Pierre Adrien Decourcelle (25 January 1856 - 10 October 1926) was a French writer and playwright.

Life

Pierre Adrien Decourcelle was born in Paris on 25 January 1856. His father,

Adrien Decourcelle Adrien Decourcelle (28 October 1821 – 6 August 1892) was a 19th-century French writer and playwright. Pierre-Henri-Adrien Decourcelle wrote about 70 plays between 1845 and 1855, comedies and Comédie en vaudeville written most of the time in ...

, and his uncle,

Adolphe d'Ennery Adolphe Philippe d'Ennery or Dennery (17 June 181125 January 1899) was a French playwright and novelist. Life Born in Paris, his real surname was Philippe. He obtained his first success in collaboration with Charles Desnoyer in ''Émile, ou le ...

, were both authors. He attended the

Lycée Henri-IV The Lycée Henri-IV is a public secondary school located in Paris. Along with the Lycée Louis-le-Grand, it is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious and demanding sixth-form colleges (''lycées'') in France. The school educates more than ...

, then worked as a merchant and stockbroker before starting to write plays. Decourcelle's first effort, ''Le Grain de beauté (The Beauty Mark)'' premiered at the

Théâtre du Gymnase Marie Bell The Théâtre du Gymnase or Théâtre du Gymnase Marie Bell, is a theatre in Paris, at 38 Boulevard Bonne-Nouvelle in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, 10th arrondissement (métro : Bonne Nouvelle (Paris Métro), Bonne Nouvelle). History Inaugu ...

on 27 March 1880. In 1882 he wrote the drama ''L'As de trèfle (The Ace of Clubs)'' for

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 or 23 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including '' La Dame Aux Camel ...

, who performed it at the Théâtre de l'Ambigu. From the 1880s onward he created many comedies, opera libretti and adaptations of novels for the stage. Decourcelle and

Léopold Lacour Léopold Lacour (9 February 1854 – 1939) was an influential French teacher, sociologist, writer and feminist. Biography Léopold Lacour was born in 1854. He attended the ''École Normale Supérieure'' and graduated with distinction. He then ta ...

made a play from

Paul Bourget Paul Charles Joseph Bourget (; 2 September 185225 December 1935) was a French poet, novelist and critic. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature five times. Life Paul Bourget was born in Amiens in the Somme ''département'' of P ...

's ''Mensonges'', which was first performed on 18 April 1889. Bourget also collaborated with Decourcelle in their adaptation of ''Idylle tragique'' for the stage. In October 1897 Decourcelle's French version of

William Gillette William Hooker Gillette (July 24, 1853 – April 29, 1937) was an American actor-manager, playwright, and stage-manager in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best remembered for portraying Sherlock Holmes on stage and in a 1916 ...

's play ''Secret Service'' was put on by the ''Theatre Renaissance'' in Paris. Decourcelle also worked as a journalist for ''

Le Gaulois ''Le Gaulois'' () was a French daily newspaper, founded in 1868 by Edmond Tarbé and Henry de Pène. After a printing stoppage, it was revived by Arthur Meyer in 1882 with notable collaborators Paul Bourget, Alfred Grévin, Abel Hermant, and E ...

'' under the pseudonyms "Choufleuri" and "Valentin". He was a prolific author, turning out cheap novels for the juvenile market. Decourcelle's ''romans revanchard'' became popular. These were nationalistic and conservative novels that called for revenge for the loss of Alsace-Lorraine in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. His novel ''Les Deux Gosses'' (1880) was his most successful. It was adapted for the cinema by several directors. In 1908 Decourcelle founded a company to adapt literary works to the screen, with Eugène Guggenheim. The ''Société des Auteurs et des Gens de Lettres (SCAGL)'' became respected for the quality of its productions. Three American serials starring

Pearl White Pearl Fay White (March 4, 1889 – August 4, 1938) was an American stage and film actress. She began her career on the stage at the age of six, and later moved on to silent films appearing in a number of popular serials. Dubbed the "Queen of ...

were recut and re-arranged into a series called ''Les Mystères de New-York'' for French cinemas, screened in Paris between December 1915 and May 1916. While episodes of the silent ''ciné-roman'' series were being played in the theaters each week, Decourcelle's versions of the stories were published by '' Le Matin'' and the provincial papers. In 1921 SCAGL produced an adaptation by

André Antoine André Antoine (31 January 185823 October 1943) was a French actor, theatre manager, film director, author, and critic who is considered the father of modern mise en scène in France. Biography André Antoine was a clerk at the Paris Gas Utilit ...

Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, also , ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the development of ...

's ''La Terre''. The depiction of brutist morals in a farming environment were toned down considerably for the screen version. Pierre Decourcelle died on 10 October 1926, aged seventy.

Works

Theater

* ''Le Grain de beauté (The Beauty Mark)'', comedy in one act, Paris,

, 27 March 1880 * ''L'As de trèfle (The Ace of Clubs)'', drama in five acts, Paris, Théâtre de l'Ambigu, 15 March 1883 * ''Le Fond du sac (The Bottom of the Bag)'', comedy in three acts, Paris,

Théâtre du Palais-Royal The Théâtre du Palais-Royal () is a 750-seat Parisian theatre at 38 rue de Montpensier, located at the northwest corner of the Palais-Royal in the Galerie de Montpensier at its intersection with the Galerie de Beaujolais. Brief history ...

, 24 March 1883 * ''La Danseuse au couvent (The Dancer at the convent)'', comedy in one act, Paris, Théâtre du Gymnase-Dramatique, 23 September 1883 * ''La Charbonnière (The Charcoal maker)'' drama in five acts, collaboration with

Hector Crémieux In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

Théâtre de la Gaîté (rue Papin) In 1862 during Haussmann's modernization of Paris, the Théâtre de la Gaîté of the boulevard du Temple was relocated to the rue Papin across from the Square des Arts et Métiers.Théâtre de l'Ambigu, 15 March 1883 * ''La Buveuse de larmes (The Drinker of Tears)'' (1885) * ''Le Mariage à la course (Marriage on the run)'', skit in one act, 1886 * ''Les Cinq doigts de Birouk (The Five Fingers of Birouk)'', drama in five acts, seven tableaux, Paris,

Théâtre de Paris The Théâtre de Paris is a theatre located at 15, rue Blanche in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. It includes a second smaller venue, the Petit Théâtre de Paris. History The first theatre on the site was built by the Duke of Richelieu in 1730. ...

, 18 December 1886 * ''L'Abbé Constantin (The Abbé Constantin)'', comedy in three acts, in collaboration with Hector Crémieux, after the novel by

Ludovic Halévy Ludovic Halévy (1 January 1834 – 7 May 1908) was a French author and playwright, best known for his collaborations with Henri Meilhac on Georges Bizet's ''Carmen'' and on the works of Jacques Offenbach. Biography Ludovic Halévy was born in P ...

, Paris, Théâtre du Gymnase, 4 November 1887 * ''Madame Cartouche'', comic opera in three acts, in collaboration with William Busnach, music by Léon Vasseur, Paris,

Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques The Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques was a theatre in Paris in the 19th and 20th centuries. Opened first in 1832 in the site of the old Théâtre de l'Ambigu-Comique on the Boulevard du Temple, under Frédérick Lemaître it became a noted venue ...

, 19 October 1886 * ''Le Dragon de la reine (The queen's dragon)'', comic opera in three acts, in collaboration with Frantz Beauvallet, music by Léopold de Wenzel, Paris,

Théâtre de la Gaîté (rue Papin) In 1862 during Haussmann's modernization of Paris, the Théâtre de la Gaîté of the boulevard du Temple was relocated to the rue Papin across from the Square des Arts et Métiers.Léopold Lacour Léopold Lacour (9 February 1854 – 1939) was an influential French teacher, sociologist, writer and feminist. Biography Léopold Lacour was born in 1854. He attended the ''École Normale Supérieure'' and graduated with distinction. He then ta ...

, after the novel by

, Paris,

Théâtre du Vaudeville The Théâtre du Vaudeville was a theatre company in Paris. It opened on 12 January 1792 on rue de Chartres. Its directors, Piis and Barré, mainly put on "petites pièces mêlées de couplets sur des airs connus", including vaudevilles. Af ...

, 18 April 1889 * ''Gigolette'', drama in one prolog, five acts and eight tableaux, in collaboration with Edmond Tarbé des Sablons, Paris, Théâtre de l'Ambigu, 25 November 1893 * ''Le Collier de la reine'', play in five acts and 13 tableaux, Paris, 31 January 1895,

Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin The Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin is a venerable theatre and opera house at 18, Boulevard Saint-Martin in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. History It was first built very rapidly in 1781 under the direction of (1726–1810) to house t ...

, * ''Après le pardon (After the pardon)'' by Mathilde Sérao and Pierre Decourcelle, Théâtre Réjane, 1907 * ''Le Roy sans royaume (The King without a kingdom)'', historical mystery in three parts and seven tableaux,

, 23 September 1909 * ''La Rue du Sentier'', comedy in four acts by Pierre Decourcelle and André Maurel, Théâtre de l'Odéon, 16 April 1913

Novels and stories

* ''Le Chapeau gris (Grey Hat)'' (1886-1887), nove

* ''Les Deux Gosses (The two kids)'' (1880), novel illustrated by H. Meyer, Jonnard, and others, in 3 volumes, published in Paris by Éditions Rouff. Later adapted to the theatre and the cinema. * ''Fanfan'', second volume of ''Les Deux Gosses'' (1891) * ''La Chambre d'amour'' (1892) * ''Mam'zelle Misère (Miss Misery)'' (1892

* ''Brune et blonde (Brunette and Blonde)'' (1893

* ''Crime de femme (Crime of Woman)'' (1895) * ''Gigolette'', novel derived from his play, La librairie illustrée, Paris, 1895 * ''La Baillonnée (The gagged one)'', novel in four parts, c. 1904 * ''Les Mystères de New-York (The Mysteries of New York)'' - Les Romans-Cinémas, éditions Renaissance du Livre * ''Les Fêtards de Paris (Revelers of the Paris)'' * ''Le Curé du Moulin-Rouge (The priest of the Moulin Rouge)''

Film adaptations

Decourcelle's ''Les Deux Gosses (The Two Kids)'' was adapted as a film by several directors. * ''Les Deux Gosses - Épisode 1: La faute d'une mère (Episode 1: The lack of a mother)'' (1912) directed by

Adrien Caillard Adrien is a given name and surname, and the French spelling for the name Adrian. It is also the masculine form of the feminine name Adrienne. It may refer to: People Given name * Adrien Auzout (1622–1691), French astronomer * Adrien Baillet (1 ...

* ''Les Deux Gosses - Épisode 2: Fanfan et Claudinet (Episode 2: Fanfan and Claudinet)'' (1912) directed by Adrien Caillard * ''Les Deux Gosses'' (1916) directed by Adrien Caillard * ''Les Deux Gosses'' (1916) directed by

Albert Capellani Albert Capellani (23 August 1874 – 26 September 1931) was a French film director and screenwriter of the silent film, silent era. He directed films between 1905 and 1922. One of his brothers was the actor-sculptor Paul Capellani, and anoth ...

* ''Les Deux gosses'' (1923) 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 ...

* '' Les Deux Gosses'' (1924) directed by

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

* '' Les Deux Gosses'' (1936) directed by

Fernand Rivers Fernand Rivers (born François Large, 6 September 1879, Saint-Lager - 12 September 1960) was a French actor, screenwriter, film producer and director. He was the brother of the actor Rivers Cadet. Partial filmography Director * '' The Ironmaster' ...

* ''I due derelitti'' (1951: Italian) directed by

Flavio Calzavara Flavio Calzavara (21 February 1900 – 10 March 1981) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 21 films between 1939 and 1956. Filmography * ''Canzone proibita'' (1956) * ''Gli occhi senza luce'' (1956) * ''Napoli piange ...

References

Citations Sources * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Decourcelle, Pierre 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights 20th-century French dramatists and playwrights 19th-century French novelists 20th-century French novelists 19th-century French journalists French male journalists French crime fiction writers Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Writers from Paris 1856 births 1926 deaths Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 19th-century French male writers 20th-century French male writers