Diamant-Berger, Henri

(June 9, 1895, Paris, France - May 1972, Paris, France)

   After his law studies, he was an amateur stage actor and then a journalist, publishing his articles in Gil Blas. In the early 1910s, he met director André Heuzé, with whom he created an illustrated weekly magazine, Le Film, in 1914. Two years later, he became chief editor of the review, which had, among his col­laborators, such great names as Abel Gance, Colette, Raymond Bernard, Louis Delluc, Germaine Dulac, and Jacques de Baroncelli. In 1921, he published texts in Cinémagazine while directing his movies. He also was a producer (1919 Le Petit Café / USA: The Little Cafe, also adapter, Raymond Bernard; 1925 A la Gare / Ah, quelle Gare, Robert Saidreau, shot in 1923; Paris qui dort / Le Rayon de la Mort / UK: Paris Asleep / USA: At 3:25, René Clair; Un Fil à la Patte, Robert Saidreau, 1949 Branquignol, Robert Dhéry; 1959 . . . Enfants des Courants d'Air, short, Edouard Luntz; 1963 Un Drôle de Paroissien / UK: Heaven Sent / USA: Thank Heaven for Small Favors, Jean-Pierre Mocky; 1964 Allez France! / USA: The Counterfeit Constable, Robert Dhéry; 1967 Les Compagnons de la Marguerite / UK: Order of the Daisy, Jean-Pierre Mocky), production manager (1937 La Fessée, Pierre Caron; 1959 Chaleurs d'Eté / USA: Heat of the Summer, Louis Félix; 1960 Ravissante / Le mogli degli altri, Robert Lamoureux, France / Italy), screenwriter (1923 Le Costaud des Epinettes, as co-adapter, Raymond Bernard; Ma Tante d'Honfleur, also screenwriter, adapter, producer, Robert Saidreau; 1931 Général, à vos Ordres, D. B. Maurice = Maurice Diamant-Berger; Ma Tante d'Honfleur, as screenwriter, adapter, dialogist, D. B. Maurice = Maurice Diamant-Berger; 1932 L'Enfant du Miracle, as screenwriter, dialogist, production manager; D. B. Maurice = Mau­rice Diamant-Berger; 1933 L'Argent par les Fenêtres, as screenwriter, Norman Lee, UK; 1935 Amants et Voleurs, Raymond Bernard; 1945 Le Roi des Resquilleurs, as co-adapter, Jean Devaivre; 1947 Le Chanteur inconnu, as co-screenwriter, André Cayatte; 1970 L'Homme qui vient de la Nuit, as screenwriter, dialogist, Jean-Claude Dague), author of an original story (1931 Le Chanteur inconnu, VictorTourjansky), supervisor (1920 Le Secret de Rosette Lambert, Raymond Bernard; 1928 Les Trans­atlantiques, also producer, Pièrre Colombier), and actor (1961 La Belle Américaine / USA: The American Beauty / What a Chassis, Robert Dhéry, Pierre Tcher-nia). Autobiography: 1977 Il était une Fois le Cinéma . . . (Editions Jean-Claude Simoën). His grandson, Jérôme Diamant-Berger, is also a filmmaker.

 Filmography

1913 ◘ De Film . . . en Aiguilles (short; co-director with André Heuzé)

1915 ◘ Le Lord ouvrier (short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Les Petits Poulbots (short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Les Gants blancs de Saint-Cyr (short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Pour une Bouffée de Tabac (short; also screenwriter)

1916 ◘ Paris pendant la Guerre (four shorts: "Le Paradis", "Les Permissionnaires", "Appartement à louer", "Gavroche et Flambeau"; also screenwriter)

1917 ◘ Ils y viennent tous au Cinéma (short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Une Soiré mondaine (short)

1921 ◘ Les Trois Mousquetaires (twelve episodes: "L'Auberge de Meung", "Les Mousquetaires de M. de Tréville", "La Lingère du Louvre", "Les Ferrets de Diamant", "Pour l'Honneur de la Reine", "Le Bal des Echevins", "Le Pavillon d'Estrées", "L'auberge du Colombier Rouge", "Le Bastion Saint-Gervais", "La Tour de Portsmouth", "Le Couvent de Béthune", "La Cabane de la Lys"; also screenwriter, adapter, producer)

        ◘ Boubouroche (short)

        ◘ Par Habitude (short; also screenwriter, producer)

        ◘ Une Faible Femme (short)

1922 ◘ Vingt Ans après (ten episodes: "Le Fantôme de Richelieu", "Le Donjon de Vincennes", "La Bataille de Lens", "Le Fils de Milady", "La Guerre des Rues", "Dans les Camps opposés", "Au Pied de l'Echafaud", "La Felouque l'Eclair", "La Bataille de Charenton", "L'Aventure du Cardinal Mazarin")

        ◘ Le Match Criqui-Ledoux (short)

1923 ◘ Gonzague (also producer)

        ◘ Le Mauvais Garçon (also screenwriter, producer)

        ◘ L'Affaire de la Rue de Lourcine (also screenwriter, adapter, producer)

        ◘ Pim Bougne, Boxeur (medium-length; also screenwriter, producer)

1924 ◘ Le Roi de la Vitesse

        ◘ L'Emprise (also screenwriter, producer)

        ◘ Fifty-Fifty (short; also producer)

        ◘ Pover's Island (also producer; USA)

        ◘ Marionnettes (short)

        ◘ Rue de la Paix

        ◘ The Unfair Sex (USA)

1927 ◘ Education de Prince (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter)

1930 ◘ Tu m'oublieras (also lyricist)

        ◘ Paris la Nuit

        ◘ Monsieur Gazon (short)

        ◘ Un Drame dans la Tempête (short)

1931 ◘ Sola (also screenwriter, adapter)

        ◘ Tout s'arrange (also screenwriter, dialogist, lyricist)

        ◘ L'Ecole de Ciné (short)

        ◘ Mariage d'Amour (short)

        ◘ Tante Aurélie (short)

1932 ◘ La Bonne Aventure (also screenwriter, dialogist, lyricist)

        ◘ Clair de Lune (also screenwriter, dialogist, producer)

        ◘ Les Trois Mousquetaires / USA: Three Musketeers (two parts: "Les Ferrets de la Reine", "Milady"; also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist)

1933 ◘ L'Accordeur (short)

        ◘ Le Passager clandestin (short)

        ◘ Miquette et sa Mère (co-director with D. B. Maurice = Maurice Diamant-Berger, Henri Rollan; also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist, producer)

        ◘ La Grande Vie (short)

        ◘ Pim Bougne (short; talking version of the short of 1923)

        ◘ Une Demi-Heure en Correctionnelle (short)

        ◘ Arsène Lupin Détective (also screenwriter, adapter, co-dialogist)

        ◘ La Vierge folle / USA: A Foolish Virgin

        ◘ Tourbillon de Paris / USA: Whirl of Paris / Whirl­wind of Paris

1949 ◘ La Maternelle

        ◘ Monsieur Fabre / USA: Amazing Monsieur Fabre (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist)

        ◘ Mon Curé chez les Riches

        ◘ Le Chasseur de chez Maxim's (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist, producer)

        ◘ La Madone des Sleepings (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist, producer)

        ◘ Mon Curé chez les Pauvres (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist, producer)

        ◘ C'est arrivé à 36 Chandelles (also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist, producer)

1959 ◘ Messieurs les Ronds-de-Cuir (also screenwriter, adapter, producer)

1971 ◘ Soirée mondaine (short; Henri Diamant-Berger)