Charles Dullin (; 8 May 1885 – 11 December 1949) was a French
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
, theater manager and
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
.
Career
Dullin began his career as an actor in
melodrama
A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...
:185 In 1908, he started his first troupe with
Saturnin Fabre
Saturnin Fabre (4 April 1884 – 4 October 1961) was a French film actor.
Selected filmography
* ''La rafale'' (1920) - comte de Bréchebel
* ''Mademoiselle de La Seiglière'' (1921)
* '' The Road Is Fine'' (1930) - Le professeur Pique
* '' ...
, the ''Théâtre de Foire,'' where they staged works by
Alexandre Arnoux
Alexandre Arnoux (27 February 1884, Digne-les-Bains - 4 January 1973, Boulogne-Billancourt) was a French screenwriter and novelist.Powrie & Rebillard p.135
Selected filmography
* '' Tillers of the Soil'' (1923)
* '' Misdeal'' (1928)
* ''The Fac ...
.
:185
Dullin at Vieux-Colombier
Dullin was a student of
Jacques Copeau
Jacques Copeau (; 4 February 1879 – 20 October 1949) was a French theatre director, producer, actor, and dramatist. Before he founded the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in Paris, he wrote theatre reviews for several Parisian journals, work ...
,
:317 whose company he joined in 1913 for one season, before rejoining from 1917 to 1918.
:134 He also trained and worked with
Jacques Rouché
Jacques Louis Eugène Rouché (16 November 1862, Lunel - 9 November 1957, Paris) was a French art and music patron. He was the owner of the journal ''La Grande Revue'' and manager of the Théâtre des Arts and the Paris Opera.
Biography
He w ...
,
:73 André Antoine
André Antoine (31 January 185823 October 1943) was a French actor, theatre manager, film director, author, and critic who is considered the father of modern mise en scène in France.
Biography
André Antoine was a clerk at the Paris Gas Utilit ...
and
Firmin Gémier
Firmin Gémier (1869-1933) was a French actor and director. Internationally, he is most famous for originating the role of Père Ubu in Alfred Jarry’s play ''Ubu Roi''. He is known as the principle architect of the popular theatre movement in Fr ...
.
In June 1920, Dullin began taking on students and was giving acting lessons at the
Théâtre Antoine under the tutelage of Gémier.
:111
Théâtre de l'Atelier
In July 1921, Dullin founded
Théâtre de l'Atelier
The Théâtre de l'Atelier is a theatre at 1, place Charles Dullin in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, France.
History
The theatre opened on 23 November 1822 under the name Théâtre MontmartreEdward Foreman, ''Historical dictionary of French t ...
which he referred to as a "laboratory theater".
:346 He conducted auditions for the troupe in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, and then brought the small group of actors to Néronville, where they trained for between ten and twelve hours daily.
The small group of students, among them
Antonin Artaud
Antoine Marie Joseph Paul Artaud, better known as Antonin Artaud (; 4 September 1896 – 4 March 1948), was a French writer, poet, dramatist, visual artist, essayist, actor and theatre director. He is widely recognized as a major figure of the E ...
and
Marguerite Jamois, was organised as a commune, with Dullin looking to create 'a different attitude toward theatre' through a 'common sharing of life and work'.
In 1922, the group established itself in the Théâtre Montmartre, the 'first purpose built theatre in suburban Paris', which originally opened in 1822.
:31 In order to cover the initial cost of leasing and setting up the theatre, Dullin's mother sold some of the family's furniture and silverware at pawn shops.
:36; :45
In 1941 he moved to the 'larger, more modern
Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt', where he remained resident until 1947 when accumulating debts forced him to close down.
:78
Work on film
Dullin also played many roles on the screen, and used some of the money earned in these roles to support his theater. He was one of the major French actors both on the stage and the screen during the 1930s.
Acting theory and techniques
Dullin put a particular emphasis on mime, gymnastics, voice production, and various improvisational exercises intended to heighten one's sensory perception.
:119 In the tradition of Copeau, Dullin emphasised respect for the text, a simplified stage décor and a poetic rather than a spectacular perspective on the ''mise-en-scène'', placing the actor at the center of the performance.
:76 He aimed to create a total theatre in which the world of the stage was 'more expressive than reality'.
The goal of Dullin's training was to create the "complete actor":
to form actors with a general culture, which they so often lack; to inculcate them from the very beginning with solid principles of actors' techniques: good diction, physical training; to expand their means of expression to include dance and pantomime; in one word, to form the complete actor.
The actor was to get in tune with "La Voix du Monde" (the voice of the world) by making contact with one's surroundings, which would free the actor's true voice, "Voix de Soi-Même" (the voice of oneself).
:347
In his seminars, Dullin often used improvisation, which was one of his most important techniques. He emphasized that his actors must "see before describing, hear before answering...and feel before trying to express himself", often using bells, the sound of footsteps, and masks as preparation.
His actors were encouraged to forget the weight of their bodies, while using them more than their faces to express themselves, often wearing a full or half mask.
East Asian influences
Dullin drew heavily on East Asian theatre techniques, and particularly Japanese theatre,
:135 His interest in Japanese theatre developed as early as 1916, when, as a soldier in
World War 1
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, he performed on the frontline and declared his fellow soldier's performances to be Japanese due to their integration of dance, speech and singing into their performance.
:134
As a member of
Jacques Rouché's ''Théâtre des Arts'' (1910-1913) he performed in
Louis Laloy's ''Le Chagrin dans le palais de Han'' (1911), an adaptation of a Chinese
Yuan ''
zaju
''Zaju'' was a form of Chinese opera which provided entertainment through a synthesis of recitations of prose and poetry, dance, singing, and mime, with a certain emphasis on comedy (or, happy endings). Although with diverse and earlier roots, ''za ...
'' play.
He would first perform in the minor role of ''un seigneur'' before taking over the role the Emperor, one of the play's two leads, for its revival in December.
In addition to starring in the revival, Rouché asked Dullin to modify some aspects of the staging, which, according to Rouché, foreshadowed his ‘future tendencies towards stylisation’
:133
He would first witness Japanese theatre in 1930, when
Tsutsui Tokujirō's troupe came to Paris.
Death
Dullin died in Paris on December 11, 1949, after falling ill while on tour as an actor in Southern France.
:90
Notable students
Students of Charles Dullin included
Pascale de Boysson
Pascale de Boysson (16 April 1922–9 August 2002) was a French film, television and stage actress who also adapted and translated plays for the French stage. She was a two-time winner of the Molière Award, winning it in 1988 and posthumousl ...
,
Antonin Artaud
Antoine Marie Joseph Paul Artaud, better known as Antonin Artaud (; 4 September 1896 – 4 March 1948), was a French writer, poet, dramatist, visual artist, essayist, actor and theatre director. He is widely recognized as a major figure of the E ...
,
Jean-Louis Barrault
Jean-Louis Bernard Barrault (; 8 September 1910 – 22 January 1994) was a French actor, director and mime artist who worked on both screen and stage.
Biography
Barrault was born in Le Vésinet in France in 1910. His father was 'a Burgundia ...
,
:29 Juozas Miltinis
Juozas Miltinis (September 3, 1907 in Akmenė, Lithuania – July 13, 1994 in Panevėžys, Lithuania) was a Lithuanian theatre director, actor and founder of the Juozas Miltinis Drama Theatre in Panevėžys. Miltinis has brought up a number of act ...
,
Étienne Decroux
Étienne Decroux (19 July 1898 in Paris, France – 12 March 1991 in Boulogne-Billancourt, France) was a French actor who studied at Jacques Copeau's École du Vieux-Colombier, where he saw the beginnings of what was to become his life's obsess ...
,
Juran Hisao
was the pen-name of a Japanese author of popular fiction in Shōwa period Japan. Hisao Jūran was a pioneer in the use of black humor in Japanese literature. His works reflect his extensive knowledge of a wide range of subjects, and displayed e ...
and
Marcel Marceau
Marcel Marceau (; born Marcel Mangel; 22 March 1923 – 22 September 2007) was a French actor and mime artist most famous for his stage persona, "Bip the Clown". He referred to mime as the "art of silence", and he performed professionally worldw ...
.
Notable productions
As director
*
Ben Jonson
Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...
's ''
Volpone
''Volpone'' (, Italian for "sly fox") is a comedy play by English playwright Ben Jonson first produced in 1605–1606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains Jonson's most-perform ...
''
*Molière's ''
L’Avare''
*
Sophocles
Sophocles (; grc, Σοφοκλῆς, , Sophoklễs; 497/6 – winter 406/5 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. is one of three ancient Greek tragedians, at least one of whose plays has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or co ...
's ''
Antigone
In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) is the daughter of Oedipus and either his mother Jocasta or, in another variation of the myth, Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene.Roman, L., & Roma ...
'' in the
Jean Cocteau
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the su ...
adaptation with music by
Arthur Honegger
Arthur Honegger (; 10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss composer who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. A member of Les Six, his best known work is probably ''Antigone'', composed between 1924 and 1927 to ...
*
Pirandello's ''The Pleasure of Honesty''
*Shakespeare's ''
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...
''.
As actor
* ''Âmes d'orient'' (1919) - Agapian
* ''
The Secret of Rosette Lambert
)
, image =
, alt =
, caption =
, director = Raymond Bernard
, producer = Adolphe Osso
, writer =
, narrator =
, starring = Lois Meredith Sylvia GreyPaul AmiotCamille BertC ...
'' (1920) - Bertrand
* ''
L'Homme qui vendit son âme au diable'' (1921) - Le Diable
* ''
Le Miracle des loups'' (1924) - Le roi Louis XI
* ''
Le Joueur d'échecs'' (1927) - Baron von Kempelen
* ''
Misdeal'' (1928) - Olivier Maldone
* ''
Cagliostro
Count Alessandro di Cagliostro (, ; 2 June 1743 – 26 August 1795) was the alias of the Italian occultist Giuseppe Balsamo (; in French usually referred to as Joseph Balsamo).
Cagliostro was an Italian adventurer and self-styled magician. ...
'' (1929) - Marquis de Espada-Comte de Breteil
* ''
Les Misérables
''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century.
In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...
'' (1934) - Thénardier
* ''
Street of Shadows'' (1937) - Le colonel Mathésius
* ''L'Affaire du courrier de Lyon'' (1937) - Le témoin aveugle
* ''Volpone'' (1941) - Corbaccio
* ''Le briseur de chaînes'' (1941) - Esprit Mouret
* ''
Les jeux sont faits
''The Chips Are Down'' (french: Les jeux sont faits ) is a screenplay written by Jean-Paul Sartre in 1943 and published in 1947. The original title translates literally as "the plays are made", an idiomatic French expression used mainly in casi ...
'' (1947) - Le marquis
* ''
Quai des Orfèvres
''Quai des Orfèvres'' (; "Goldsmiths' Quay"; also known as ''Jenny Lamour'') is a 1947 French police procedural drama film based on the book ''Légitime défense'' by Stanislas-Andre Steeman. Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot the film stars S ...
'' (1947) - Georges Brignon
* ''Vagabonds imaginaires'' (1950) - Le récitant (segment 'Les étoiles') (voice) (final film role)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dullin, Charles
1885 births
1949 deaths
French male stage actors
French male film actors
French male silent film actors
20th-century French male actors
Actor-managers
People from Savoie
20th-century theatre managers