Gerard Depardieu at the 1989 funeral service of French actor Bernard Blier, the father of provocative director Bertrand Blier

Provocative French filmmaker Bertrand Blier, who scored hits with transgressive comedies featuring Gerard Depardieu and Isabelle Huppert such as "Going Places" and "Get Out Your Handkerchiefs," has died.

Veteran French film provocateur Bertrand Blier, who has died aged 85, made some of the country's biggest arthouse hits of the 1970s and 1980s, but is perhaps best known for unleashing the Gallic megastar Gerard Depardieu on the world.

The French film director Bertrand Blier, the creator of cult and provocative films such as Les Valseuses, Buffet Froid, and Tenue de Soirée, has died The veteran filmmaker, celebrated for his

Bertrand Blier, the irreverent French film director behind Oscar-winning romantic comedy Get Out Your Handkerchiefs, has died aged 85. Blier left his mark on 1970s and 1980s French cinema with films known for their dark humour and cynicism.