Gaumont
is a French film production and distribution company. It was founed in 1895 by Léon Gaumont, making it the oldest film company in the world (its current slogan is aptly "Depuis que le cinéma existe" - "Since cinema exists"). Only Pathé is almost as old (1896) and still operating. Its historical logo is a stylized oxeye daisy surrounding the name's first letter, "G". Its shape has changed a number of times.
The company's golden age is widely agreed to have been the tenure of producer Alain Poiré from The '50s to the Turn of the Millennium, particularly in the comedy genre. The company's previous Western Animation unit, Gaumont Multimedia became Xilam after Marc du Pontavince left the studio in 1999. Many years later, Gaumont purchased the French animation studio Alphanim in 2008 and later renamed it to Gaumont Animation.
From 1993 to 2004, Gaumount's titles were theatrically distributed via Gaumont Buena Vista International, a joint venture between Gaumont and Disney France. From early 2004 to 2007, their titles were distributed through Gaumont Columbia TriStar Films, a joint venture between Gaumont and Sony Pictures and one of the many companies and partnerships that both parties had formed. Currently, Gaumont distributes its films theatrically and on home video in France themselves.
Some former heads of Gaumont, StudioCanal, and Wild Bunch would later go on to found Charades.
Gaumont's CEO is Nicolas Seydoux since 1975. He's the brother of Pathé's own CEO, Jérôme Seydoux and granduncle of actress Léa Seydoux.
Films produced by Gaumont on this site include:
- The 7th Company film series (1973-1977)
- 36 quai des Orfèvres (2004)
- 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
- Ace of Aces (1982)
- Aline (2021)
- Asterix animated films:
- Asterix Versus Caesar (1985)
- Asterix in Britain (1986)
- Asterix and the Big Fight (1989)
- Ballerina (2016)
- Les Barbouzes (1964)
- Betty Blue (1986)
- The Big Blue (1988)
- The Boy and the Beast (2015, with Studio Chizu and Toho)
- Camille Claudel (1988)
- Captain Fracassa's Journey (1990)
- La Chèvre (1981)
- The Closet (2001)
- Cop or Hood (1979)
- The Crimson Rivers (2000)
- Danton (1983)
- Delusions of Grandeur (1971)
- Le Dernier Vol (2009)
- The Dinner Game (1998)
- Diplomacy (2014)
- Fanny and Alexander (1982)
- Fantômas serial (1910s)
- Fantômas film series (1964-1967)
- The Fifth Element (1997)
- Gramps Is in the Resistance (1983)
- Guardian Angels (1995)
- Hibernatus (1969)
- Intouchables (2011)
- JCVD (2008)
- Kung Fu Zohra (2022)
- The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999)
- The Mystery of Henri Pick (2019)
- Ne nous fâchons pas (1966)
- Nikita (1990)
- Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
- Only God Forgives (2013)
- OSS 117 film series, from the 1960s to this day
- OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006)
- OSS 117: Lost in Rio (2009)
- OSS 117: From Africa with Love (2021)
- Police (1985)
- The Professional (1994)
- Le Professionnel (1981)
- Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)
- The Science of Sleep (2006)
- See You Up There (2017)
- Série noire (1979)
- Snow and Fire (1991)
- Splice (2010)
- The Tall Blond Man film series
- That Night in Varennes (1982)
- Les Tontons flingueurs (1963)
- The Umbrella Coup (1980)
- Les Vampires (1915-1916)
- Les Visiteurs film series (1993-2016)
- Just Visiting (2001)
