FESCOURT, HENRI

(1880-1966)

Director and screenwriter. Henri Fescourt began his career as a journalist. He was recruited toGaumontbyLouis Feuilladein 1908 or so, initially as a screenwriter, although he shortly thereafter turned his hand to directing. Since film credits were rarely used during the silent-film era, it is not known precisely which films he worked on at Gaumont. However, it is known that he began directing in about 1912.

Fescourt directed an impressive number of films during the silent-film era, including early films such asLe Mensonge(1912),Le Bonheur perdu(1912),Un grand seigneur(1912),La Bienfaitrice(1912),La Lumière qui tue(1913),La Mort sur Paris(1913),Son passé(1913),Les Trois ombres(1914),Petit coeur d'enfant(1914),Fille de prince(1914),Maman(1914), andL'Affaire du collier noir(1914).

His career was interrupted by World War I, but he resumed it without much difficulty afterwards, specializing in film serials, notablyRouletabille, which ran from 1922 to 1923.Other postwar films includeLes Grands(1924),Mandrin(1924),Un fils d'Amérique(1925),Les Misérables(1925),La Maison du Maltais(1927),L'Occident(1927), andMonte-Cristo(1929). Of these, his best film is no doubtLes Misérables, which stars Gabriel Gabrio as Jean Valjean.

Fescourt made a handful of films in the sound era, includingLa Maison de la flèche(1930),Service de nuit(1931),Serments(1931), a sound remake ofL'Occident(1937),Bar du sud(1938), andRetour de flamme(1943). However, he never seemed to quite find his footing in sound film. He finished his career teaching atInstitut des Hautes Études Cinématographiques(IDHEC) and writing on the cinema.