Just Jaeckin

Jaeckin was born in Vichy, Allier, French State during the Second World War, but left with his mother and father for England. Following the end of hostilities, he returned to France where he studied art and photography, before and after serving with the French Army: while with the army, he shot photographs as commissioned.

Jaeckin debuted with Emmanuelle in 1974, starring Sylvia Kristel, a French softcore film which began a series. In 1975 he directed Histoire d'O (English title: Story of O), starring Corinne Cléry. The film met with far less acclaim than the 1954 novel on which it was based. It was banned in the United Kingdom by the British Board of Film Censors until February 2000. A version of Lady Chatterley's Lover (1981) followed, featuring Kristel, Shane Briant, and Nicholas Clay. The film gained widespread publicity owing to its explicit nature, but received generally poor reviews and was only a moderate commercial success. The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak (original title Gwendoline) was released in 1984, starring Tawny Kitaen. The film is loosely based on the bondage-themed comics of John Willie and on the figure of Gwendoline. François Schuiten worked as a graphic designer for the film. A 1986 article in the Los Angeles Times linked Jaeckin and actress Mary Louise Weller to "an upcoming French film." However, it never appeared.

Jaeckin later retired from film-making. He lived in France with his wife Anne and continued to practice photography and sculpture. Jaeckin died from cancer in a hospital near his home in Saint-Malo on 6 September 2022.