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Henri Diamant-Berger

Known For
Directing

Known Credits
2

Gender
Male

Birthday
June 9, 1895 (131 years old)

Place of Birth
Paris, France

Henri Diamant-Berger

Biography

Henri Diamant-Berger (9 June 1895 – 7 May 1972) was a French director, producer and screenwriter. In a career that lasted more than 50 years, he directed 48 films between 1913 and 1959, produced 17 between 1925 and 1967 and wrote 21 screenplays between 1916 and 1971.

Born in Paris, to a Jewish family, he studied to be a lawyer but was drawn to the motion picture business. He began his career when he co-directed the 1913 silent film short De film... en aiguilles with André Heuzé. In addition to writing screenplays, during the period from 1916 to 1919, Diamant-Berger also published and edited a film magazine and books about the movies. In 1918, he was hired by Pathé and sent to the United States to help set up the company's film laboratory at Fort Lee, New Jersey. Upon his return to France, Pathé had him set up a laboratory in Vincennes, as well as organize a film studio in Boulogne-Billancourt.

In 1921, Diamant-Berger directed the film serial Les Trois Mousquetaires, one of two film versions of Alexandre Dumas, père's novel The Three Musketeers released in 1921 (the other was Douglas Fairbanks' version) . For a short time in the mid-1920s, he made pictures in the USA, including the drama Fifty-Fifty (1925) starring Lionel Barrymore. He also directed the 1927 silent film Éducation de Prince. By the end of the decade he successfully made the transition to talkies.

Through his Barrymore connection, Diamant-Berger acquired the screen rights for a play produced on Broadway in 1921 written by John Barrymore's ex-wife, Blanche Oelrichs. His French language film version of the same title, Clair de lune (1932), starred Claude Dauphin and Blanche Montel. Among his notable sound films was a remake, Les Trois Mousquetaires (1932), a six-hour epic about the three musketeers for which he wrote the screen adaptation and used much of the same cast from his 1921 silent version. Diamant-Berger's other directorial efforts include two Arsène Lupin detective films in 1937. However, after directing Tourbillon de Paris in 1939, he lost eight full years to World War II. In 1951, he directed the acclaimed drama Monsieur Fabre starring Pierre Fresnay.

During the 1960s, Diamant-Berger devoted himself exclusively to producing, making several successful films, which includes La Belle Américaine (1961), Heaven Sent (1963) and The Counterfeit Constable (1964).

Henri Diamant-Berger died at age 76 in Paris.

Source: Article "Henri Diamant-Berger" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Known For

Writing

1971Das Lied der Balalaika...Screenplay
1959The Bureaucrats...Writer
1957It Happened on the 36 Candles...Writer
1956My Priest Among the Poor...Screenplay
1955La Madone des sleepings...Screenplay
1953Le Chasseur de chez Maxim's...Adaptation
1937Arsène Lupin, Detective...Screenplay
1933Miquette and Her Mother...Adaptation
1932The Three Musketeers...Screenplay
1932Moonlight...Writer
1931The Unknown Singer...Story
1927Education of a Prince...Writer
1923Par habitude...Writer
1922Vingt ans après...Screenplay
1919Le Petit Café...Writer
The Unknown Singer...Story

Production

1967Order of the Daisy...Associate Producer
1963Thank Heaven for Small Favors...Producer
1961The American Beauty...Producer
1960Ravishing...Producer
1933Miquette and Her Mother...Producer
1925Lover's Island...Producer
1925The Crazy Ray...Producer

Directing

1959The Bureaucrats...Director
1957It Happened on the 36 Candles...Director
1956My Priest Among the Poor...Director
1955La Madone des sleepings...Director
1953Le Chasseur de chez Maxim's...Director
1952My Priest Among the Rich...Director
1951Amazing Monsieur Fabre...Director
1949Kindergarten...Director
1939Whirlwind of Paris...Director
1938A Foolish Maiden...Director
1937Arsène Lupin, Detective...Director
1933Miquette and Her Mother...Director
1932The Three Musketeers...Director
1932Moonlight...Director
1932The Nice Adventure...Director
1932The Miracle Child...Director
1932Tu m'oublieras...Director
1931It's all arranged...Director
1931Alone...Director
1930Monsieur Gazon...Director
1930Paris by Night...Director
1927Rue de la Paix...Director
1927Education of a Prince...Director
1925Lover's Island...Director
1925Fifty-Fifty...Director
1924L'emprise...Director
1924Le roi de la vitesse...Director
1923L'Affaire de la rue de Lourcine...Director
1923Par habitude...Director
1923Jim Bougne, boxeur...Director
1923Bad Boy...Director
1923Gonzague...Director
1922Vingt ans après...Director
1921The Three Musketeers...Director
1917Une soirée mondaine...Director
1916Paris During the War...Director

Acting

1995Le Cinéma de grand-pèreas Self (archive footage)
1927Rue de la Paixas Henri Diamant-Berger