Jacques Haïk (20 June 1893 – 31 August 1950) was a French

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

. Born of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

descent in French-controlled

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

, he moved to

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 ...

where he found work in the film industry, introducing

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

to French audiences. He gradually built up a chain of cinemas including the

Grand Rex Le Grand Rex is a Parisian cinema and concert venue. Location and access It is located at , boulevard Poissonnière in the 2nd arrondissement, on the grands boulevards. Its facades and roofs, as well as its hall and its decor have been lis ...

(1931), and established his own production company Les Établissements Jacques Haïk which was very active during the early 1930s. Following the introduction of

sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

he made several French-language films at the

Twickenham Studios Twickenham Studios (formerly known as Twickenham Film Studios) is a film studio in St Margarets, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, that is used by various motion picture and television companies. It was established in 1913 by Ralph ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

until his Paris studios were equipped for sound production. Haïk was

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

. Following the outbreak of 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 produced the anti-

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

'' My Crimes After Mein Kampf'' and supported the

Free French Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...

. In 1940, the Nazis took control of his company ''Les Films Régent'' during the

Nazi plunder Nazi plunder (german: Raubkunst) was the stealing of art and other items which occurred as a result of the Art theft and looting during World War II, organized looting of European countries during the time of the Nazi Party in Germany. The loot ...

, and he returned to Tunisia to hide. He returned to Paris in 1945 but all of his movie theaters were confiscated under the pretext of

Aryanization Aryanization (german: Arisierung) was the Nazi term for the seizure of property from Jews and its transfer to non-Jews, and the forced expulsion of Jews from economic life in Nazi Germany, Axis-aligned states, and their occupied territories. I ...

. Haïk spent the last five years of his life trying to reclaim his real estate and died in 1950.

Selected filmography

* '' André Cornélis'' (1918) * '' André Cornélis'' (1927) * ''

The Beauty Shoppers ''The Beauty Shoppers'' is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and starring Mae Busch, Doris Hill and Ward Crane.Munden p.46 Cast * Mae Busch as Mabel Hines * Doris Hill as Peggy Raymond * Ward Crane as Sloane M ...

'' (1927) * ''

La Maisonde la Flêche LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

'' (1930) * ''

The Mystery of the Villa Rose ''The Mystery of the Villa Rose'' (French: ''Le mystère de la villa rose'') is a 1930 French mystery film directed by René Hervil and Louis Mercanton and starring Léon Mathot, Simone Vaudry, and Louis Baron fils. Production The film is based ...

'' (1930) * ''

Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...

'' (1930) * ''

The Sweetness of Loving ''The Sweetness of Loving'' (French: ''La douceur d'aimer'') is a 1930 French comedy film directed by René Hervil and starring Victor Boucher, Renée Devillers and Henri Bosc.Rège p.328 Cast * Victor Boucher as Albert Dumontier * Renée ...

'' (1930) * ''

Our Masters, the Servants ''Our Masters, the Servants'' (French: ''Nos maîtres les domestiques'') is a 1930 French comedy film directed by Hewitt Claypoole Grantham-Hayes and starring Louis Baron fils, Henri Garat and René Ferté.Bessy & Chirat p.206 It was made at Tw ...

'' (1930) * ''

A Caprice of Pompadour ''A Caprice of Pompadour'' (French: ''Un caprice de la Pompadour'') is a 1931 French historical musical film directed by Joë Hamman and Willi Wolff and starring André Baugé, Marcelle Denya and Gaston Dupray. A separate German version ''Ma ...

'' (1931) * ''

The False Millionaire ''The False Millionaire'' (Swedish: ''Falska millionären'') is a 1931 French-Swedish comedy film directed by Paul Merzbach and starring Fridolf Rhudin, Zarah Leander and Annalisa Ericson.Wallengren p.53 It was shot at the Råsunda Studios in Sto ...

'' (1931) * '' Love and Luck'' (1932) * '' Our Lord's Vineyard'' (1932) * '' Night Shift'' (1932) * '' The Lacquered Box'' (1932) * ''

Nicole and Her Virtue ''Nicole and Her Virtue'' (French: ''Nicole et sa vertu'') is a 1932 French drama film directed by René Hervil and starring Alice Cocéa, André Roanne and Paulette Duvernet.Crisp p.392 Cast * Alice Cocéa as Nicole Versin * André Roanne ...

'' (1932) * ''

Tossing Ship ''Tossing Ship'' (French: ''Coups de roulis'') is a 1932 French musical comedy film directed by Jean de La Cour and starring Max Dearly, Edith Manet and Pierre Magnier.Crisp p.391 It is an operetta film based on the stage work ''Coups de roulis'' ...

'' (1932) * ''

Claudine at School ''Claudine at School'' (french: Claudine à l'école) is a 1900 novel by the French writer Colette. The narrative recounts the final year of secondary school of 15-year-old Claudine, her brazen confrontations with her headmistress, Mlle Sergent, a ...

'' (1937) * '' My Crimes After Mein Kampf'' (1940) * ''

The Woman I Murdered ''The Woman I Murdered'' (French: ''La femme que j'ai assassinée'') is a 1948 French drama film directed by Jacques Daniel-Norman and starring Armand Bernard, Pierre Larquey and Micheline Francey.Bessy & Chirat p.459 The film's sets were designe ...

'' (1948)

References

Bibliography

* Crisp, C.G. ''The Classic French Cinema, 1930-1960''. Indiana University Press, 1993.

External links

* 1893 births 1950 deaths People from Tunis French film producers 20th-century Tunisian Jews Tunisian emigrants to France Jews who emigrated to escape Nazism {{France-film-bio-stub