Henri Decoin (18 March 1890 – 4 July 1969) was a French film director and screenwriter, who directed more than 50 films between 1933 and 1964. He was also a swimmer who won the national title in 1911 and held the national record in the 500 m freestyle. He competed in the 400 m freestyle at the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were originally schedu ...

and in the water polo tournament at the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...

Biography

During World War I, Decoin served as a pilot. After that he worked as a sports journalist for '' L'Auto'', '' L'Intransigeant'' and '' Paris-Soir''. In 1926 he published his first book, influenced by Dadaism, the experimental and prize-winning ''Quinze Combats'' (''Fifteen Rounds''), in which a boxing match is seen subjectively by a boxer, and in 1933 directed his first film, ''Les requins du pétrole'' ('' The Oil Sharks''). He was known for tackling many genres; with adaptations of

Georges Simenon Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (; 12/13 February 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a Belgian writer who created the fictional detective Jules Maigret. One of the most prolific and successful authors of the 20th century, he published around 400 ...

as The Strangers in the House (1942) - featuring Raimu in one of his famous roles, and The Truth Of Our Marriage (1952), historical films like The Case Of Poisons (1955), and The Iron Mask (1962), espionage flicks like The Cat (1958), police procedurals with Raid on the Drug Ring (1955) and Fire To The Powder (1957), psychological dramas in Green Domino (1935) (where he first met his second wife, Danielle Darrieux), and The Lovers Are Alone In The World (1948) and even an odd

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

like Between Eleven And Midnight (1949). He worked with such stars of French cinema as Jean Marais, Louis Jouvet, Juliette Gréco,

Lino Ventura Angiolino Giuseppe Pasquale Ventura (14 July 1919 – 22 October 1987), known as Lino Ventura, was an Italian-born actor and philanthropist, who lived and worked for most of his life in France. He was considered one of the greatest leading men ...

, Corinne Calvet,

Anouk Aimée Nicole Françoise Florence Dreyfus (; 27 April 1932 2024), known professionally as Anouk Aimée () or Anouk, was a French film actress who appeared in 70 films from 1947 until 2019. Having begun her film career at age 14, she studied acting and ...

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and Jean Gabin; to name a few. He directed Darrieux in several films, and accompanied her to Hollywood in 1938 while she signed a

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

contract. He took the opportunity to observe how Hollywood made films, and returned to France with these techniques in hand. Decoin was one of the more prolific directors of his time.

Personal life

Decoin was married four times. His second marriage was to actress and singer Danielle Darrieux. He had two sons, Jacques Decoin (1928–1998) and Didier Decoin (b. 1945), who is also a prominent screenwriter.

Selected filmography

* '' His Highness Love'' (1931) * '' The Unknown Singer'' (1931) * '' Sailor's Song'' (1932) * '' The Oil Sharks'' (1933) * '' Gold in the Street'' (1934) * ''

Toboggan A toboggan is a simple sled used in snowy winter recreation. It is also a traditional form of cargo transport used by the Innu, Cree and Ojibwe of North America, sometimes part of a dog train. It is used on snow to carry one or more people (o ...

'' (1934) * '' King of the Camargue'' (1935) * '' The Green Domino'' (1935) * '' Port Arthur'' (1936) * '' Return at Dawn'' (1938) * '' Abused Confidence'' (1938) * '' Beating Heart'' (1940) * '' Her First Affair'' (1941) * '' Annette and the Blonde Woman'' (1942) * '' Love Marriage'' (1942) * '' The Benefactor'' (1942) * '' I Am with You'' (1943) * '' The Devil's Daughter'' (1946) * '' Not Guilty'' (1947) * '' The Lovers of Pont Saint Jean'' (1947) * '' Clockface Café'' (1947) * '' Between Eleven and Midnight'' (1949) * '' At the Grand Balcony'' (1949) * '' Clara de Montargis'' (1951) * ''

Love and Desire ''Love and Desire'' (French: ''Le désir et l'amour'') is a 1951 French-Spanish drama film directed by Henri Decoin and Luis María Delgado and starring Martine Carol, António Vilar and Carmen Sevilla. It was based on the 1929 novel of the same t ...

'' (1951) * ''

Nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

'' (1951) * '' La Vérité sur Bébé Donge'' (1952) * (1953) * '' Lovers of Toledo'' (1953) * '' One Step to Eternity'' (1954) * '' Les Intrigantes'' (1954) * '' Razzia sur la chnouf'' (1955) * '' The Affair of the Poisons'' (1955) * '' Folies-Bergère'' (1957) * '' Charming Boys'' (1957) * '' Burning Fuse'' (1957) * '' Anyone Can Kill Me'' (1957) * ''

The Cat The Cat may refer to: Nickname * Mathilde Carré (1910-2007), French spy, double and possibly triple agent * Peter Bonetti (1941–2020), English footballer * Greg Cattrano (born 1975), American lacrosse player * Ernest Miller (born 1964), Amer ...

'' (1958) * '' Pourquoi viens-tu si tard?'' (1959) * '' Nathalie, Secret Agent'' (1959) * '' The Cat Shows Her Claws'' (1960) * '' Where the Truth Lies'' (1962) * '' Le Masque de fer'' (1962) * '' Casablanca, Nest of Spies'' (1963) * '' Les Parias de la gloire'' (1964) * '' Nick Carter va tout casser'' (1964)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Decoin, Henri 1890 births 1969 deaths French male screenwriters 20th-century French screenwriters French film directors Olympic swimmers for France Olympic water polo players for France Swimmers from Paris Water polo players from Paris Swimmers at the 1908 Summer Olympics Water polo players at the 1912 Summer Olympics French male water polo players 20th-century French male writers 20th-century French sportsmen