Léonce-Henri Burel (23 November 1892 – 21 March 1977) was a French cinematographer whose career extended from the silent era until the early 1970s. He was the director of photography on more than 120 films, working almost exclusively in black-and-white."Léonce-Henri Burel", a
''Ciné-Ressources''
etrieved 24 May 2015./ref>

Career

After studying at the University of Nantes, he initially worked as a photoengraver before becoming a camera operator. At the Film d'Art company in 1915 he was noticed by Abel Gance and began a collaboration with him which extended over 16 films, including ''

J'accuse "''J'Accuse...!''" (; "I Accuse...!") is an open letter that was published on 13 January 1898 in the newspaper ''L'Aurore'' by Émile Zola in response to the Dreyfus affair. Zola addressed President of France Félix Faure and accused his govern ...

'', ''

La Roue ''La Roue'' (, 'The Wheel') is a French silent film, directed by Abel Gance, who also directed '' Napoléon'' and '' J'accuse''. It was released in 1923. The film used then-revolutionary lighting techniques, and rapid scene changes and cuts. ...

'', and ''

Napoléon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

''. In the period of silent films he also worked on several productions with

Jacques Feyder Jacques Feyder (; 21 July 1885 – 24 May 1948) was a Belgian actor, screenwriter and film director who worked principally in France, but also in the US, Britain and Germany. He was a director of silent films during the 1920s, and in the 1930 ...

. During the 1930s he worked regularly with

Jean Dréville Jean Dréville (20 September 1906 – 5 March 1997) was a French film director. He directed more than 40 films between 1928 and 1969. Selected filmography * '' Autour de L'Argent'' (1928) * ''A Man of Gold'' (1934) * ''The Chess Player'' ( ...

and Henri Decoin. With '' Le Journal d'un curé de campagne'', for which he won the best cinematography award at the Venice Film Festival in 1951, Burel began another important collaboration with the director

Robert Bresson Robert Bresson (; 25 September 1901 – 18 December 1999) was a French film director. Known for his ascetic approach, Bresson contributed notably to the art of cinema; his non-professional actors, ellipses, and sparse use of scoring have l ...

which continued through three further films. Burel also directed three films himself between 1922 and 1932. ''Dictionnaire du cinéma français'', sous la direction de Jean-Loup Passek. (Paris: Larousse, 1987.) p. 63.

Selected filmography

* 1915: ''

La Folie du docteur Tube ''La Folie du docteur Tube'' is a 1915 short silent experimental film directed by Abel Gance, in which a scientist takes a white, cocaine-like powder which makes him hallucinate. Gance shows the man's hallucinations by using a series of dist ...

'', directed by Abel Gance * 1917: ''Mater dolorosa'' (''

The Torture of Silence ''The Torture of Silence'' (french: Mater dolorosa) is a 1917 French silent drama film directed by Abel Gance. Cast * Emmy Lynn as Manon Berliac * Firmin Gémier as Emile Berliac * Armand Tallier as François Rolland * Anthony Gildès as Je ...

''), directed by Abel Gance * 1918: ''La Dixième Symphonie'' (''

The Tenth Symphony ''The Tenth Symphony'' (french: La Dixième Symphonie) is a 1918 silent French drama film directed by Abel Gance. Plot Rich orphan Eve Dinant has fallen under the spell of the charming but evil Fred Rice. She becomes his mistress and he induc ...

''), directed by Abel Gance * 1918: '' Le Comte de Monte Cristo'', directed by

Henri Pouctal Henri Pouctal (21 October 1860 – 2 February 1922) was an early France, French silent film director and actor best known for his silent films of the 1910s, notably ''Alsace (film), Alsace'' or ''Chantecoq (film), Chantecoq'', and his directorsh ...

* 1919: ''

'', directed by Abel Gance * 1921: ''

'', directed by Abel Gance * 1922: '' Crainquebille'', directed by

* 1925: ''Visages d'enfants'' ('' Faces of Children''), directed by Jacques Feyder * 1926: ''

Michel Strogoff ''Michael Strogoff: The Courier of the Czar'' (french: Michel Strogoff) is a novel written by Jules Verne in 1876. Critic Leonard S. Davidow, considers it one of Verne's best books. Davidow wrote, "Jules Verne has written no better book than thi ...

'', directed by

Victor Tourjansky 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), ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * Victor (1993 film), ...

* 1927: ''

'', directed by Abel Gance * 1927: ''Casanova'' (''

The Loves of Casanova ''The Loves of Casanova'' or ''Casanova'' is a 1927 French Historical drama film directed by Alexandre Volkoff and starring Ivan Mozzhukhin, Suzanne Bianchetti and Diana Karenne. The film portrays the life and adventures of Giacomo Casanova ( ...

''), directed by Alexandre Volkoff * 1928: ''L'Équipage'' ('' The Crew''), directed by Maurice Tourneur * 1929: ''

The Three Passions ''The Three Passions'' is a 1928 British silent drama film directed by Rex Ingram and starring Alice Terry, Iván Petrovich and Shayle Gardner. It was made as a quota film for Allied ArtistsLow p.160 and was based on a novel by Cosmo Hamil ...

'', directed by Rex Ingram * 1929: '' Vénus'', directed by

Louis Mercanton Louis Mercanton (4 May 1879 – 29 April 1932) was a Swiss people, Swiss film director, screenwriter and actor. Mercanton was born in Nyon, Vaud, Canton of Vaud, Switzerland and died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Partial filmography Director * '' ...

* 1930: '' Nuits de princes'' (''Nights of Princes''), 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 ...

* 1931: '' La Femme d'une nuit'', directed by Marcel L'Herbier * 1932: ''La Femme nue'' ('' The Nude Woman''), directed by Jean-Paul Paulin * 1934: ''Le Petit Jacques'' ('' Little Jacques''), directed by

Gaston Roudès Gaston Roudès (born 24 March 1878, Béziers, Hérault, France; d. 5 November 1958, Villejuif, Val-de-Marne Val-de-Marne (, "Vale of the Marne") is a department of France located in the Île-de-France region. Named after the river Marne, it ...

* 1938: ''Retour à l'aube'' (''

Return at Dawn ''Return at Dawn'' (French: ''Retour à l'aube'') is a 1938 French drama film starring Danielle Darrieux, and was directed by Henri Decoin, who co-wrote the screenplay with Pierre Wolff, based on a short story by Vicki Baum. The music score is b ...

''), directed by Henri Decoin * 1940: ''

Vénus aveugle ''Vénus aveugle'' (''Blind Venus'') is a 1941 French film melodrama, directed by Abel Gance, and one of the first films to be undertaken in France during the German occupation. (It is also sometimes cited as ''La Vénus aveugle''.) In the uphea ...

'', directed by Abel Gance * 1942: ''La Belle Aventure'' ('' The Beautiful Adventure''), directed Marc Allégret * 1949: '' Suzanne et ses brigands'' ('' Suzanne and the Robbers''), directed by

Yves Ciampi Yves Ciampi (; 9 February 1921 – 5 November 1982) was a French film director. He was married to Japanese actress Kishi Keiko from 1957 to 1975. His 1965 film '' Heaven on One's Head'' was entered into the 4th Moscow International Film Fest ...

* 1949: ''Valse brillante'' ('' Brilliant Waltz''), directed by Jean Boyer * 1949: '' Le Mystère Barton'' ('' The Barton Mystery''), directed by

Charles Spaak Charles Spaak (25 May 1903 – 4 March 1975) was a Belgian screenwriter who was noted particularly for his work in the French cinema during the 1930s. He was the son of the dramatist and poet Paul Spaak, the brother of the politician Paul-Henri ...

* 1951: ''Journal d'un curé de campagne'' (''

Diary of a Country Priest ''Diary of a Country Priest'' (french: Journal d'un curé de campagne) is a 1951 French drama film written and directed by Robert Bresson, and starring Claude Laydu in his debut film performance. A faithful adaptation of Georges Bernanos' nove ...

''), directed by

* 1955: ''La Madone des sleepings'' ('' Madonna of the Sleeping Cars''), directed by Henri Diamant-Berger * 1956: ''Un condamné à mort s'est échappé'' (''

A Man Escaped ''A Man Escaped or The Wind Bloweth Where It Listeth'' (french: Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut, which literally translates as: "A man condemned to death has escaped or The wind blows where it wants"; the subtitl ...

''), directed by Robert Bresson * 1959: ''

Pickpocket Pickpocketing is a form of larceny that involves the stealing of money or other valuables from the person or a victim's pocket without them noticing the theft at the time. It may involve considerable dexterity and a knack for misdirection. A th ...

'', directed by Robert Bresson * 1962: ''Procès de Jeanne d'Arc'' (''

The Trial of Joan of Arc ''The Trial of Joan of Arc'' (french: Procès de Jeanne d'Arc) is a 1962 French historical drama film written and directed by Robert Bresson. The title role is played by Florence Delay. Synopsis In 1431, Jeanne d'Arc, a peasant girl who has l ...

''), directed by Robert Bresson * 1963: '' Chair de poule'', directed by Julien Duvivier

References

External links

* *"Léonce-Henri Burel", i
''Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers''
etrieved 24 May 2015.*"Léonce-Henri Burel", i
''Dictionnaire du cinéma français des années vingt''
covering particularly Burel's work with Gance and Feyder in the 1920s. etrieved 24 May 2015.In French. *"Burel & Bresson: interview by Rui Nogueira, translation and introduction by Tom Milne", in ''Sight and Sound'', Winter 1976/1977, vol. 46(1), pp. 18-21
Republished online
on the BFI website (September 2020); archived at th
Wayback Machine
etrieved 30 April 2021 {{DEFAULTSORT:Burel, Leonce-Henri 1892 births 1977 deaths French cinematographers