Henri-Léon-Gustave-Charles Bernstein (20 June 1876 – 27 November 1953) was a French

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

associated with Boulevard theatre.

Biography

Bernstein was born in Paris. His earliest plays, including ''La Rafale'' (1905), ''Le Voleur'' (1907), ''Samson'' (1908), ''Israël'' (1908), and ''Le Secret'' (1913), are written in a realistic style and powerfully depict harsh realities of modern life and society. The far-right

royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

Camelots du Roi The King's Camelots, officially the National Federation of the King's Camelots (french: Fédération nationale des Camelots du Roi) was a far-right youth organization of the French militant royalist and integralist movement Action Française act ...

'' youth organization of the ''

Action française Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 f ...

'' organized an

anti-Semitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

riot A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targete ...

against a production of one of his plays in 1911. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he fled to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and lived in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

at the

Waldorf Astoria The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story Art Deco landmark designed by architects Schultz ...

Jean-Pierre Aumont Jean-Pierre Aumont (born Jean-Pierre Philippe Salomons; 5 January 1911 – 30 January 2001) was a French actor, and holder of the Légion d'Honneur and the Croix de guerre 1939–1945, Croix de Guerre for his World War II military service. Ea ...

relates in his work ''Le Soleil et les Ombres'' (

Robert Laffont The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, 1976) the luxury in which he lived, as well as his general lack of interest in the war. He is buried in the

Cimetière de Passy Passy Cemetery (french: Cimetière de Passy) is a small cemetery in Passy, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France. History The current cemetery replaced the old cemetery (''l'ancien cimetière communal de Passy'', located on Rue Lekain), w ...

in Paris.

Works

*''Le Marché'' (The Market), 1900 *''Le Détour'', 1902 *''Joujou'', 1902 *''Le Bercail'', 1904 *''La Rafale'' (Whirlwind), 1905 *''La Griffe'', La Renaissance, 1906 *''Le Voleur'' (The Thief), 1906 *''

Samson Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution o ...

'', 1907 *''Israël'', 1908 *''Après moi'' (After Me), 1911 *''L'Assaut'' (The Assault), 1912 *''Le Secret'', 1913 *''The Claw'' *''L'Élévation'', 1917 *''Judith'', 1922 *''La Galerie des glaces'' (The Hall of Mirrors), 1924 *''Félix'', 1926 *'' Mélo'', 1929 *''Le Bonheur'' (Happiness), 1933 *''Le Cœur'' (The Heart), 1936 *''Le Messager'', 1937 *''Elvire'', 1939 *''La Soif'' (The Thirst), 1949 *''Victor'', 1950 *''Evangéline'', 1952 *''Espoir'' (Hope), 1955 *''Le Venin'' (The Poison), 1927

Filmography

*'' The Thief'', directed by

Edgar Lewis Edgar Henry Mead Lewis (12 February 1902 – 26 April 1992) was an Australian politician who was a Country Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1958 to 1974, representing the seat of Moore. Lewis was born in Fr ...

(Silent film, 1914, based on the play ''Le Voleur'') *''

'', directed by

(Silent film, 1915, based on the play ''Samson'') *'' Sold'', directed by

Edwin S. Porter Edwin Stanton Porter (April 21, 1870 – April 30, 1941) was an American film pioneer, most famous as a producer, director, studio manager and cinematographer with the Edison Manufacturing Company and the Famous Players Film Company. Of over ...

and Hugh Ford (Silent film, 1915, based on the play ''Le Secret'') *', directed by

Marcel L'Herbier Marcel L'Herbier (; 23 April 1888 – 26 November 1979) was a French filmmaker who achieved prominence as an avant-garde theorist and imaginative practitioner with a series of silent films in the 1920s. His career as a director continued unti ...

(Silent film, 1919, based on the play ''Le Bercail'') *', directed by Telemaco Ruggeri (Silent film, 1920, based on the play ''L'Élévation'') *', directed by

Jacques de Baroncelli Jacques de Baroncelli (25 June 1881 – 12 January 1951) was a French film director best known for his silent films from 1915 to the late 1930s. He came from a Florence, Florentine family who had settled in Provence in the 15th century, occupying ...

(Silent film, 1920, based on the play ''La Rafale'') *''

Shackles of Gold ''Shackles of Gold'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Herbert Brenon and starring William Farnum, Alfred Loring, and Marie Shotwell. It is an adaptation of the 1908 play ''Samson (play), Samson'' by Henri Bernstein with the setti ...

'', directed by

Herbert Brenon Herbert Brenon (born Alexander Herbert Reginald St. John Brenon; 13 January 1880 – 21 June 1958) was an Irish-born U.S. film director, actor and screenwriter during the era of silent films through the 1930s. Brenon was among the early film ...

(Silent film, 1922, based on the play ''Samson'') *''

'', directed by Torello Rolli (Silent film, 1923, based on the play ''Samson'') *''

The Washington Masquerade ''The Washington Masquerade'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code drama film directed by Charles Brabin and written by John Meehan and Samuel Blythe. The film stars Lionel Barrymore, Karen Morley, Diane Sinclair, Nils Asther and Reginald Barlow. The ...

'', directed by

Charles Brabin Charles Brabin (April 17, 1882 – November 3, 1957) was a British-American film director. Biography Born in Liverpool, England, he was educated at St. Francis Xavier College. Brabin sailed to New York City in the early 1900s and, while hold ...

(English, 1932, based on the play ''La Griffe'') *'' Dreaming Lips'', directed by

Paul Czinner Paul Czinner (30 May 1890 – 22 June 1972) was a Hungarian-born British writer, film director, and producer. Biography Czinner was born to a Jewish family in Budapest, Austria-Hungary. After studying literature and philosophy at the Universi ...

(German, 1932, based on the play ''Mélo'') **' Mélo'', directed by

(French, 1932, based on the play ''Mélo'') *', directed by

Maurice Tourneur Maurice may refer to: People *Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr *Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and Lo ...

(French, 1933, based on the play ''Le Voleur'') *'' Le Bonheur'', directed by

(French, 1934, based on the play ''Le Bonheur'') *', directed by

Robert Land Robert Land (1887–1940) was an Austrian-Jewish film director of Moravian descent. Biography Born as Robert Liebmann to a German-speaking Jewish Family in Kroměříž. Land moved to Vienna to study German literature and art history. He started ...

and

Giorgio Simonelli Giorgio Simonelli (14 November 1901 Birth name: Giorgio Simonelli. – 3 October 1966), was an Italian film director, editor, screenwriter and journalist. Life and career Born in Rome, Simonelli obtained a high school diploma in business stud ...

(Italian, 1934, based on the play ''Mélo'') *''

'', directed by

(French, 1936, based on the play ''Samson'') *', directed by

Pierre-Jean Ducis Pierre-Jean Ducis (5 March 1907 - 24 June 1980) was a French film director. He mainly directed short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Pictu ...

(French, 1936, based on the play ''L'Assaut'') *'' Dreaming Lips'', directed by

(English, 1937, based on the play ''Mélo'') *'' The Messenger'', directed by

Raymond Rouleau Raymond Rouleau (4 June 1904 – 11 December 1981) was a Belgian actor and film director. He appeared in more than 40 films between 1928 and 1979. He also directed 22 films between 1932 and 1981. Rouleau studied at the Royal Conservatory of B ...

(French, 1937, based on the play ''Le Messager'') *'' Orage'', directed by

Marc Allégret Marc Allégret (22 December 1900 – 3 November 1973) was a French screenwriter, photographer and film director. Biography Born in Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland, he was the elder brother of Yves Allégret. Marc was educated to be a lawyer in ...

(French, 1938, based on the play ''Le Venin'') *''

Victor The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

'', directed by

Claude Heymann Claude Heymann (13 November 1907 – 13 April 1994) was a French screenwriter and film director.Frey p.78 Selected filmography * '' American Love'' (1931) * '' Idylle au Caire'' (1933) * ''The Brighton Twins'' (1936) * ''Paris-New York'' (1 ...

(French, 1951, based on the play ''Victor'') *'' Dreaming Lips'', directed by

Josef von Báky Josef may refer to *Josef (given name) *Josef (surname) * ''Josef'' (film), a 2011 Croatian war film *Musik Josef Musik Josef is a Japanese manufacturer of musical instruments. It was founded by Yukio Nakamura, and is the only company in Japan spe ...

(German, 1953, based on the play ''Mélo'') *', directed by

Giorgio Capitani Giorgio Capitani (29 December 1927 – 25 March 2017) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 40 films between 1954 and 2012. He also wrote for 12 films. He was born in Paris, France. Selected filmography * '' The Flam ...

and Pierre Billon (Italian, 1954, based on the play ''Le Venin'') *'' Mélo'', directed by

Alain Resnais Alain Resnais (; 3 June 19221 March 2014) was a French film director and screenwriter whose career extended over more than six decades. After training as a film editor in the mid-1940s, he went on to direct a number of short films which included ...

(French, 1986, based on the play ''Mélo'')

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bernstein, Henry 1876 births 1953 deaths Writers from Paris 20th-century French dramatists and playwrights 19th-century French Jews Jewish dramatists and playwrights Burials at Passy Cemetery