- Cohl, Emile
- (Emile Courtet / January 4, 1857, Paris, France - January 20, 1938, Villejuif, Val-de-Marne, France)A former apprentice jeweler and illusionist, he became a caricaturist and led a bohemian lifestyle in Montmartre. Thanks to his master and friend André Gill, he published his drawings in such political newspapers as Le Charivari, La Lune, L'Eclipse, and Hommes d'aujourd'hui. Then he was briefly a photographer (1884) before resuming his drawing career, creating riddles, games, and rebus. He frequented many writers and artists of his time, including Victor Hugo, Georges Courteline, Paul Verlaine, Alphonse Allais, Alphonse Daudet, and Caran d'Ache. He belonged to two artistic movements, les Hydropathes and the Incoherents, and was a regular of the famous cabarets Le Lapin Agile and Le Chat Noir. In 1905, after discovering that one of his drawings had been plagiarized by Gaumont as a film poster, he complained to the manager of the company, director Louis Feuillade, who offered him to bring ideas in compensation. He became a pioneer of animation cinema (French Emile Reynaud and American Sidney Blackton were his predecessors and models), making his debut with Fantasmagorie in 1908 and then creating the first recurrent animated character (Fantoche), the first puppet movies (1910 Le Tout petit Faust), the first color cartoon (1910 Le Peintre néo-impressionniste), and the first animated commercials for Campbell Soups (1912). He successively worked for Lux, Gaumont, Pathé (191I), Eclipse, and Éclair (from 1912 to 1914, he ran the animation department at Fort Lee Studios, near New York City, USA). In the USA, he notably met comic strip author George McManus and shot a dozen films with the characters Maggie and Jiggs. Having returned to France, he worked until 1923, but his career progressively declined after World War I (Hollywood had dethroned France in the kingdom of cinema). He had shot more than 300 shorts. Most of them are lost. He died forgotten and ruined at the Hôpital de Villejuif. Other credit (as SFX author): 1908 Le Ski (short, Etienne Arnaud).Filmography1908◘ Les Allumettes animées / UK and USA: Animated◘ Matches (animated short)◘ L'Automate (short; also screenwriter)◘ Blanche comme Neige (short)◘ Le Cauchemar du Fantoche / UK: Living Blackboard / USA: The Puppet's Nightmare (animated short)◘ Le Cerceau magique / UK and USA: Magic Hoop (animated short; also screenwriter)◘ Le Coffre-fort (animated short)◘ La Course aux Potirons (short; co-director with Etienne Arnaud)◘ Et si nous buvions un Coup (short; also screenwriter, SFX)◘ Lantasmagorie (animated short)◘ L'Hôtel du Silence (short; also screenwriter)◘ Le Journal animé / Mon Journal (short; also screenwriter)◘ La Force de l'Enfant (short; also screenwriter)◘ Les Frères Boutdebois / UK: Brothers Wood / USA: Acrobatic Toys (animated short)◘ Le Miracle des Roses (short; co-director with◘ Etienne Arnaud; also screenwriter)◘ La Monnaie de 1.000 F / La Monnaie de Mille◘ Francs (short; also screenwriter)◘ Le Mouton enragé (short; co-director with◘ Etienne Arnaud; also screenwriter)◘ N.I. ni - C'est fini (short)◘ Le Petit Soldat qui devient Dieu (short; also screenwriter)◘ Le Prince Azur (short; also screenwriter)◘ La Séquestrée (short; also screenwriter)◘ Un Drame chez les Fantoches / UK: Mystical Lovemaking / USA: A Love Affair in Toyland (animated short)◘ Le Veau (short; also screenwriter)◘ La Vengeance de Riri (short; also screenwriter)◘ La Vie à Rebours / UK: The World Turned Upside Down / USA: The World Upset (short; also screenwriter)◘ Le Violoniste / Violon et Agent / L'Agent et le Violoniste (short; co-director with Etienne Arnaud; also screenwriter)1909◘ Affaire de Cœur (animated short; also screenwriter)◘ L'Agent de Poche / USA: Pocket Policeman (animated short; also screenwriter)◘ L'Armée d'Agénor / L'Ecole du Soldat (short; also screenwriter)◘ La Bataille d'Austerlitz (animated short)◘ Les Beaux-Arts de Jocko / UK: Jacko the Artist / USA: The Automatic Monkey (short)◘ Les Chapeaux des belles Dames (short)◘ Les Chaussures matrimoniales / Comment on marie une jeune Veuve (short)◘ Le Clair de Lune espagnol / UK: The Moon-Struck◘ Matador / USA: The Man in the Moon (short; co-director with Etienne Arnaud)◘ Le Coup de Jarnac / Un Coup de Jarnac / USA:◘ Jarnac's Treacherous Blow (short; co-director◘ with Etienne Arnaud)◘ Les Couronnes / USA: Laurels (two-part short: "La Couronne de Ronces", "La Couronne d'Epines"; also screenwriter)◘ Le Docteur Carnaval (short)◘ Don Quichotte / USA: Don Quixote (short)◘ L'Ecole du Soldat (short)◘ L'Eventail animé / UK: Magic Fan / USA: Historical Fan (short; co-director with Etienne Arnaud)◘ Génération spontanée / Les Générations comiques / USA: Magic Cartoons (short)◘ Les Grincheux (animated short)◘ Lapon de Fantaisie / UK: A Japanese Fantasy / USA: Japanese Magic (short)◘ Les Joyeux Microbes / UK: The Merry Microbes / USA: A Bad Case / The Jolly Germs (animated short)◘ La Lampe qui file / USA: The Smoking Lamp (animated short)◘ Le Linge turbulent (short)◘ Les Locataires d'à Côté (animated short)◘ La Lune dans son Tablier / USA: Moon of Your◘ Love (short)◘ Les Lunettes féeriques / USA: X-Ray Glasses (animated short)◘ Le Miroir magique / USA: Telltale reflections (short)◘ Moderne Ecole (short; co-director with Etienne Arnaud)◘ Monsieur Clown chez les Lilliputiens (short)◘ L'Omelette fantastique / USA: Magic Eggs (short; co-director with Etienne Arnaud)◘ Lauvre Gosse (short)◘ Lorcelaines tendres / USA: Sevres Porcelains (short)◘ Soyons donc sportifs / USA: A Sportive Puppet (short; co-director with Etienne Arnaud)◘ Le Spirite (short)◘ Les Transfigurations (short)◘ Un Chirurgien distrait (short)◘ La Valise diplomatique / La Bourse / UK: The Ambassador's Despatch / USA: The Ambassador's Dispatch Case (short; co-director with Etienne Arnaud)1910◘ Les Beaux-Arts mystérieux (short)◘ Le Binettoscope / USA: The Comedy-Graph (short)◘ Bonsoirs russes / Bonsoirs (short)◘ Cadres fleuris / USA: Floral Studies (short)◘ Les Chaînes (short)◘ Le Champion du Jeu à la Mode / Champion de Puzzle / USA: Solving the Puzzle (animated short)◘ Les Chefs-dOeuvre de Bébé (short)◘ Dix Siècles d'Elégance (animated short)◘ Les Douze Travaux d'Hercule / USA: Hercules and the Big Stick (animated short)◘ L'Enfance de l'Art (short)◘ En Route (animated short)◘ Le Grand Machin et le petit Chose (short)◘ Histoire de Chapeaux / UK and USA: Headdresses of Different Periods (animated short)◘ Le Mobilier fidèle / Les Meubles fidèles / UK and USA: The Automatic Moving Company (animated short; also producer)◘ Monsieur de Crac / Le Baron de Crac / UK and USA: The Wonderful Adventures of Herr Munchausen (animated short)◘ Monsieur Stop (short)◘ La Musicomanie (animated short)◘ Le Peintre néo-impressionniste / USA: The Neo-Impressionist Painter (animated short)◘ Le Petit Chantecler (animated short)◘ Le Placier est tenace (short)◘ Les Quatre petits Tailleurs / USA: The Four Little Tailors (animated short)◘ Rêves enfantins (animated short)◘ Rien n'est impossible à l'Homme (animated short)◘ Singeries humaines / USA: The Jolly Whirl (short)◘ Le Songe d'un Garçon de Café / Le Rêve d'un◘ Garçon de Café / UK: Café Waiter's Dream / USA: The Masher's Delirium (short)◘ La Télécouture sans Fil (short)◘ Toto devient Anarchiste (short)◘ Le Tout petit Faust / UK and USA: The Beautiful◘ Margaret (animated short)1911◘ Les Aventures d'un Bout de Papier / Les Aventures extraordinaires d'un Bout de Papier (animated short)◘ Les Bestioles Artistes (animated short)◘ La Boîte diabolique (short)◘ C'est roulant (short)◘ La Chambre ensorcelée (short)◘ Le Cheveu délateur (short)◘ Les Fantaisies d'Agénor Maltracé (short)◘ Lobard, Amoureux timide (short)◘ Lobard a tué sa Belle-Mère (short)◘ Lobard change de Bonne (short)◘ Lobard Chauffeur (short)◘ Lobard est demandé en Mariage (short)◘ Lobard, Fiancé par Intérim (short)◘ Lobard, Garçon de Recettes (short)◘ Lobard ne peut pas rire (short)◘ Lobard ne veut pas voir les Femmes travailler (short)◘ Lobard, Portefaix par Amour (short)◘ Le Musée des Grotesques (animated short)◘ Le Retapeur de Cervelles / USA: Brains Repaired (short)◘ La Vengeance des Esprits (animated short)◘ Les Voisins d'à Côté (short)1912◘ Les Allumettes Fantaisie / Les Allumettes magiques (short)◘ Campbell's Soup (short)◘ Dans la Vallée d'Ossau (short)◘ Les Exploits de Feu-Follet (short)◘ Les Extraordinaires Exercices de la Famille Cœur de Buis / Les Extraordinaires Exploits de . . . (short)◘ Fruits et Légumes vivants (animated short)◘ Leunes Gens à marier (short)◘ Les Jouets animés / Les Joujoux savants (short)◘ Le Marié a mal aux Dents (short)◘ La Marseillaise (short)◘ Les Métamorphoses comiques (animated short)◘ Moulai Hafid et Alphonse XIII (short)◘ Loulot n'est pas sage (short)◘ Le Premier Jour de Vacances (short)◘ Le Prince de Galles et Fallières (short)◘ Quelle Drôle de Blanchisserie (short)◘ Ramoneur malgré lui (short)◘ Une Poule mouillée qui se sèche (short)◘ La Baignoire (short)◘ Carte américaine (short)◘ L'aime le Bruit / USA: He Never Objects to Noise (short; also animator; France / USA)◘ Il joue avec Dodo / USA: He Only Wanted to Play with Dodo (animated short; also animator; USA)◘ Business Must Not Interfere (short; also animator; USA)◘ He Doesn't Care to Be Photographed (short; USA)◘ He Likes Things Upside-Down (short; also animator; USA)◘ He Loves to Be Amused (short; also animator; USA)◘ He Loves to Watch the Flight of Time / Their Only Child (short; also animator; USA)◘ He Poses for His Portrait / UK: Snookums' Portrait (short; also animator; USA)◘ He Ruins His Family Reputation (short; also animator; USA)◘ He Slept Well (short; also animator; USA)◘ He Wants What He Wants When He Wants It (short; also animator; USA)◘ He Was Not Ill, Only Unhappy (short; also animator; USA)◘ It Is Hard to Please Him, but It Is Worth It (short; also animator; USA)◘ Pick-Me Up est un Sportstman / Pickup Is a Sportsman (short; also screenwriter, animator; France / USA)◘ Poor Little Chap He Was Only Dreaming (short; also animator; USA)◘ When He Wants a Dog He Wants a Dog (short; also animator; USA)1913◘ Bryant And the Speeches (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ Castro in New York (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ Coal (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ Confidence (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ Exhibition of Caricatures (short; USA)◘ Gaynor and the Night Clubs (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ Graft (also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ Monsieur Stop (short; USA)◘ Loker (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ Rockefeller (short; also animator, screenwriter; USA)◘ Thaw and the Lasso (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ Thaw and the Spider (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ The Artist (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ The Auto (short; also animator; USA)◘ The Brand of California (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ The Cubists (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ The Hat (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ The Masquerade (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ The Mosquito (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ The Police Women (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ The Polo Boat (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ The Red Balloons (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ The Safety Pin (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ The Subway (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ The Two Presidents (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ The Two Suffragettes (short; also animator)◘ Uncle Sam and His Suit (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ Universal Trade Marks (short; also animator; USA)◘ War in Turkey (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ Wilson and the Broom (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ Wilson and the Hats (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ Wilson and the Tariffs (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ Wilson's Row Boat (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ Zozor (Snookums) (short; USA)1913 ◘ Le Ouistiti de Toto (short)1914◘ A Vegetarian's Dream (short; USA)◘ Bewitched Matches (short; USA)◘ Clara and Her Mysterious Toys (short; USA)◘ Unforeseen Metamorphosis / Expositions de Caricatures (animated short; also screenwriter, animator; USA / France)◘ L'Enlèvement de Déjanire Goldebois (animated short)◘ L'Avenir dévoilé par les Lignes des Pieds / Future Revealed by the Lines of the Feet (animated short; also screenwriter; France / USA)◘ His Ancestors / Ses Ancêtres (animated short; also screenwriter, animator; USA / France)◘ Serbia's Card (animated short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ The Anti-Neurasthenic Trumpet (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ The Bath (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ The Greedy Neighbor (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ The Social Group (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ The Terrible Scrap of Paper (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)◘ What They Eat (short; also screenwriter, animator; USA)1915◘ La Blanchisserie américaine (short)◘ Les Braves petits Soldats de Plomb (animated short)◘ Eclair Journal (four shorts)◘ Lantaisies truquées (short)◘ Fruits et Légumes animés (animated short)◘ Le Terrible Bout de Papier (short)◘ La Trompette Anti-Neurasthénique (animated short)◘ Un Drame sur la Planche à Chaussures (short)◘ Un Voisin trop gourmand (animated short)1916◘ Les Aventures de Clémentine (animated short; co-director with Benjamin Rabier)◘ La Campagne de France 1814 (short)◘ Comment nous entendons / L'Oreille (short)◘ Croquemitaine et Rosalie (short)◘ Eclair Journal (thirty-two shorts)◘ Les Evasions de Bob Walter (short)◘ Les Exploits de Farfadet (short)◘ Les Fiançailles de Flambeau (animated short; co-director with Benjamin Rabier)◘ Figures de Cire et Têtes de Bois (short)◘ Flambeau au Pays des Surprises / Flambeau aux Lignes (animated short; co-director with Benjamin Rabier)◘ Jeux de Cartes (short)◘ La Journée de Flambeau / Flambeau Chien perdu (animation; co-director with Benjamin Rabier)◘ La Main mystérieuse (short)◘ Mariage par Suggestion (short)◘ La Maison de Fantoche (short)◘ Lages d'Histoire Number 1 and 2 (short)◘ Lulcheries et ses Meubles (short)◘ Les Tableaux futuristes et incohérents (short)◘ Les Victuailles de Gretchen se révoltent (short)1917◘ L'Avenir dévoilé par les Lignes des Pieds / USA:◘ Future Revealed by the Lines of the Feet (short; also screenwriter, animator)◘ Les Aventures des Pieds Nickelés (animated shorts; episodes I, 2, 3)1918 ◘ Les Aventures des Pieds Nickelés (animated shorts; episodes 4, 5)1921 ◘ Fantoche cherche un Logement (short)
Encyclopedia of French film directors . Philippe Rège. 2011.
