Georges Feydeau, the best-known writer of French

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical humor; the use of deliberate absurdity o ...

in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, wrote more than twenty full-length comic plays and twenty one-act ones. Some of these have been adapted for the cinema. Although Feydeau was active well into the era of film he never wrote for the medium, but within two years of his death in 1921 other writers and directors began to take his plays as the basis for films, of which more than twenty have been made, in several countries and languages.

Films based on Feydeau plays

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align: left; margin-right: 0;" ! scope="col" , Film title ! scope="col" , Based on Feydeau's play ! scope="col" , Year ! scope="col" , Country ! scope="col" , Director , - , '' La dama de Chez Maxim's'' , '' La Dame de chez Maxim'' , 1923 , Italy , Amleto Palermi , - , ''Il tacchino'' , ''

Le Dindon ''Le Dindon'' (The Turkey) is a three-act farce by Georges Feydeau, first produced in Paris in 1896. It depicts the unsuccessful attempts of the central character – the ''"wikt:dindon de la farce, dindon"'' (roughly "the fall guy") to seduce a ...

'' , 1925 , Italy , Mario Bonnard , - , ''

Take Care of Amelia ''Take Care of Amelia'' (Italian:''Occupati d’Amelia'') is a 1925 Italian silent comedy film directed by Telemaco Ruggeri and starring Pina Menichelli, Marcel Lévesque and Elena Lunda. It is based on the 1908 play ''Occupe-toi d'Amélie!'' b ...

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Occupe-toi d'Amélie! ''Occupe-toi d'Amélie'' is a three-act farce by Georges Feydeau. It was first produced at the Théâtre des Nouveautés, Paris on 15 March 1908, and ran for 288 performances. After the author's death it was neglected until the 1940s, after which ...

'' , 1925 , Italy ,

Telemaco Ruggeri Telemaco Ruggeri (15 September 1876 – 15 October 1957) was an Italian actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in moder ...

, - , ' , '' Un fil à la patte'' , 1925 , France , , - , '' The Queen of Moulin Rouge'' , ''La Duchesse des Folies-Bergères'' , 1926 , Austria ,

Robert Wiene Robert Wiene (; 27 April 1873 – 17 July 1938) was a film director of the silent era of German cinema. He is particularly known for directing the German silent film ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' and a succession of other German Expressionism, ...

, - , '' On purge bébé'' , ''On purge bébé'' , 1931 , France ,

Jean Renoir Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent film, silent era to the end of the 1960s. ...

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Take Care of Amelie ''Take Care of Amelie'' (French: ''Occupe-toi d'Amélie'') is a 1932 French comedy film directed by Marguerite Viel and Richard Weisbach.Goble p.891 It is based on the 1908 play ''Occupe-toi d'Amélie'' by Georges Feydeau, which was later adapt ...

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'' , 1932 , France , Marguerite Viel and Richard Weisbach , - , ' , '' Un fil à la patte'' , 1933 , France , Karl Anton , - , '' The Girl from Maxim's'' , '' La Dame de chez Maxim'' , 1933 , UK , Alexander Korda , - , ''

La dame de chez Maxim's LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

'' , '' La Dame de chez Maxim'' , 1933 , France , Alexander Korda , - , ' , ''

Champignol malgré lui ''Champignol malgré lui'' (Champignol despite himself) is a farce in three acts, by Georges Feydeau and Maurice Desvallières. It was first performed in Paris in 1892–93, and ran for 434 performances. The play depicts the complications arising ...

'' , 1933 , France , Fred Ellis , - , ' , '' L'Hôtel du libre échange'' , 1934 , France ,

Marc Allégret Marc Allégret (22 December 1900 – 3 November 1973) was a French screenwriter, photographer and film director. Biography Born in Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland, he was the elder brother of Yves Allégret. Marc was educated to be a lawyer in ...

, - , ' , '' Monsieur chasse!'' , 1947 , France , Willy Rozier , - , '' Keep an Eye on Amelia'' , ''

'' , 1949 , France , Claude Autant-Lara , - , '' The Girl from Maxim's'' , '' La Dame de chez Maxim'' , 1950 , France , Marcel Aboulker , - , ''

The Turkey "The Turkey" is an early short story by the American author Flannery O'Connor Mary Flannery O'Connor (March 25, 1925August 3, 1964) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. She wrote two novels and 31 short stories, as we ...

'' , ''

'' , 1951 , France , Claude Barma , - , ' , '' Un fil à la patte'' , 1955 , France , Guy Lefranc , - , '' Äktenskapsbrottaren'' , '' L'Hôtel du libre échange'' , 1964 , Sweden , Hasse Ekman , - , '' Hotel Paradiso'' , '' L'Hôtel du libre échange'' , 1966 , UK , Peter Glenville , - , '' A Flea in Her Ear'' , '' La Puce à l'oreille'' , 1968 , France/US , Jacques Charon , - , ''Le P'tit vient vite'' , ''Léonie est en avance ou le Mal joli'' , 1972 , Canada , , - , ' , ''

'' , 1981 , Italy ,

Flavio Mogherini Flavio Mogherini (25 March 1922 – 23 April 1994) was an Italian production designer, art director and film director. His career spanned from 1947 to 1994. His daughter Federica Mogherini was High Representative of the Union for Foreign A ...

, - , ' , '' La Puce à l'oreille'' , 1981 , Argentina , {ill, Pancho Guerrero , - , ' , '' Un fil à la patte'' , 2005 , France , Michel Deville , - , ''A Finada Mãe da Madame'' , ''Feu la mère de madame'' , 2016 , Brazil , Bernard Attal

Television adaptations

In the 1960s and 1970s the BBC filmed a series of fourteen farces by Feydeau, adapted by Caryl Brahms and Ned Sherrin, under the collective title ''Ooh La La''. Some were adapted from one-act plays, others from full-length ones. All fourteen starred Patrick Cargill. {, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align: left; margin-right: 0;" ! scope="col" , Title ! scope="col" , Adapted from ! scope="col" , Co-starring
with Patrick Cargill ! scope="col" , Producer ! scope="col" , Year ! scope="col" , Ref , - , ''A Good Night's Sleep'' , ''Feu la mère de Madame'' , Amanda Barrie , Stuart Allen , 1968 , , - , ''All Night Sitting'' , ''Tailleur pour dames'' , Amanda Barrie
Anton Rodgers , Stuart Allen , 1968 , , - , ''A Little Bit to Fall Back On'' , ''Les Pavés de l'ours'' , Amanda Barrie
Jim Dale
Fabia Drake , Stuart Allen , 1968 , , - , ''Above Reproach'' , ''C'est une femme du monde'' , Amanda Barrie
Donald Sinden
Barbara Windsor , Stuart Allen , 1968 , , - , ''Making a Pass'' , ''Dormez, je le veux!'' , Amanda Barrie
Robertson Hare
, Stuart Allen , 1968 , , - , ''Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted'' , ''Gibier de potence'' , Amanda Barrie
Anton Rodgers , Stuart Allen , 1968 , , - , ''Call Me Maestro'' , ''Amour et piano'' , Fenella Fielding

Roy Hudd Roy Hudd, OBE (16 May 1936 – 15 March 2020) was an English comedian, actor, presenter, radio host, author and authority on the history of music hall entertainment. Early life Hudd was born in Croydon on 16 May 1936 to Evalina "Evie" (née ...

, G. B. Lupino , 1968 , , - , ''Keep an Eye on Amelie'' , ''

'' , Judi Dench
Bill Fraser , Douglas Argent , 1973 , , - , ''A Pig in a Poke'' , '' Chat en poche'' , Richard Briers
Joan Sims , Douglas Argent , 1973 , , - , ''A-Hunting We Will Go'' , '' Monsieur chasse!'' ,

Barbara Murray Barbara Ann Murray (27 September 1929 – 20 May 2014) was an English actress. Murray was most active in the 1940s and 1950s as a fresh-faced leading lady in many British films such as ''Passport to Pimlico'' (1949) and ''Meet Mr. Lucifer'' (19 ...

Tony Britton
Joan Hickson , Douglas Argent , 1973 , , - , ''The Lady from Maxim's'' , '' La Dame de chez Maxim'' , Bernard Cribbins
Barbara Windsor
Betty Marsden , Douglas Argent , 1973 , , - , ''Paying the Piper'' , ''

'' , Amanda Barrie
Michael Aldridge
Michael Bates , Douglas Argent , 1973 , , - , ''Caught in the Act'' , '' La Puce à l'oreille'' , Dinah Sheridan
Patricia Routledge

Bernard Bresslaw Bernard Bresslaw (25 February 193411 June 1993) was a British actor. He is best known as a member of the ''Carry On'' film franchise. Bresslaw also worked on television and stage, did recordings and wrote a series of poetry. Biography Bernard B ...

Dennis Waterman , Douglas Argent , 1973 , , - , ''Kept on a String'' , '' Un Fil à la patte'' , Freddie Jones

Eleanor Summerfield Eleanor Audrey Summerfield (7 March 1921 – 13 July 2001) was an English actress who appeared in many plays, films and television series. She is known for her roles in ''Laughter in Paradise'' (1951), ''Final Appointment'' (1954), ''Odongo'' (1 ...

, Douglas Argent , 1973 , La La: Kept on a String"
BBC Genome. Retrieved 30 April 2022

References

{{Reflist Films based on plays 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights 20th-century French dramatists and playwrights 19th-century French male writers 20th-century French male writers