out of the studio Hartcourt? Laurent Butonna plans to pursue his second feature film, based on a script from two years ago. He's even starting preparations, but the unexpected success of his collaboration with Mylène Farmer will keep him too busy to finish the project. Cendres de lune contains unforgettable hits like Libertine, but also small melodic masterpieces like Au bout de la nuit. Criticism applauds album... Laurent has laid the foundation of his world, which he will explore for ten years. The second version of the album comes out a year later and includes Tristana. This year, the director of the video for her is even nominated for Victoires de la musique.
Laurent and Milin began writing their second album, Ainsi soit je (released in late 1987). On this occasion, Laurent Butonna created his first disc production company, Toutankhamon S.A. The company ceased operations in 1997. The clip for the first single, Sans contrefacon, is full of allusions to "The Ballad of the Fairy Guide." The exclusive screening of the clip on Christmas Eve is a real event. The video for Ainsi soit je and especially the grand mini-film Pourvu qu'elles soient douces - a sequel to the filmed two years earlier Libertine - will follow. Laurent Butonna writes the script with screenwriter Gilles Laurent, to whom he presents the script of the film, sketched by him at the age of 18: G I O R G I N O. They've been working on it together for four years. One producer offers Budton to finance the film. Nothing came of it, and Laurent rewrites the plot. Since he has been producing his own shorts, he has been able to afford to spend a colossal budget, like the 1989 Sans logique. This mini-film will require expensive Arpajon equipment.
While Milin promotes and promotes the album, Laurent prepares a performance that will give him the opportunity to fully reveal his world by showing it on stage. On January 19, 1989, he formed Heathcliff S.A. to produce the tour and future films. After a try in Saint-Étienne (after which Laurent shoots the symbolic A quoi je sers) and two weeks behind closed doors at the Palace of Sport in Paris, the show will take place across France - 60 dates, of which 2 in Bercy (Paris). Laurent, meanwhile, thinks about the movie he'll make of the tour. Two evenings in Brussels, he personally shoots a concert; scenes in nature, in turn, shot in the vicinity and edited into a film. Installation of the film on 35 mm film lasts about a year. On October 26, 1989, Laurent Boutonna and Mylène Farmer teamed up to form a record company, Requiem Publishing, on the occasion of the release of the double album En concert, which subsequently released all of the singer’s discs without exception. The video was released on September 25, 1990. Laurent uses some of his scenes for two shorts: Allan and Plus grandir.
Together with the release of En Concert, Laurent Butonna writes the music for ten songs for Mylène Farmer’s new album L’Autre. He uses the filming of Desenchantee and Regrets in Hungary in February 1991 to "scout the area" for his future Georgino. Laurent is nominated for Victoires de la musique for the second time in his career as director of the Desenchantee video. During 1992, he devoted himself entirely to the preparation for the shooting - the scenery, the selection of actors. However, he takes time to film the educational program "Parents, si vous saviez" (Parents, if you knew), to shoot the video Je t'aime melancolie in Los Angeles and Beyond my control, which was his last short film - at least as we understand it. . .
Georgino's filming begins in December 1992. First, scenes are shot outdoors, then scenes indoors (in Slovakia). In May 1993, the editing and writing of the musical accompaniment to the film follows. Laurent returned to the Czech Republic and recorded music with the Philharmonic Orchestra in Prague. A long period of post-creation, associated with the desire for perfection, ended in August 1994. After eight years of work, Giorgino finally hits the screens on October 5, 1994. Defeated by criticism and released at an unfortunate moment, the film suffers a complete failure. .
After the failure of Giorgino Laurent Butonna is going through a very difficult period, which should not stop. During the filming of the film, their relationship with Mylène Farmer was very tense - one technician told the press about violent clashes between two like-minded people. Laurent and Mylain decide to put an end to their film collaboration (most likely to ultimately preserve their union, both professional and personal). Milena Farmer leaves for Los Angeles and begins writing songs. Laurent joined her in March 1995 and wrote 11 songs for her upcoming album Anamorphosee. Apparently, they have since decided to work together but not see each other, avoiding filming where they would have to meet face to face. Laurent Boutonna will not direct any more music videos for Mylene Farmer and will only co-direct Live a Bercy in 1996, alongside François Hans, his longtime assistant. Milena Farmer now works with other directors. Clips of Marcus Nispel and Abel Ferrara completely fall out of the “Budonne style”, and the works of François Hans, Michael Hausman and Ching Siu-Tung plot and atmosphere approach some of his short films. Stuntman Mario Louraschi, who often worked with Butonna, invites him to write the music for his first feature film in 1996. The result is a bit like the music for Georgino, with some passages borrowed from Vertige written months before.
Laurent Boutonna denies all interviews and Giorgino's public screening - apparently considering it a "damn movie." However, the film was released in November 1995 on Canal+. Laurent waits for 1997 to pick up the camera again. He is working with former actress Natalie Cardon, for whom he will shoot 4 music videos: Hasta Siempre, Populaire, Mon ange, and the last - Baila si - in June 2000. They're not bad, but they don't make you talk about yourself - they didn't bring anything new to his already finished world. The success of Hasta Siempre will not be repeated by the subsequent singles, nor the album Cardon released in March 2000.
In May 1999, Milen Farmer released Innamoramento, 8 of 13 songs written by Laurent Boutonna. The album is a terrific success - sales figures, as for previous albums, exceed a million. The bud, of course, does not shoot a single clip for him. He did not tour Mylenium Tour from September 1999 to March 2000. The creation of the video concert is entrusted to Francois Hans.
Laurent Boutonne seems to have preferred business activity to a creative career (but one could say that Milene Farmer followed this path, too). On June 19, 1997, he formed the production company Calliphora S.A. for Natalie Cardon and gradually abandoned Heathcliff and Toutankhamon (the latter ended its activity in 1997, in the credits Live a Bercy opposite its name you can see a small cross). Since then, Milena Farmer has been producing her own CDs with the help of Stuffed Monkey.
Laurent Boutonna and Mylene Farmer still own the record company Requiem Publishing. In May 2000, the company produced a new singer - Alise, which they discovered in the television program Graines des Stars. Laurent writes music with a dance rhythm for the song Moi Lolita, and Milin - the lyrics to the song. The CD was released on July 4, 2000, two weeks before the release of Innamoramento, Milena's last single from the album of the same name. And in late July there is a video of Moi Lolita, shot by Laurent.
From time to time, full-length films by Laurent Boutonne are shown in cinemas (for example, in 1998 in Montpellier showed clips, En concert and Georgino) as part of the program "Milen Farmer on the big screen". The last such incident took place on June 17, 2000 at the Max Linder cinema in Paris in front of 300 spectators.