
Henri Diamant-Berger
Personal Info
Known for
Directing
Gender
Male
Birthday
1895-06-09
Day of Death
1972-05-07 (76 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
Acting
(1995)
Le Cinéma de grand-père
as Self (archive footage)
(1927)
Rue de la Paix
as Henri Diamant-Berger
Crew
(1971)
The Song of the Balalaika
Screenplay
(1967)
Order of the Daisy
Associate Producer
(1963)
Thank Heaven for Small Favors
Producer
(1961)
The American Beauty
Producer
(1959)
The Bureaucrats
Director, Writer
(1957)
It Happened on the 36 Candles
Writer, Director
(1956)
My Priest Among the Poor
Director, Screenplay
(1955)
La madone des sleepings
Screenplay, Director
(1953)
Le Chasseur de chez Maxim's
Director, Adaptation
(1952)
My Priest Among the Rich
Director
(1951)
Amazing Monsieur Fabre
Director
(1949)
Kindergarten
Director
(1939)
Whirlwind of Paris
Director
(1938)
A Foolish Maiden
Director
(1937)
Arsène Lupin, Detective
Director, Screenplay
(1934)
Miquette and Her Mother
Adaptation, Producer, Director
(1932)
The Three Musketeers
Director, Screenplay
(1932)
Moonlight
Director, Writer
(1932)
Tu m'oublieras
Director
(1932)
The Miracle Child
Director
(1932)
The Nice Adventure
Director
(1931)
Alone
Director
(1931)
The Unknown Singer
Story
(1931)
It's all arranged
Director
(1930)
Paris by night
Director
(1930)
Monsieur Gazon
Director
(1927)
Rue de la Paix
Director
(1927)
Education of a Prince
Director, Writer
(1925)
The Crazy Ray
Producer
(1925)
Fifty-Fifty
Director
(1925)
Lover's Island
Director, Producer
(1924)
L'emprise
Director
(1924)
Le roi de la vitesse
Director
(1923)
Par habitude
Director, Writer
(1923)
Gonzague
Director
(1923)
Bad Boy
Director
(1923)
L'Affaire de la rue de Lourcine
Director
(1923)
Jim Bougne, boxeur
Director
(1922)
Vingt ans après
Screenplay, Director
(1921)
The Three Musketeers
Director
(1919)
Le Petit Café
Writer
(1917)
Une soirée mondaine
Director
(1916)
Paris During the War
Director