René Guissart (24 October 1888 – 19 May 1960) was a French

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

and

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

. During the 1920s and 1930s he worked as cinematographer on numerous British films, many of them for

British International Pictures Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), originally British International Pictures (BIP), was a British film production, distribution and exhibition company active from 1927 until 1970 when it was absorbed into EMI. ABPC also owned appro ...

. He also worked on

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

's 1925 epic ''

Ben-Hur Ben-Hur or Ben Hur may refer to: Fiction *'' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'', an 1880 novel by American general and author Lew Wallace ** ''Ben-Hur'' (play), a play that debuted on Broadway in 1899 ** ''Ben Hur'' (1907 film), a one-reel silent ...

''. From 1931 Guissart began directing and had made twenty eight films by 1939.

Selected filmography

Cinematographer

* ''

Ambition Ambition, Ambitions or Ambitious may refer to: * Ambition (character trait) Music * Ambitions (album), ''Ambitions'' (album), a 2017 album by One Ok Rock * Ambition (Tommy Shaw album), ''Ambition'' (Tommy Shaw album), 2014 * Ambition (Wale al ...

'' (1916) * '' Love and Hate'' (1916) * '' The Volunteer'' (1917) * ''

Adventures of Carol An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme s ...

'' (1917) * '' Love Aflame'' (1917) * '' Sister Against Sister'' (1917) * ''

Little Women ''Little Women'' is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott, originally published in two volumes, in 1868 and 1869. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters— Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details th ...

'' (1918) * ''

Victory The term victory (from ) originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes a strategic vi ...

'' (1919) * '' The White Heather'' (1919) * '' My Lady's Garter'' (1920) * ''

The Empire of Diamonds ''The Empire of Diamonds'' is a 1920 American silent crime film directed by Léonce Perret and starring Robert Elliott, Lucy Fox and Léon Mathot.Connelly p.343 Plot Cast * Robert Elliott as Matthew Versigny * Lucy Fox as Marguerite Vers ...

'' (1920) * ''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure a ...

'' (1920) * '' Harriet and the Piper'' (1920) * ''

The Yellow Typhoon ''The Yellow Typhoon'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Edward José and written by Monte M. Katterjohn. It is based on the 1919 novel ''The Yellow Typhoon'' by Harold MacGrath. The film stars Anita Stewart, Ward Crane, Donal ...

'' (1920) * '' The Butterfly Girl'' (1921) * ''

The Money Maniac ''The Money Maniac'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Léonce Perret and starring Robert Elliott, Henry G. Sell and Marcya Capri.Langman p.47 Plot Cast * Robert Elliott as Didier Bouchard * Henry G. Sell Henry G. Sell ( ...

'' (1921) * '' The Breaking Point'' (1921) * '' Sowing the Wind'' (1921) * '' Flames of Passion'' (1922) * '' The Lying Truth'' (1922) * ''

The Bohemian Girl ''The Bohemian Girl'' is an English language Romantic opera composed by Michael William Balfe with a libretto by Alfred Bunn. The plot is loosely based on a Miguel de Cervantes' tale, ''La gitanilla''. The best-known aria from the piece is "I D ...

'' (1922) * '' Paddy the Next Best Thing'' (1923) * '' Chu-Chin-Chow'' (1923) * '' While Paris Sleeps'' (1923) * '' Southern Love'' (1924) * '' The Recoil'' (1924) * ''

'' (1925) * '' Madame Sans-Gene'' (1925) * ''

Land of Hope and Glory "Land of Hope and Glory" is a British patriotic song, with music by Edward Elgar, written in 1901 and with lyrics by A. C. Benson added in 1902. Composition The music to which the words of the refrain 'Land of Hope and Glory, &c' below ...

'' (1927) * '' A Little Bit of Fluff'' (1928) * '' The White Sheik'' (1928) * ''

Tommy Atkins Tommy Atkins (often just Tommy) is slang for a common soldier in the British Army.Adam's Apple The Adam's apple is the protrusion in the neck formed by the angle of the thyroid cartilage surrounding the larynx, typically visible in men, less frequently in women. The prominence of the Adam's apple increases in some men as a secondary mal ...

'' (1928) * ''

Paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...

'' (1928) * '' Daughter of the Regiment'' (1929) * '' The American Prisoner'' (1929) * '' The Hate Ship'' (1929) * '' Chérie'' (1930) * ''

The Compulsory Husband ''The Compulsory Husband'' is a 1930 British comedy film directed by Monty Banks and Harry Lachman and starring Banks, Lillian Manton and Clifford Heatherley. It was based on a novel of the same title by John Glyder. Cast * Monty Banks as Monty ...

'' (1930) * '' Raise the Roof'' (1930) * ''

The W Plan ''The W Plan'' is a 1930 British spy film produced and directed by Victor Saville and starring Brian Aherne, Madeleine Carroll, Gibb McLaughlin, and Gordon Harker. The screenplay was written by Saville with Miles Malleson and Frank Launde ...

'' (1930) * '' Tropical Nights'' (1931) * '' Every Woman Has Something'' (1931) * '' Woman in the Jungle'' (1931) * '' A Man Has Been Stolen'' (1934) * '' The Path of Honour'' (1939)

Director

* ''

The Man in Evening Clothes ''The Man in Evening Clothes'' (French:''Un homme en habit'') is a 1931 American pre-Code comedy film directed by René Guissart, in his directorial debut, and starring Fernand Gravey, Diana and Suzy Vernon. It was made by the French subsidia ...

'' (1931) * ''

Luck Luck is the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative ones. The Naturalism (philosophy), naturalistic interpretation is that positive and negative events may happen at a ...

'' (1931) * '' The Improvised Son '' (1932) * '' Passionately'' (1932) * '' You Will Be a Duchess'' (1932) * '' The Premature Father'' (1933) * ''

The Midnight Prince ''The Midnight Prince'' (French: ''Prince de minuit'') is a 1934 French musical comedy film directed by René Guissart and starring Henri Garat, Edith Méra and Monique Rolland.The A to Z of French Cinema p.196 The film's sets were designed b ...

'' (1934) * '' Primerose'' (1934) * '' Dédé'' (1935) *'' The Hortensia Sisters'' (1935) * '' Speak to Me of Love'' (1935) * '' Dora Nelson'' (1935) * '' You Are Me'' (1936) * ''

Ménilmontant Ménilmontant () is a neighbourhood of Paris, situated in the city's 20th arrondissement. It is roughly defined as the area north of the Père Lachaise Cemetery, south of Parc de Belleville, and between ''Avenue Jean-Aicard'' on the west an ...

'' (1936) * ''

Sweet Devil ''Sweet Devil'' is a 1938 British musical comedy film directed by René Guissart and starring Bobby Howes, Jean Gillie and William Kendall. It was made at Pinewood Studios.Wood p.97 Cast * Bobby Howes as Tony Brent * Jean Gillie as Jill Turne ...

'' (1938) * '' Bourrachon'' (1938) * '' Alexis, Gentleman Chauffeur'' (1938)

Bibliography

* Phillips, Alastair. ''City of Darkness, City of Light: Émigré Filmmaker in Paris 1929-1939''. Amsterdam University Press, 2004.

External links

* 1888 births 1960 deaths French cinematographers Film directors from Paris {{cinematographer-stub