Marcel Louis Henry Joseph Léon Courmes born June 13, 1885, in Marseille and died May 5, 1950, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, was a French officer and aviator during the

World War I 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 subsequently became one of the first French sound cinematographers.

Biography

Family origins

Direct descendant in agnatic line of Huguenot captain Luc Courmes (1580), he is the son of Captain Arthur Louis Courmes (1849-1921), Knight of the Legion of Honor, and Euphémie Segond. Coming from an old French bourgeoisie family, he is the great-grandnephew of Claude-Marie Courmes, deputy of Var, mayor of Grasse and knight of the royal order of the Legion of Honour (1833). On March 21, 1910, in

Grez-sur-Loing Grez-sur-Loing (, literally ''Grez on Loing''; formerly Grès-en-Gâtinais, literally ''Grès in Gâtinais'') is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in north-central France. Sights * The Church of Notre-Dame et Saint-Laurent ''(Church ...

, Courmes married Louise Read Chadwick, daughter of the American painter

Francis Brooks Chadwick Francis Brooks Chadwick (January 1, 1850–1942/43), was an American painter active in France. He was born in Boston and studied at Harvard, and to pursue his interest in art he attended the Académie Julian in Paris. He was friends with the ...

and the Swedish painter Emma Löwstädt-Chadwick. Courmes has two children - Lieutenant Christian Courmes (1913-1987) and Gilbert Courmes. Christian was a prisoner in 1942 at the Colditz fortress, he was part of the escape attempt called "the metro" or "The French tunnel". Gilberte was the wife of the

Companions of Liberation A Companion of Liberation () is a member of the Order of the Liberation, created on November 16, 1940 by General de Gaulle as "leader of the Free French" to "reward the people or military and civilian communities who have distinguished themselve ...

Colonel Maurice Delage. In 1925 Courmes joined General Leclerc's Force "L" and created the 13th engineering battalion of the 2nd Armored Division, taking command of which he took part in the Operation Overlord and the Liberation of Paris.

Officer and aviator

During his time as a student at the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr, he graduated 6th out of 277, and Major out of 60 at

École de cavalerie, Saumur The is a French military training establishment at Saumur in Western France. Originally set up to train the cavalry of the French Army, it now trains the troops of France's ''Arme blindée et cavalerie'' (Armoured Cavalry Arm) in reconnaissance an ...

.État de services du chef d'escadrons Marcel Courmes : SHD - GR 8YE 3139. He was the classmate of Colonel de La Rocque and demonstrates his military loyalty to him by renewing at the bar of his trial all the esteem of his comrades from Saint-Cyr. He was also close to the first Chinese Saint-Cyrien, General Prince Pao-Tchao Dan (1884-1958). Blason Louis Courme priest

Second lieutenant in the 5th African Hunter Regiment (1907), then Lieutenant in the 2nd African Hunter Regiment (1907-1908), he served during the Moroccan Campaign in the 28th Dragoon Regiment (1910-1911) then in the 7th dragoon regiment (1913). He is described as a ''"Brilliant, but dreamy, excessively artistic cavalry officer who has a tendency towards too much benevolence in his command which can have serious disadvantages in times of war."'' In 1914 he was a special staff officer in the 4th Dragoon Regiment. He joined the aviation on August 1, 1915, in the French 2nd Bombardment Group then in Escadrille F 63. He is described as "''an officer of perfect education, of an independent character who had great qualities of composure, courage and willpower, which make him an excellent pilot.''"''''

Sound cinematographers

Marcel_Courmes_acteur_LaChienne_Renoir_1931

From 1931, Courmes was one of the first French sound cinematographers with Joseph de Bretagne, both of whom participated in the most famous films of the 1930s. They were debutants on the film by Jean Renoir, ''

La Chienne ''La Chienne'' ( en, italic=yes, The Bitch) is a 1931 French film by director Jean Renoir. It is the second sound film by the director and the twelfth film of his career. The film is based on the eponymous story "La Chienne" by Georges de La Fo ...

'', in 1931, of which Courmes was the artistic director and in which he played the role of the colonel. They are supported by technical advisors from Western Electric, Bell and Hotchckiss who explain to them how to use the equipment.Martin Barnier, ''Les premiers ingénieurs du son français, The first French sound engineers'', 1895, revue de l'Association française de recherche sur l'histoire du ciném
(lire en ligne
. Sur le site : paragraphe 23, dans le livre . This training by American experts is fundamental for the implementation of direct sound outdoors. Thanks to this help, the final sequence of ''La Chienne'' in a tracking shot with a dialogue between

Michel Simon Michel Simon (; 9 April 1895 – 30 May 1975) was a Swiss-French actor. He appeared in many notable French films, including ''La Chienne'' (1931), ''Boudu Saved from Drowning'' (1932), ''L'Atalante'' (1934), ''Port of Shadows'' (1938), '' The He ...

and Alexis Godart, captured in the middle of the street, works perfectly. The “sound trucks”, necessary for this sequence, were used by the novice technicians, with the help of experts from Western Electric. Subsequently, Courmes continued to do the sound for Braunberger and Richebé films, such as ''Fantômas'' (with Bell, in 1932), or ''The Agony of the Eagles'' (1933, with Bell). Courmes also recorded the magnificent street sounds of ''La Tête d'un homme'' for Julien Duvivier (1932, production Vandal et Delac) and those of ''

Hôtel du Nord ''Hôtel du Nord'' is a 1938 French drama film directed by Marcel Carné that stars Arletty, Louis Jouvet, Annabella, and Jean-Pierre Aumont. It tells the story of two couples in Paris, one being a prostitute and her pimp and the other two you ...

'' for Marcel Carné in 1938. He also re-teamed with Bretagne for another Renoir, ''Madame Bovary'' (1933), then on ''Le Voyage de M. Perrichon'' (1934).

Awards and honors

Marcel Courmes obtains the following distinctions: * Knight of the Legion of Honor on July 6, 1929 * Croix de Guerre 1914-1918 with palm *

Morocco commemorative medal (1909) The Morocco commemorative medal (1909) (french: "Médaille commémorative du Maroc (1909)") was a French military campaign medal. It was established by the law of 22 July 1909 for award to soldiers participating in the Second Franco-Moroccan ...

, Morocco'' clasp, Algerian-Moroccan borders (at war) Citation to the order of the army, number 32489 dated July 13, 1916, with the mention: "Bold and skillful pilot carried out 10 bombings including 9 at night, this is particularly distinguished by carrying out successfully on the night of the 17th on May 18, 1916 a particularly perilous expedition to an important station.''"''

Filmography

Marcel Courmes is one of the first French sound cinematographers and he is also artistic director on Jean Renoir's film "La chienne".
He participates in the following films''Ciné-ressources.net'' recherche : Marcel Courmes
* 1931 : ''

'' by Jean Renoir * 1931 : '' L'Amour à l'américaine'' by Paul Fejos * 1932 : ''

Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appear ...

'' by Paul Fejos * 1932 : '' Criminel'' by Jack Forrester * 1933 : '' L'agonie des aigles'' by

Roger Richebé Roger Richebé (3 December 1897, Marseille - 10 July 1989 in Ville-d'Avray), born Roger Gustave Richebé, was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer. Selected filmography * ' (1930) (producer) * '' La donna di una notte'' (1930) (pr ...

* 1933 : '' La tête d'un homme'' by Julien Duvivier * 1933 : '' L'Homme à l'Hispano'' by Jean Epstein * 1933 : ''

Madame Bovary ''Madame Bovary'' (; ), originally published as ''Madame Bovary: Provincial Manners'' ( ), is a novel by French writer Gustave Flaubert, published in 1856. The eponymous character lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities and emp ...

'' by Jean Renoir * 1933 : '' Quelqu'un a tué'' by Jack Forrester * 1933 : '' Tire-au-flanc'' by

Henry Wulschleger Henry Wulschleger or Henri Wulschleger (1894–1943) was a French screenwriter and film director.Crisp p.84 Selected filmography * ''Une nuit agitée'' (1920) * '' Pervenche'' (1921) (co-direction : Alfred Machin) * ''Moi aussi, j'accuse'' ( ...

* 1933 : '' Tour de chant'' by

Alberto Cavalcanti Alberto de Almeida Cavalcanti (February 6, 1897 – August 23, 1982) was a Brazilian-born film director and producer. He was often credited under the single name "Cavalcanti". Early life Cavalcanti was born in Rio de Janeiro, the son of a ...

* 1934 : '' Cessez le feu'' 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 ...

* 1934 : '' Les nuits moscovites'' by

Alexis Granowsky Alexis Granowsky (russian: Алексе́й Миха́йлович Грано́вский; 1890–1937) was a Russian theatre director who later became a film director. Granowsky was born as Abraham Azarkh to a Jewish family in Moscow. After stud ...

* 1934 : '' Le Voyage de monsieur Perrichon'' by

Jean Tarride Jean Tarride (1901–1980) was a French actor and film director. He was the brother of the actor Jacques Tarride. Selected filmography Director * ' (1931) * ' (1932) * '' The Yellow Dog'' (1932) * ''Étienne Étienne, a French analog of Stephen ...

* 1935 : ''

Le comte Obligado ''Count Obligado'' (French: ''Le comte Obligado'') is a 1935 French comedy film directed by Léon Mathot and starring Georges Milton, Germaine Aussey and Edith Méra.Crisp p.401 The film's sets were designed by the art director Pierre Schild. It ...

'' by

Léon Mathot Léon Mathot (5 March 1886, Roubaix, Nord-Pas-de-Calais - 6 March 1968, in Paris) was a French film actor and film director best known perhaps for playing Edmond Dantes in '' The Count of Monte Cristo'' film serial in 1918. He appeared in the ...

* 1935 : '' Le Billet de mille'' by Marc Didier * 1935 : '' Quelle drôle de gosse'' by

Léo Joannon Léo Joannon (21 August 1904 – 28 March 1969) was a French writer and film director. Born in Aix-en-Provence, Joannon was originally a law student who became a novelist and journalist before entering the film industry in the 1920s as a camerama ...

* 1935 : '' Golgotha'' by Julien Duvivier * 1935 : ''

Les yeux noirs Les Yeux Noirs is the name of a French band combining elements of jazz manouche and other Romani music, Yiddish, and Klezmer music. The group was founded by two brothers, Eric and Olivier Slabiak, who both play violin. Other members of the band ...

'' by Victor Tourjanski * 1935 : '' Le Roman d'un jeune homme pauvre'' by Abel Gance * 1936 : '' Sous les yeux d'occident'' by Marc Allégret * 1936 : '' Aventure à Paris'' by Marc Allégret * 1936 : ''

Partie de campagne ''Partie de campagne'' (; English: ''A Day in the Country'') is a 1946 French featurette written and directed by Jean Renoir. The film is based on the short story "Une partie de campagne" (1881) by Guy de Maupassant, who was a friend of Renoir's f ...

'' by Jean Renoir * 1936 : ''

Les Hommes nouveaux ''Les Hommes nouveaux'' ( en, The new Men) is a French drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Con ...

'' 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 ...

* 1936 : '' Tarass Boulba'' by

* 1936 : ''

Opéra de Paris The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...

'' by Claude Lambert (short film) * 1936 : '' Le grand refrain'' by

Yves Mirande Yves Mirande (Bagneux (Maine-et-Loire), May 8, 1876 – Paris, March 17, 1957) was a French screenwriter, director, actor, and producer. Career Yves Mirande began his acting career in the theater, transitioning to movies in the silent era. F ...

* 1937 : '' Vous n'avez rien à déclarer?'' by

* 1937 : '' Les Perles de la couronne'' by Sacha Guitry * 1938 : '' Orage'' by Marc Allégret * 1938 : ''

'' by Marcel Carné * 1938 : ''

Carrefour Carrefour () is a French multinational retail and wholesaling corporation headquartered in Massy, France. The eighth-largest retailer in the world by revenue, it operates a chain of hypermarkets, groceries stores and convenience stores, whic ...

'' by Kurt Bernhardt * 1938 : '' Durand bijoutier'' by Jean Stelli * 1938 : '' Lumières de Paris'' by Richard Pottier * 1938 : '' Le train pour Venise'' by André Berthomieu * 1939 : '' La charrette fantôme'' by Julien Duvivier * 1939 : '' La famille Duraton'' by Christian Stengel * 1939 : '' Le déserteur'' by Léonide Moguy * 1943 : '' L'Auberge de l'abîme'' by

Willy Rozier Willy Rozier (27 June 1901 – 29 May 1983) was a French actor, film director, film producer and screenwriter who also used the pseudonym Xavier Vallier. Filmography Director * ''Les Monts en flammes'' (1931) * ''Calais-Dover'' (1931) * '' ...

* 1943 : '' Les Deux timides'' by

Yves Allégret Yves Allégret (13 October 1905 – 31 January 1987) was a French film director, often working in the film noir genre. He was born in Asnières-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine and died in Paris. He was an assistant to film directors such as his broth ...

* 1943 : '' Le camion blanc'' by

References

Bibliography

* René Martel, préface du général Louis de Goÿs, L'aviation française de bombardement, des origines au 11 novembre 1918, édition Paul Hartmann, 1939. * . {{DEFAULTSORT:Courmes, Marcel 1885 births 1950 deaths French World War I pilots French cinematographers People from Grasse