Spaak, Charles

(May 25, 1903, Brussels, Belgium-March 4, 1972, Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France)

   Born into one of the most influential Belgian families, he was the son of poet and playwright Paul Spaak, who ran the Théâtre de la Monnaie (his mother was a member of the Belgian senate for a while), and brother of politician and several times minister Paul-Henri Spaak and playwright Claude Spaak. In 1928, he moved to Paris, where his compatriot Jacques Feyder hired him as a secretary and gave him the opportunity to write adaptation and intertitles of Les Nouveaux Messieurs. He soon became one the most famous screenwriters and dialogists of French cinema and collaborated on more than 100 movies, including unforgettable classics directed by Jean Grémillon (1930 La Petite Lise; 1937 Gueule d'Amour; 1938 UEtrange Monsieur Victor / Der merkwurdige Monsieur Victor; 1941 Remorques / USA: Stormy Waters, shot in 1939-1941), Jacques Feyder (1934 Le Grand Jeu, 1935 Pension Mimosas; La Kermesse héroïque / USA: Carnival in Flanders), Julien Duvivier (1935 La Bandera / UK and USA: Escape from Yesterday; 1936 La Belle Equipe / UK and USA: They Were Five; 1939 La Fin du Jour / UK: The End of a Day / USA: The End of the Day, 1947 Panique / USA: Panic), and Jean Renoir (1936 Les Bas-Fonds / UK: Underworld / USA: The Lower Depth; 1937 La Grande Illusion / USA: The Grand Illusion). He directed only one movie. His two daughters, Catherine (b. 1944) and Agnès (b. 1945), were actresses.

 Filmography

1949 ◘ Le Mystère Barton (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist)