René Max Weill (25 May 1868 – 9 September 1952), who used the pseudonym Romain Coolus, was a French

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and film

scriptwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. T ...

Biography

Works

Theater

* 1893 : ''Le Ménage Brésile'' (first play), one-act comedy, at Théâtre Libre d'Antoine * 1896 : ''Raphaël'', three-act comedy, premiered at

Théâtre de l'Œuvre The Théâtre de l'Œuvre is a Paris theatre on the Right Bank, located at 3, Cité Monthiers, entrance 55, rue de Clichy, in the 9° arrondissement. It is commonly conflated and confused with the late-nineteenth-century theater company named Th� ...

by Lugné-Poë * 1897 : ''L'Enfant malade'', four-act play, au Théâtre des Escholiers. * 1898 : ''Lysiane'', five-act play, premiered at

Théâtre de la Renaissance The name Théâtre de la Renaissance has been used successively for three distinct Parisian theatre companies. The first two companies, which were short-lived enterprises in the 19th century, used the Salle Ventadour, now an office building on th ...

* 1899 : ''Cœur blette'', two-act comedy, Théâtre Antoine * 1900 : ''Le Marquis de Carabas'', three-act comédie-bouffe in verses * 1901 : ''Les Amants de Sazy'', premiered at the Théâtre du Gymnase * 1901 : ''Rue Spontini'' * 1902 : ''Lucette'', three-act comedy, premiered at the Théâtre du Gymnase * 1903 : ''Yvonne dîne en ville'' * 1903 : ''Antoinette Sabrier'', 3-act play, in prose,

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 ...

, premiered at the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

with a

mise-en-scène ''Mise-en-scène'' (; en, "placing on stage" or "what is put into the scene") is the stage design and arrangement of actors in scenes for a theatre or film production, both in visual arts through storyboarding, visual theme, and cinematography, ...

René Alexandre René Alexandre (22 December 1885 – 19 August 1946) was a French actor. René Alexandre was born in Reims and died in Vitré, Ille-et-Vilaine in 1946. He was married to actress Gabrielle Robinne from 1912 until his death. Filmography ...

* 1903 : ''Kangaroo'', one-act comedy * 1903 : ''Les Pieds qui remuent'' * 1905 : ''Petite Peste'', three-act- play, premiered at

, then at the

, film version in 1938 * 1906 : ''L'Enfant chérie'' * 1907 : ''Cœur à cœur'', 3-act- comedy, Théâtre Antoine * 1908 : ''Les Rendez-vous strasbourgeois'', one-act opéra-bouffe, music by

Charles Cuvillier Charles Cuvillier (24 April 1877 – 14 February 1955) was a French composer of operetta. He won his greatest successes with the operettas ''La reine s'amuse'' (1912, played as ''The Naughty Princess'' in London) and with ''The Lilac Domino'', wh ...

, Comédie-royale * 1909 : ''Effets d'optique'', 2-act comedy * 1909 : ''Mirette a ses raisons'', one-act comedy, Comédie-royale * 1909 : ''Quatre fois sept, vingt-huit'', three-act- comedy,

Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens The Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens () is a Parisian theatre founded in 1855 by the composer Jacques Offenbach for the performance of opéra bouffe and operetta. The current theatre is located in the 2nd arrondissement at 4 rue Monsigny with an ...

* 1909 : ''Le Risque'' * 1910 : ''Une femme passa'', 3-act- comedy, premiered at

* 1910 : ''Les Bleus de l'amour'', 3-act comedy, premiered at

Théâtre de l'Athénée The Théâtre de l'Athénée is a theatre at 7 rue Boudreau, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Renovated in 1996 and classified a historical monument, the Athénée inherits an artistic tradition marked by the figure of Louis Jouvet who dire ...

, film version in

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

* 1910 : ''Les Jeux de l'amour et de la conférence'', one-act comedy * 1911 : ''La Revue des X'', with

Gaston Arman de Caillavet Gaston Arman de Caillavet (13 March 1869 – 13 January 1915) was a French playwright. Early life Gaston Arman de Caillavet was born on 13 March 1869. He was the son of Albert Arman de Caillavet and Léontine Lippmann. His maternal grandfa ...

Francis de Croisset Francis de Croisset (; born Franz Wiener, 28 January 1877 – 8 November 1937) was a Belgian-born French playwright and opera librettist. Early life Born as Franz Wiener, he was educated in Brussels on 28 January 1877 into a prominent Jewish-Bel ...

, Albert Guinon,

Max Maurey Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) (1 ...

, Jacques Richepin,

* 1912 : ''L'Autruche'' * 1912 : ''La Côte d'amour'', three-act comedy * 1913 : ''Les Roses rouges'', three-act play, premiered at Théâtre de la Renaissance * 1914 : ''L'Amour buissonnier'', two-act comedy, premiered at

* 1920 : ''L'Éternel masculin'', three-act comedy, premiered at Théâtre Michel * 1921 : ''Le Paradis fermé'', three-act comedy, with

Maurice Hennequin Maurice Hennequin (10 December 1863 – 3 September 1926) was a French-naturalized Belgian playwright. Biography A great-grandson of the painter Philippe-Auguste Hennequin, Maurice Hennequin was the son of Alfred Hennequin (1842–1887), himse ...

, premiered at

* 1922 : ''La Sonnette d'alarme'', three-act comedy, with Maurice Hennequin, premiered at Théâtre de l'Athénée * 1922 : ''Diane au bain'', four-act play, with Maurice Hennequin, at Théâtre des Nouveautés * 1924 : ''Né un dimanche'', three-act comedy * 1925 : ''Les Baisers de Panurge'', three-act comedy, with

André Rivoire André Rivoire (5 May 1872 – 19 August 1930) was a French poet and playwright whose work was defined by the delicate precision of his observation. Life and work Rivoire was born in Vienne, Isère, in eastern France. He studied at the Lycée ...

, premiered at the

Comédie-Caumartin The Comédie-Caumartin is a 380-seat capacity theatre located at 25 rue de Caumartin in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Histoire Inaugurated in 1901 under the name Comédie-Royale, the venue is dedicated to humour and particularly to plays be ...

* 1925 : ''La Fifille à sa mémère'', one-act comedy, premiered au

Grand Guignol ''Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol'' (: "The Theatre of the Great Puppet")—known as the Grand Guignol–was a theatre in the Quartier Pigalle, Pigalle district of Paris (7, cité Chaptal). From its opening in 1897 until its closing in 1962, it spe ...

* 1926 : ''Les Vacances de Pâques'', comedy * 1927 : ''La reine de Biarritz'', three-act play, with Maurice Hennequin, at Théâtre Antoine, adapted to the cinema in 1934 * 1927 : ''Pas une secousse'', operetta in three acts, with Blanche Alix, distics by Victor Alix and Henri Jacques, music by Victor Alix, premiered at

Monte-Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

* 1928 : ''La Guêpe'', three-act comedy, premiered at Théâtre Femina * 1930 : ''Pardon, Madame'', three-act comedy, with

, premiered at Théâtre Michel * 1931 : ''Mad'' * 1932 : ''Boby-Chéri'', three-act

operette This is a glossary list of opera genres, giving alternative names. "Opera" is an Italian word (short for "opera in musica"); it was not at first ''commonly'' used in Italy (or in other countries) to refer to the genre of particular works. Most c ...

, with Jacques Ardot (lyrics), music by Victor Alix, premiered at Théâtre de la Scala * 1934 : ''Fragonard'', musical comedy with three acts and four scenes, with André Rivoire (libretto), music by

Gabriel Pierné Henri Constant Gabriel Pierné (16 August 1863 – 17 July 1937) was a French composer, conductor, pianist and organist. Biography Gabriel Pierné was born in Metz. His family moved to Paris, after Metz and part of Lorraine were annexed to Germ ...

, premiered in Paris at Théâtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin * 1934 : ''Mandrin'', four-act operetta, with André Rivoire (libretto), music by Joseph Szulc, premiered in Paris at

Théâtre Mogador Théâtre Mogador, founded in 1913 with design by Bertie Crewe, is a Parisian music hall theatre located at 25, rue de Mogador in the 9th district. It seats 1,800 people on three tiers. In 1913 financier Sir Alfred Butt rented an area in Paris. ...

Film scripts

1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Januar ...

: ''Le Roman d'une bottine et d'un escarpin'', directed by

Georges Monca Georges Monca ( 23 October 1867 – 26 December 1939) was a French film director. He was extremely prolific, making nearly four hundred films during his career - mainly during the silent era. His shorts ''Rigadin Directeur de Cinéma'' and ''Ri ...

, * 1909 : ''Le Chien de Montargis'', directed by

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

: ''Les Bleus de l'amour'', adapted and directed by

Henri Desfontaines Henri Desfontaines (12 November 1876, Paris – 7 January 1931, Paris) was a French film director, actor, and scriptwriter. Filmography As director * 1908 : ''Hamlet'' * 1909 : '' Le Puits et le pendule'' * 1910 : '' Un invité gênant'' * 1 ...

, after Coolus's play premiere in 1910 *

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 * ...

: ''

Antoinette Sabrier ''Antoinette Sabrier'' is a 1927 French silent drama film directed by Germaine Dulac and starring Ève Francis, Gabriel Gabrio and Jean Toulout.Oscherwitz & Higgins p.147 The film's art direction was by Louis Nalpas. Cast * Ève Francis as ...

'', directed by

Germaine Dulac Germaine Dulac (; born Charlotte Elisabeth Germaine Saisset-Schneider; 17 November 1882 – 20 July 1942)Flitterman-Lewis 1996 was a French filmmaker, film theorist, journalist and critic. She was born in Amiens and moved to Paris in early child ...

, after Coolus's play premiere in 1905. * 1932 : ''Les Bleus de l'amour'', second adaptation, directed by

Jean de Marguenat Jean de Marguenat (2 May 1893 – 16 April 1956) was a French screenwriter and film director. He directed nineteen films including the 1937 British musical ''The Street Singer (1937 film), The Street Singer'' (1937).De Lafayette p.270 Selected fi ...

, after Coolus's play premiere in 1910 *

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

: ''

The Queen of Biarritz ''The Queen of Biarritz'' (French: ''La reine de Biarritz'') is a 1934 French comedy film directed by Jean Toulout and starring Alice Field, Léon Belières and Marguerite Moreno.Rège p.965 The film's sets were designed by Jean d'Eaubonne. Cast ...

'', directed by

Jean Toulout Jean Toulout (28 September 1887 – 23 October 1962) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1911 and 1959. Selected filmography * ''La Digue'' (1911) * ''The Mask of Horror'' (1912) * ''The Tenth Symphony'' (19 ...

, after Coolus's and Hennequin's play premiered in 1927. *

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...

: ''La Sonnette d'alarme'', directed by

Christian-Jaque Christian-Jaque (byname of Christian Maudet; 4 September 1904 – 8 July 1994) was a French filmmaker. From 1954 to 1959, he was married to actress Martine Carol, who starred in several of his films, including ''Lucrèce Borgia'' (1953), '' ...

, after Coolus's and Hennequin's play premiered in 1922. *

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

: ''Petite Peste'', directed by

Jean de Limur Jean de Limur (13 November 1887, Vouhé, Charente-Maritime – 5 June 1976, Paris) was a French film director, actor and screenwriter. His works include '' La Garçonne'' (1936) and '' The Letter'' (1929). A French army officer and a designer, h ...

, after Coolus's play premiered in 1905.

References

Bibliography

* , 10 Vols
Film Database
* « Haussements d'épaules » (textes poétiques)
''volume 1 de la revue La Revue Blanche''
oct 1891 {{DEFAULTSORT:Coolus, Romain 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights 20th-century French dramatists and playwrights 20th-century French screenwriters Lycée Condorcet alumni Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Writers from Rennes 1868 births 1952 deaths 19th-century pseudonymous writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers