f you wish, explain also why, exactly, François debeaurivage (i don't know if i writted his name correctly) and Frank Thrin hated you, because i never understood the deep reason of their hate, jealousy ?
Beaurivage ?
I presented him and also a lightman called Bruno to Mario Salieri in 1991 at the bar of the ex Concorde hotel porte maillot in Paris.
It was a secret as they were the official team of Dorcel but at this time I was workig with Mario and Francois + Bruno was my friends and I wanted help them to earn more money. Also they were the best his their speciality at this time.
When I brought Michel Ricaud with me to Seychelles in June 1993, both guys was with us and all was perfect until the accident causing the death of Michel.
Next day I had to explain all the team ( 28 people ) that I had to give a deposit of 70 000 franc to the french ambassy to paid the repatriation of the coffin to Paris and the costs of biering ( in fact it was only for 48 h because he had an american express card and all was paid so I got back this money ) and at this moment I had ben obliged call the owner of Priavte, Berth Milton, to ask him to paid the last part of salaries. But he said if I brought back 2 films everyone got his salary but if I brought back only one, then they stay as they was ( I had alredy paid 100 % Michel Ricaud and everybody got 50 % advance before we left France. I was in my appartment with 14 people when I did this advance paiement ).
At first almost nobody wanted continue after the death of Michel, me the first, but after I said that about money what will happened I proposed a vote with hand up about who want continue and who not, but ONLY ONE PERSON went out in tears and say " fuck you all I will not work and I don't care the money, it was my ex make up, Sophie Lacharmeuse.
So we decided to finish the second movie and as I was part of the synopsis and executive producer I had to direct Francois de Beaurivage for the scene with Laura Catwomen and Renate on the balcony. Very fast ambiance became electric between Francois and me. Finaly he put the camera on the ground and left the house. I put the camera in automatic ( I have no idea how to use a Betacam ) and I finished the scene myself. And next day the same ...
Three days later in the morning I was with the french ambassador and police, at the morgue to sign papers as I see there was Michel body inside the coffin and I attested they closed the wood box containing the coffin with lead. Also I got all personal effect of Michel which was taken by police and also the police report with autopsy paper for his mother.we was nearly on departure.
Then I came back very sad to the small island where all the ream was and we was packaging all to fly in Paris the evening.
When I counted the batacam tapes, one was missing. I asked Francois but he said all had been given to me. But I knew he was lying. Time of the lunch I went in his bedroom and found the missing tape in his bag. At this time I was thinking he picked up a rush just to fuck me up when the editing team will work on it and make me responsable of this loss. ( I was far from the truth ).
We went bac to France, I gave all personal effect of Michel, not to his mother ( huge mistake ) but to his girlfriend mother of his two children + 29 000 francs on top of the 100 000 I had given him front of people before the travel. That was my last money in pocket but I was so sad, so much feeling guilty for his death because I brought him there, that I will have done anything that she could forgive me.
So I did another mistake, giving her the police report without make a copy. I just asked her if I could take in the bag one of Michel's cigares as souvenir of him( I still have it ) and she agreed.
Few days later, in the press started to be some stranges innuendo, that maybe it was not an accident in Seychelles and Michel's death could have other reasons. It was written in Detective that he was pushed from the top of a cliff ( place he died was flat and we did a scene there the week before the accident ) and also various people was starting live some rude message on my answer machine " murderer, asshole you killed him" etc ... and I was really desesparate to the point I decided stop porn and I went far from Paris in my parents home with my girfriend. I stayed there two weeks but fast was two problems for me, first I had no more cashflow and second, the editing team for the two Private films was a couple leaving at 30 km from Paris, Norma and Philippe, working EXCLUSIVELY in theory for ...Marc Dorcel. Of course all was secret and only Michel Ricaud and me knew about this deal.
But Norma needed my help to understand the synopsys of the two films and also she insisted there was something HORRIBLE she needed to show me but refused speak on the phone.
In same time as I needed money I called Berth Milton and told him I needed some cash to produce new photo shootings in Russia in August. So I came back to Paris.
And then some friends told me " I was in Italie last week on Salieri shooting and Francois said during a diner : " when two men goes together alone on a beach and only one is back there are many reasons to be suspicious"
And another called me to say : " I was at the Pontello diner yesterday and Jack Slater ( my ex assistant who brought me to the hospital after the accident ) was drunk and said he know all the truth and Michel was killed by you !"
Of course I went mad, called both guy François and Jack and both told me : "Are you crazy, we was there when the police team came to speak to the island manager and explain all, of course we know you tried save him and never we will said anything like that".
Jack admitted he was drunk and could have said some stupid things but apologized.
Then I went to house of Norma the edinting lady and there ... she showed me a tape that I brought back from Seychelles and it was a tape made by François during the time the speed boat was trying to find Michel's body in the ocean. The waves was so huge that he has taken 40 minutes between my arrival to the house and told David Perry only one word " Michel !" before I pass out !!!
When I woke up I was laying in a long chair and a woman from the island team was taking care from my bleeding shoulder. All my team was on the beach front of me and François was with the camera on tripode officially filming the boat trying to find Michel. It was partially true but when I was in Norma house I have understood why one of the tape was missing. On the video, between each zooming on the horizon to see the speed boat, the camera was going down to film the naked little boy on the beach with close up on their genitals areas. I can swear about it on my dead mom, and my child.
And anyway there is a sad proof of it somewhere ... and no doubt is possible about who is filming as we listen constantly Francois voice in the video explaining he does is best to film ... the boat !!!
From this day, I have never met again Francois but in september happened a big problem and I needed him.
The Michel's girfriend, Sandrine, was one of the person who spread terrible fake infos about Michel from what François and few others idiots was telling her.
I was not anfry on her at this time, I even went to Stockholm in September on request of Milton who wanted speak to me. He wanted me to continue the films productions as executive producers for Frank Thring ( that I brought to Private 6 months before ) and maybe Hans Moser ( in fact it has been François Clousot ) but I refused. I was OK to be in charge for Michel but for sure not for anyone else. I preferred stay a photographer.
Then Milton opened a drawer, took out $ 200,000 told me:
"in this case go make a film yourself"
I agreed at ONE condition, I wanted a part of the money from the two films in Seychelles goes for Michel's girlfriend and his children. Curiously Milton said yes ...
It was a tuesday, I arrived in evening in Paris and I was tired. So I did not called Sandrine as I wanted first to do. I decided I will call her the next morning. But ....
At 9.15 AM it's Berth Milton who called me, ultra furious.
At 8.30 on request of Michel Ricaud girlfriend who started a law suit against Private three days before, a bailiff had presented himself to the post-production company of Neuilly where Norma had put all masters of the films and tried get it. By luck as it was registered under the name of a Swedish company, it was not possible the bailiff got it.
There was no mobil phone at this time, my answer machine was full and the post production place called the Private office in Nakka near Stockholm.
The consequence has been terrible, Milton never agreed to pay a cents to Sandrine.
The Sandrine law suit was to tell Michel Ricaud never got paid for his work as director of the two movies and she wanted get the 100 000 francs due for that.
Of course as I had 14 witness in the room the day I paid Michel in my flat, I was quiet cool. Of course on the 14 people, at the exception of an actor who had disappeared and was impossible to find, ONLY ONE MAN REFUSED DO THE PAPER ABOUT WHAT HE HAD SEEN ... François de Beaurivage ( I'm kind enough not give his real name here )
This crazy situation obliging me to speak for the last time of my life with him.
I never considered him as an enemy, for me he is one of this humans who should never born, that's all.
Sandrine has always hate me, before to be with Michel, time she was with him, and after because she really thought I was responsible of his death. I never had any hate for her, I understood her sadness and I have always considered people having washed her brain against me was the real assholes, not her.
Sandrine died last year. She was not even 48 years old ( age of Michel when he died ).
A year after the accident, Bruno the lightman partner of François, became Sandrine's lover and rised up Michel's children like a good father. I have often a though for them. They are 29 and 27 years old. I have no idea what they think about me but I hope their step father Bruno, as he was there too when all happened, as been able to tell them Michel was more than a friend for me at this time, he was a second father ...
About Frank Thring I think I have already explained it somewhere on this forum
Sphinxterre your sentence is exactly the truth !!!
About Ricardo or Reda, do you think it would've changed something to talk with them around a table, to put the things down ?

You think I did not ???
I even kept Ricardo in the appartement I paid the rent 2 months more after I fired him.
At this time I did not want any war, just not work anymore with him. It was a critical situation, the scandal made by the Sophie Lynx pedo picture he made on a fake FB profil ( his children full of porn image of her mom telling "later I'll be proud of my mama" ) was so huge, it was impossible I keep working with him and anyway from such ugly action I haven't any wish to stay in contact with a man doing that. And only Rocco Siffredi, LP ( and a Japanese production ignoring all ), accepted work with him after that ...
Reda was fired by me a first time in 2013 because he was ultra agressive with Cherry Kiss ( his GF at this time for a very short period ) but he went back to me in 2014 and apologised. Everybody supplicated me not take him again, but I wanted give him a chance. Big mistake ...
PW