DIAMANTBERGER, HENRI

(1895-1972)

Director, producer, and screenwriter. Henri Diamant-Berger began his career as a journalist and film critic, ultimately becoming the editor of the journalLe Film. He began dabbling in screenwriting just prior to the war, and several of his film adaptations were made intoPathésilent films, no doubt in part because of Diamant-Berger's connections to André Heuzé, who had foundedLe Film. Silent films based on Diamant-Berger's adaptations include Heuzé andLéonce Perret'sDebout les morts(1916) and Raymond Bernard'sLe Petit café(1919), starringMax Linder.

Diamant-Berger soon added directing to his repertoire.He directed for Pathé a twelve-episode serial adaptation of Alexandre Dumas'sLes Trois mousquetaires(1921). The film was exceptionally well done, enormously popular, and is still regarded as one of the classics of silent film.

In 1922, Diamant-Berger left Pathé to found his own production company, Le Studio de Billancourt, buying an old aviation works that had been converted into a film studio. The studio was one of the first independent studios, outside of Pathé and Gaumont, and it was the first studio that was not made of open-glass. He began producing his own films there in the same year, continuing the Musketeers saga with a sequel series,Les Trois mousquetaires:vingt ans après(1922-1923). The series was an enormous success, which was a great triumph for Diamant-Berger. He went on to make yet another sequel,Milady(1923), and in the same year produced and directedGonzague(1923),L'Affaire de la rue Lourcine(1923),Le Mauvais garçon(1923), andPar habitude(1923), all of which featured Maurice Chevalier.

Diamant-Berger continued directing films in the sound era. He made some twenty or so sound films includingLes Trois mousquetaires:Milady(1932),Les Trois mousquetaires:les ferrets de la reine(1932),Miquette et sa mère(1933),Arsène Lupin détective(1937),Arsène Lupin contre Arsène Lupin(1937),La Maternelle(1948),Monsieur Fabre(1951),Mon curé chez les riches(1952), andMessieurs les ronds de cuir(1959). Diamant-Berger was largely a popular director. Outside ofLes Trois mousquetaires(1921), and possiblyArsène Lupin detective(1937), none of his films was particularly critically acclaimed. However, many of his films, particularlyMiquette et sa mère(1933), have achieved a particular status in French-film history, and certainly memory.

In addition to producing his own films, Diamant-Berger also produced the films of a number of other directors. He producedRené Clair'sParis qui dort(1925) at Billancourt, as well asAbel Gance's spectacularNapoléon(1927). The film had to be cut from ten episodes to only one because of the enormous costs involved. He also produced Karl Théodor Dreyer'sLa Passion de Jeanne d'arc(1929), although he sold Billancourt shortly thereafter to Pierre Braunberger andRoger Richebé.

In later years, Diamant-Berger produced several of Robert Dhéry's films, includingBranquignol(1949) andLa Belle Américaine(1961). He also produced Robert Lamoureux'sRavissante(1960) andJean-Pierre Mocky'sUn drôle de paroissien(1963) andLes Compagnons de la marguerite(1967).