Edmond T. Gréville (born Edmond Gréville Thonger; 20 June 1906 – 26 May 1966) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was married to the actress

Vanda Gréville Vanda Gréville (born Wanda MacEwan; 10 January 190826 December 1997) was a British film actress who mainly appeared in French productions.Driskell p.84 She was the wife of the Anglo-French director Edmond T. Gréville. Selected filmography * ' ...

Career

Gréville began his career as a film journalist and critic. In parallel with a few acting performances in some silent films and in the first talkie of

René Clair René Clair (11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981), born René-Lucien Chomette, was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. He wen ...

, '' Sous les toits de Paris'' (1930), he directed his first short films. His first experience of directing had been on the shooting of

Abel Gance Abel Gance (; born Abel Eugène Alexandre Péréthon; 25 October 188910 November 1981) was a French film director and producer, writer and actor. A pioneer in the theory and practice of montage, he is best known for three major silent films: ''J ...

's ''

Napoléon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

'' in 1927. He had then worked as an assistant director, notably on the English film ''

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...

'', ''L'Arlésienne'' (directed 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 ...

Augusto Genina Augusto Genina (28 January 1892 – 18 September 1957) was an Italian film pioneer. He was a movie producer and director. Biography Born in Rome, Genina was a drama critic and wrote comedies for the ''Il Mondo'' Magazine, under advise of Aldo ...

's ''

Miss Europe Miss Europe is a beauty pageant for European women from all over Europe. It was established in February 1927 by Fanamet, the European distributor of Paramount, as a one-off event where the winner was to star in a film directed by Friedrich W ...

'' (with

Louise Brooks Mary Louise Brooks (November 14, 1906 – August 8, 1985) was an American film actress and dancer during the 1920s and 1930s. She is regarded today as an icon of the Jazz Age and flapper culture, in part due to the bob hairstyle that she helpe ...

) and Abel Gance's '' La Fin du Monde''. Between 1930 and 1940 he directed several French films: *''Le Train des suicidés'' (1931) *''Remous'' (1934) with

Françoise Rosay Françoise Rosay (; born Françoise Bandy de Nalèche; 19 April 1891 – 28 March 1974) was a French opera singer, diseuse,''Design'', Volume 9 1965 p. 24 and actress who enjoyed a film career of over sixty years and who became a legendary figure ...

, a social-realist film on the sensitive sexual issue of impotence, and released in the US in November 1939 under title ''

Whirlpool of Desire ''Whirlpool of Desire'' (French: ''Remous'') is a 1935 French drama film directed by Edmond T. Gréville and starring Jeanne Boitel, Jean Galland, Maurice Maillot, and Françoise Rosay.Andrew p.151 The screenplay was written by American writer P ...

'' after a legal battle over U.S. censorship *Two comedy musical films '' Princesse Tam Tam'' (1935) with

Josephine Baker Josephine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald; naturalised French Joséphine Baker; 3 June 1906 – 12 April 1975) was an American-born French dancer, singer and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in her adopted Fran ...

, and ''

Gypsy Melody ''Gypsy Melody'' is a 1936 British musical comedy film directed by Edmond T. Gréville and starring Lupe Vélez, Alfred Rode and Jerry Verno. It was made at Elstree Studios.Wood p.90 The sets were designed by art director John Mead. The film wa ...

'' (1936), with

Lupe Vélez María Guadalupe Villalobos Vélez (July 18, 1908 – December 13, 1944), known professionally as Lupe Vélez, was a Mexican actress, singer and dancer during the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. Vélez began her career as a performer in Mexican ...

. In Britain again, he filmed ''

Under Secret Orders ''Under Secret Orders'', also known as ''Mademoiselle Doctor'', is a 1937 British spy film directed by Edmond T. Gréville and starring Erich von Stroheim, John Loder, Dita Parlo and Claire Luce. It is an English-language version of the French ...

'' (1937) with

Dita Parlo Dita Parlo (born Grethe Gerda Kornstädt or Gerda Olga Justine Kornstädt; 4 September 1908 – 12 December 1971) was a German film actress. Early life and career Dita Parlo was born on 4 September 1908 in Stettin, Pomerania, then in the G ...

and John Loder (1937), the English-language version of

G. W. Pabst Georg Wilhelm Pabst (25 August 1885 – 29 May 1967) was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He started as an actor and theater director, before becoming one of the most influential German-language filmmakers during the Weimar Republic. ...

's '' Mademoiselle Docteur''. Gréville also directed '' Menaces'' (1938) with Mireille Balin and

Erich von Stroheim Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim (born Erich Oswald Stroheim; September 22, 1885 – May 12, 1957) was an Austrian-American director, actor and producer, most noted as a film star and avant-garde, visionary director of the silent era. H ...

, with von Stroheim playing an Austrian refugee who commits suicide following the

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

. With a heavy atmosphere charged with eroticism which characterizes his films, Gréville imposed his independence and original style on the cinema of the time. He stopped directing films during the Second World War and the Occupation -

xenophobia Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...

and anti-Semitism ruined or put a stop to some careers, among film-makers those of

Léonide Moguy Léonide Moguy (14 July 1899 – 21 April 1976) was a Ukrainian, French and Italian film director, screenwriter and film editor. Moguy was born Leonid Mohylevskyi () in Odesa, Russian Empire in 1899 in a Jewish family. He lived in Soviet Ukrai ...

and

Pierre Chenal Pierre Chenal (; 5 December 1904 – 23 December 1990) was a French director and screenwriter who flourished in the 1930s. He was married to Czech-born French film actress Florence Marly from 1937 to 1955. Work Chenal was best known for film no ...

for example, both French Jews, and the half-British Gréville, and took away production and distribution companies belonging to Jews like the father and son distributors Siriztky.Susan Hayward, ''French National Cinema''; 2nd ed. (London: Routledge, 2005) In 1948 he made a film on the subject of resistance and collaboration in the Anglo-Dutch film '' Niet tevergeefs/

But Not in Vain ''But Not in Vain'' (Dutch name ''Niet Tevergeefs'') is a 1948 Anglo-Dutch World War II drama, directed by Edmond T. Gréville and starring Raymond Lovell. The film is set in 1944 in the occupied Netherlands, and was shot at the Cinetone Stud ...

''. The same year he made a film with

Carole Landis Carole Landis (born Frances Lillian Mary Ridste; January 1, 1919 – July 5, 1948) was an American actress and singer. She worked as a contract player for Twentieth Century-Fox in the 1940s. Her breakout role was as the female lead in the 1940 ...

, ''

Noose A noose is a loop at the end of a rope in which the knot tightens under load and can be loosened without untying the knot. The knot can be used to secure a rope to a post, pole, or animal but only where the end is in a position that the loop can ...

'', released in the U.S. as ''The Silk Noose''. In ''

House on the Waterfront ''House on the Waterfront'' (French: ''Port du désir'') is a 1955 French drama film directed by Edmond T. Gréville and starring Jean Gabin, Andrée Debar and Henri Vidal.Block p.49 It was made at the Billancourt Studios with some location ...

'' (1954) he directed

Jean Gabin Jean Gabin (; 17 May 190415 November 1976) was a French actor and singer. Considered a key figure in French cinema, he starred in several classic films including ''Pépé le Moko'' (1937), ''La grande illusion'' (1937), ''Le Quai des brumes'' ( ...

as a captain confronted by an unscrupulous smuggler and torn by his love for a young woman who is also loved by a younger man. In Gréville's last years he made ''

Beat Girl ''Beat Girl'' is a 1960 British teen exploitation film directed by Edmond T. Gréville. The film was released in the United States under the title ''Wild for Kicks''. The title character of ''Beat Girl'' was played by starlet Gillian Hills, who ...

'' (1959) with

Adam Faith Terence Nelhams Wright (23 June 1940 – 8 March 2003), known as Adam Faith, was an English singer, actor, and financial journalist. A teen idol, he scored consecutive No. 1 hits on the UK Singles Chart with "What Do You Want?" (1959) and "Poo ...

and a horror film ''

The Hands of Orlac ''The Hands of Orlac'' may refer to: * ''Les Mains d'Orlac'', a novel by Maurice Renard and several adaptations of that novel: * The Hands of Orlac (1924 film), ''The Hands of Orlac'' (1924 film), an Austrian film * The Hands of Orlac (1935 film) ...

'' (1960) with

Mel Ferrer Melchor Gastón Ferrer (August 25, 1917 – June 2, 2008) was an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. He achieved prominence on Broadway before scoring notable film hits with ''Scaramouche'', ''Lili'' and ''Knights of the Round ...

. His last film was ''L'Accident'' (1963) with

Magali Noël Magali Noëlle Guiffray (27 June 1931 – 23 June 2015), better known as Magali Noël, was a French actress and singer. Biography Actress career Born in İzmir to French parents in the diplomatic service, she left Turkey for France in 1951, a ...

based on a Frédéric David novel.

Personal life

Gréville was born in June 1906 in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

, France, the adopted son of Franco-British parents. In May 1966, he died in hospital in Nice, thought to be the result of complications following a car accident. It was subsequently discovered through the 23andMe

genetic testing Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

of his daughter and grandson in 2017, that he was Ashkenazim Jewish, likely from the area of Odessa, based on the present whereabouts of his closest genetic relations today. Family speculation suggests that his parents fled the 1905 Russian pogrom to Marseilles, where he may have been discovered in the Nice hospital his English father, a Salvation Army colonel and Protestant pastor, was associated with. His true origin and that of his biological parents, remains a mystery.

Selected filmography

* ''

The Train of Suicides ''The Train of Suicides'' (French: ''Le train des suicidés'') is a 1931 French mystery film directed by Edmond T. Gréville and starring Vanda Gréville, Georges Colin and Blanche Bernis.Andrew p.151 Cast * Vanda Gréville as Betty Gold * Geor ...

'' (1931) * ''

The Triangle of Fire ''The Triangle of Fire'' (French: ''Le triangle de feu'') is a 1932 French-German crime film directed by Edmond T. Gréville and Johannes Guter and starring Jean Angelo, André Roanne and Elisabeth Pinajeff.Crisp p.396 Cast * Jean Angelo as L'in ...

'' (1932) * ''

Merchant of Love ''Merchant of Love'' (French: ''Marchand d'amour'') is a 1935 French comedy film directed by Edmond T. Gréville and starring Jean Galland, Rosine Deréan and Françoise Rosay. The film's sets were designed by the art director Pierre Schild. Ca ...

'' (1935) * ''

'' (1936) * ''

Brief Ecstasy ''Brief Ecstasy'' is a 1937 British drama film directed by Edmond T. Gréville and starring Paul Lukas, Hugh Williams, Linden Travers and Marie Ney. It was made at Ealing Studios. Plot Cast * Paul Lukas a Professor Paul Bernardy * Hugh Willia ...

'' (1937) * '' Secret Lives'' (1937) * '' What a Man!'' (1938) * ''

Threats A threat is a communication of intent to inflict harm or loss on another person. Intimidation is a tactic used between conflicting parties to make the other timid or psychologically insecure for coercion or control. The act of intimidation for co ...

'' (1940) * ''

A Woman in the Night ''A Woman in the Night'' (French: ''Une femme dans la nuit'') is a 1943 French drama film directed by Edmond T. Gréville and starring Viviane Romance, Georges Flamant and Claude Dauphin.Rège p.469 The film's sets were designed by the art dire ...

'' (1943) * ''

Dorothy Looks for Love ''Dorothy Looks for Love'' (French: ''Dorothée cherche l'amour'') is a 1945 French drama film directed by Edmond T. Gréville and starring Suzy Carrier, Claude Dauphin and Jules Berry.Rège p.469 The film's sets were designed by the art direct ...

'' (1945) * ''

'' (1948) * ''

The Other Side of Paradise ''The Other Side of Paradise'' is a 1992 miniseries about a doctor who goes to the Cook Islands. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970–1995: The Complete Guide to Tele-Features and Mini-Series'' (Melbourne: Oxford University Pres ...

'' (1953) * ''

'' (1955) * '' The Accident'' (1963)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Greville, Edmond T. 1906 births 1966 deaths French film directors People from Nice Road incident deaths in France French people of British descent French film critics French male journalists 20th-century French journalists