''The Crew'' (French: ''L'Équipage'') is a 1923 war novel by the French writer Joseph Kessel. It is set during the

First World War 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 ...

, focusing on the crew of a two-man reconnaissance plane whose

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

is in love with the wife of the observer. It was bestseller and later secured Kessel membership of the

Académie Française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

Film adaptations

It has been adapted into films on three occasions: * '' The Crew'', a 1928 French silent film 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 ...

and starring Jean Dax, Camille Bert and

Claire de Lorez Claire de Lorez (August 12, 1895 – September 21, 1985) was an American film actress of the silent era.Goble p. 258 Partial filmography * ''The Scuttlers'' (1920) * '' The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse'' (1921) * ''The Queen of Sheba'' (19 ...

* '' The Crew'', a 1935 French sound film directed by

Anatole Litvak Anatoly Mikhailovich Litvak (russian: Анатолий Михайлович Литвак; 21 May 1902 – 15 December 1974), better known as Anatole Litvak, was a Ukrainian-born American filmmaker who wrote, directed, and produced films in vari ...

and starring

Annabella Annabella, Anabella, or Anabela is a feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: *Annabella of Scotland (c. 1433–1509), daughter of King James I *Annabella (actress) (1907–1996), stage name of French actress Suzanne Georgette C ...

Charles Vanel Charles-Marie Vanel (21 August 1892 – 15 April 1989) was a French actor and director. During his 76-year film career, which began in 1912, he appeared in more than 200 films and worked with many prominent directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, ...

and Jean-Pierre Aumont * '' The Woman I Love'', a 1937 American remake directed by Litvak and starring

Paul Muni Paul Muni (born Frederich Meshilem Meier Weisenfreund; September 22, 1895– August 25, 1967) was an American stage and film actor who grew up in Chicago. Muni was a five-time Academy Award nominee, with one win. He started his acting career in ...

, Miriam Hopkins and Louis HaywardGoble p.258

References

Bibliography

* Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999. * Harvey, Arnold D. ''A Muse of Fire: Literature, Art and War''. A&C Black, 1998. * Van Creveld, Martin. ''The Age of Airpower'' . Hachette UK, 2011. 1923 French novels Novels by Joseph Kessel French novels adapted into films Novels set during World War I {{1920s-novel-stub