Robert Pellevé de La Motte-Ango, marquis de Flers (25 November 1872,

Pont-l'Évêque, Calvados Pont-l'Évêque () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. It is known for Pont-l'Évêque cheese, a type of soft cheese, the oldest Normandy cheese in production. During World War II, the town w ...

– 30 July 1927,

Vittel Vittel (; archaic ) is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France. Mineral water is bottled and sold here by Nestlé Waters France, under the '' Vittel'' brand. History In 1854, after visiting the baths at nearby ...

) was a French

playwright 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 ...

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

librettist A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major litu ...

, and

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

Pierre Barillet Pierre Barillet (24 August 1923 – 8 January 2019) was a French playwright. Biography Barillet was born in Paris, France. Passionate about theatre since childhood, he wrote his first play, ''Les Héritiers'', in 1945 after being a law student. ...

, ''Les Seigneurs du rire: Flers – Caillavet – Croisset'', Paris, Arthème Fayard, 1999

Biography

He entered the

Lycée Condorcet The Lycée Condorcet () is a school founded in 1803 in Paris, France, located at 8, rue du Havre, in the city's 9th arrondissement. It is one of the four oldest high schools in Paris and also one of the most prestigious. Since its inception, var ...

in 1888 where he studied law with the initial ambition of entering diplomatic service. He met and befriended fellow student and writer

Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, critic, and essayist who wrote the monumental novel ''In Search of Lost Time'' (''À la recherche du temps perdu''; with the previous Eng ...

, and that relationship had a great influence upon him. Proust exposed Flers to art, literature, and music and his interests soon switched from law to writing, journalism, and literature. The two men enjoyed a lifelong friendship. After completing his studies, he toured throughout Asia in the mid-1890s. The event inspired his earliest writings: the novel ''La Courtisane Taïa et son singe vert'' (1896), the short story ''Ilsée, princesse de Tripoli'' (1896), and the travel narrative ''Vers l’Orient'' (1897). Upon returning to Paris, he was approached by composer

Edmond Audran Achille Edmond Audran (12 April 184017 August 1901) was a French composer best known for several internationally successful comic operas and operettas. After beginning his career in Marseille as an organist, Audran composed religious music and ...

to write the libretto for his operetta ''La reine des reines''. The worked premiered on 14 October 1896 at the Théâtre de l'Eldorado in

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

. His next libretto was for

Gaston Serpette Henri Charles Antoine Gaston Serpette (4 November 1846 – 3 November 1904) was a French composer, best known for his operettas. After winning the prestigious Prix de Rome as a student at the Paris Conservatoire, he was expected to pursue ...

's vaudeville-operetta ''Shakspeare!'' which premiered at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens on 23 November 1899. In 1901 de Flers married Geneviève Sardou, the daughter of

Victorien Sardou Victorien Sardou ( , ; 5 September 18318 November 1908) was a French dramatist. He is best remembered today for his development, along with Eugène Scribe, of the well-made play. He also wrote several plays that were made into popular 19th-centur ...

. He continued to be active writing librettos. His third opera libretto, ''Les travaux d'Hercule'' (1901), marked his first collaboration with fellow playwright

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 ...

and composer Claude Terrasse. Most of his remaining librettos were written with Caillavet, often for Terrasse who was their most frequent musical collaborator. Other composers for which the two men wrote librettos include

André Messager André Charles Prosper Messager (; 30 December 1853 – 24 February 1929) was a French composer, organist, pianist and conductor. His compositions include eight ballets and thirty opéra comique, opéras comiques, opérettes and other stage wo ...

, and

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 Ger ...

. The two men also wrote a French translation of

Franz Lehár Franz Lehár ( ; hu, Lehár Ferenc ; 30 April 1870 – 24 October 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas, of which the most successful and best known is ''The Merry Widow'' (''Die lustige Witwe''). Life a ...

's ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt ...

'' in 1905 which was used throughout France during the first half of the 20th century. Their last opera collaboration was for Alfred Bruneau's 1923 opera ''Le jardin du paradis''. De Flers also wrote the librettos for

Reynaldo Hahn Reynaldo Hahn (; 9 August 1874 – 28 January 1947) was a Venezuelan-born French composer, conductor, music critic, and singer. He is best known for his songs – ''mélodies'' – of which he wrote more than 100. Hahn was born in Caracas b ...

's ''

Ciboulette ''Ciboulette'' is a French opérette in three acts, music by Reynaldo Hahn, libretto by Robert de Flers and Francis de Croisset, first performed at the Théâtre des Variétés, in Paris, on 7 April 1923. One of the most elegant and refined compo ...

'' (1923) with playwright

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 ...

, and Joseph Szulc's ''Le petit choc'' (1923). De Flers and de Caillavet also often worked together on stage plays, producing such comedies as ''Le Sire de Vergy'' (1903), ''Les Sentiers de la vertu'' (1903), ''Pâris ou le bon juge'' (1906), ''Miquette et sa mère'' (1906), ''Primerose'' (1911), and ''L’Habit vert'' (1913) among other works. He later worked frequently with playwright Francis de Croisset, producing such works as ''Les Vignes du seigneur'' (1923), ''Les Nouveaux Messieurs'' (1925), and ''Le Docteur miracle'' (1926). Although a number of his operas were successful in his day, his lasting legacy rests in his stage plays. De Flers was a member of the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

from 1920 up until his death in 1927. He spent the last six years of his life as literary editor of ''

Le Figaro ''Le Figaro'' () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It is headquartered on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The oldest national newspaper in France, ''Le Figaro'' is one of three French newspapers of r ...

'', a position he was appointed to in 1921. He also served as the Conseiller Général of

Lozère Lozère (; oc, Losera ) is a landlocked department in the region of Occitanie in Southern France, located near the Massif Central, bounded to the northeast by Haute-Loire, to the east by Ardèche, to the south by Gard, to the west by Aveyron, ...

during his latter years.

Filmography

*''Il bosco sacro'', directed by

Carmine Gallone Carmine Gallone (10 September 1885 – 11 March 1973) was an early Italian film director, screenwriter, and film producer, who was also controversial for his works of pro-Fascist propaganda and historical revisionism. Considered one of Itali ...

(Italy, 1915, based on the play ''Le Bois sacré'') *', directed by

Mauritz Stiller Mauritz Stiller (born Moshe Stiller, 17 July 1883 – 18 November 1928) was a Swedish film director of Finnish Jewish origin, best known for discovering Greta Garbo and bringing her to America. Stiller had been a pioneer of the Swedish film ...

(Sweden, 1915, based on the play ''La belle aventure'') *'' The Beautiful Adventure'', directed by Dell Henderson (1917, based on the play ''La belle aventure'') *''L'asino di Buridano'', directed by

Eleuterio Rodolfi Eleuterio Rodolfi (1876–1933) was an Italian actor, screenwriter and film director. He was a leading figure in Italian cinema during the silent era, directing over a hundred films including '' The Last Days of Pompeii'' (1913).Everett p.19 Sel ...

(Italy, 1917, based on the play ''L'Âne de Buridan'') *''

Love Watches ''Love Watches'' is a lost 1918 American silent feature comedy-drama film directed by Henry Houry and starring Corinne Griffith. It was produced and distributed by the Vitagraph Company of America. A Broadway play produced by Charles Frohman starre ...

'', directed by Henry Houry (1918, based on the play ''L'amour veille'') *''Primerose'', directed by

Mario Caserini Mario Caserini (26 February 1874 – 17 November 1920) was an Italian film director, as well as an actor, screenwriter, and early pioneer of film making in the early portion of the 20th century. Caserini was born in Rome, Italy, and was marri ...

(Italy, 1919, based on the play ''Primerose'') *''

The King on Main Street ''The King on Main Street'', also known as ''The King'', is a 1925 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Monta Bell and starring Adolphe Menjou and Bessie Love. The film was adapted for the screen by Bell, and was based on the play ...

'', directed by

Monta Bell Louis Monta Bell (February 5, 1891 – February 4, 1958) was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Biography Monta Bell first appeared in theatrical venues with Washington D.C. stock companies and then took up journalism an ...

(1925, based on the play ''Le Roi'') *'' The New Gentlemen'', directed by

Jacques Feyder Jacques Feyder (; 21 July 1885 – 24 May 1948) was a Belgian actor, screenwriter and film director who worked principally in France, but also in the US, Britain and Germany. He was a director of silent films during the 1920s, and in the 1930 ...

(France, 1929, based on the play ''Les Nouveaux Messieurs'') *'' The Beautiful Adventure'', directed by

Reinhold Schünzel Reinhold Schünzel (7 November 1888 – 11 November 1954) was a German actor and director, active in both Germany and the United States. The son of a German father and a Jewish mother, he was born in St. Pauli, the poorest part of Hamburg. Despite ...

(Germany, 1932, based on the play ''La belle aventure'') **'' The Beautiful Adventure'', directed by

and

Roger Le Bon Roger Le Bon (1891–1956) was a French film producer and director. Le Bon co-directed a number of French-language versions of films made by the German studio UFA. In 1932 he co-directed the crime thriller '' Narcotics''.Youngkin p.465 Selec ...

(French, 1932, based on the play ''La belle aventure'') *'' Our Lord's Vineyard'', directed by

René Hervil René Hervil (1881–1960) was a French actor, screenwriter and film director.Goble p.322 Most of his films were made during the silent era. He directed the ''Maud'' series of films between 1912 and 1915 starring the Anglo-French actress Aimé ...

(France, 1932, based on the play ''Les Vignes du Seigneur'') *'' Buridan's Donkey'', directed by

Alexandre Ryder Alexandre Ryder (1891–1966) was a Polish-born French film director best known for his crime drama films of the 1920s and 1930s. He directed some 20 films between 1920 and 1950. His 1940 film '' Après Mein Kampf mes crimes'' (''My Crimes aft ...

(France, 1932, based on the play ''L'Âne de Buridan'') *''

'', directed by

Claude Autant-Lara Claude Autant-Lara (; 5 August 1901 – 5 February 2000) was a French film director and later Member of the European Parliament (MEP). Biography Born at Luzarches in Val-d'Oise, Autant-Lara was educated in France and at London's Mill Hill Sc ...

(France, 1933, based on the operetta ''Ciboulette'') *', directed by René Guissart (France, 1934, based on the play ''Primerose'') *'' Miquette'', directed by Henri Diamant-Berger (France, 1934, based on the play ''Miquette et sa mère'') *''Äventyret'', directed by

Per-Axel Branner Per-Axel Helge Branner (né Larsson; 25 January 1899 – 31 July 1975) was a Swedish actor, screenwriter and film director.Qvist & von Bagh p.197 Selected filmography * '' Getting Married'' (1926) * ''His Life's Match'' (1932) * '' Pettersson ...

(Sweden, 1936, based on the play ''La belle aventure'') *'' The King'', directed by

Pierre Colombier Pierre Colombier (1896–1958) was a French screenwriter and film director. Selected filmography Director * '' The Marriage of Rosine'' (1926) * '' His Best Client'' (1932) * ''Charlemagne'' (1933) * '' School for Coquettes'' (1935) * '' La Marrai ...

(France, 1936, based on the play ''Le Roi'') *', directed by

Léon Mathot Léon Mathot (5 March 1886, Roubaix, Nord-Pas-de-Calais - 6 March 1968, in Paris) was a French film actor and film director best known perhaps for playing Edmond Dantes in '' The Count of Monte Cristo'' film serial in 1918. He appeared in the ...

(France, 1937, based on the play ''L'Ange du foyer'') *', directed by

Henry Roussel Henry Roussel (1875–1946), also known as Henry Roussell, was a French silent film actor, film director and screenwriter best known for his silent films of the 1910s and 1920s. He starred in well over 40 films between 1912 and 1939. Selecte ...

(France, 1937, based on the play ''L'amour veille'') *''

The Green Jacket ''The Green Jacket'' (French: ''L'habit vert'') is a 1937 French comedy film directed by Roger Richebé and starring Elvire Popesco, Victor Boucher and Jules Berry. It is based on a play by Gaston Arman de Caillavet and Robert de Flers.Forman p.56 ...

'', directed by

Roger Richebé Roger Richebé (3 December 1897, Marseille - 10 July 1989 in Ville-d'Avray), born Roger Gustave Richebé, was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer. Selected filmography * ' (1930) (producer) * '' La donna di una notte'' (1930) (pr ...

(France, 1937, based on the play ''L'Habit vert'') *''

Monsieur Brotonneau ''Monsieur Brotonneau'' is a 1939 French comedy drama film directed by Alexander Esway and starring Raimu, Josette Day and Marguerite Pierry.Crisp p.112 Synopsis Monsieur Brotonneau leaves his cheating wife Thérèse for his secretary Louise. When ...

'', directed by

Alexander Esway Alexander Esway (20 January 1895 – 23 August 1947) was a Hungarian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer. Life and career Esway was born Sándor Ezry in Budapest. In the late 1920s and early 1930s he worked as a director and screenwrit ...

(France, 1939, based on the play ''Monsieur Brotonneau'') *'' Papacito lindo'', directed by

Fernando de Fuentes Fernando de Fuentes Carrau (December 12, 1894 – July 4, 1958) was a Mexican film director, considered a pioneer in the film industry worldwide. He is perhaps best known for directing the films ''El prisionero trece'', ''El compadre Mendoza'', an ...

(Mexico, 1939, based on the play ''Miquette et sa mère'') *''

Sacred Woods ''Sacred Woods'' (French:'' Le bois sacré'') is a 1939 French comedy film directed by Léon Mathot and starring Elvire Popesco, Gaby Morlay and Victor Boucher.Oscherwitz & Higgins p.113 It was based on a play by Robert de Flers and Gaston Arman ...

'', directed by

(France, 1939, based on the play ''Le Bois sacré'') *'' Miquette'', directed by Jean Boyer (France, 1940, based on the play ''Miquette et sa mère'') *', directed by

Robert Péguy Robert Péguy (14 December 1883 – 21 July 1968) was a French film director best known for his films of the 1920s and 1930s. He directed some 30 films between 1910 and 1946. His career peaked in the 1930s. Selected filmography * ''600,000 ...

(France, 1942, based on the play ''Papa'') *'' The Beautiful Adventure'', directed by Marc Allégret (France, 1942, based on the play ''La belle aventure'') *''A Royal Affair'', directed by

Marc-Gilbert Sauvajon Marc-Gilbert Sauvajon (25 September 1909, Valence, Drôme – 15 April 1985, Montpellier) was a French film director, script-writer, playwright and author. After studying law, he was made chief editor of the daily newspaper ''Sud-Est''. He fo ...

(France, 1949, based on the play ''Le Roi'') *'' Miquette'', directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot (France, 1950, based on the play ''Miquette et sa mère'') *', directed by

Annelise Reenberg Annelise Reenberg (16 September 1919 – 12 December 1994) was a Danish cinematographer, film director and screenwriter. She directed 23 films between 1950 and 1971. Filmography (selected) * ' (1950) * '' 24 timer'' (1951) * '' Fra den gamle ...

(Denmark, 1955, based on the play ''La belle aventure'') *''Les Vignes du Seigneur'', directed by Jean Boyer (France, 1958, based on the play ''Les Vignes du Seigneur'') *', directed by

Toivo Särkkä Toivo Jalmari Särkkä (20 November 1890, Mikkeli – 9 February 1975, Helsinki), born Toivo Hjalmar Silén, was a Finnish film producer and director. He was CEO of the production company Suomen Filmiteollisuus. Before his career in filmmakin ...

(Finland, 1962, based on the play ''La belle aventure'') *', directed by (France, 1977, based on the play ''Les Vignes du Seigneur'')

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Flers, Robert de 1872 births 1927 deaths People from Pont-l'Évêque, Calvados 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights 20th-century French dramatists and playwrights Writers from Normandy French male journalists French opera librettists French ballet librettists Members of the Académie Française Lycée Condorcet alumni Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 20th-century French journalists Le Figaro people