Claude Sautet began his career with the full-length feature Hello Smile, starring Henri Salvador, Louis de Funes and Jean Carmet, a film that he has since disowned. Success came in 1960 with Classe Tous Risques starring Lino Ventura and Jean-Paul Belmondo. He moved on to direct great films such as César and Rosalie, A Simple Story, A Bad Son, Garçon !, A Heart in Winter and his last film, Nelly et Monsieur Arnaud, for which he received a Cesar for best director in 1996.