Jacques Haïk (20 June 1893 – 31 August 1950) was a French film producer. Born of

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

descent in French-controlled

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

, he moved to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

where he found work in the film industry, introducing

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

to French audiences. He gradually built up a chain of cinemas including the

Grand Rex Le Grand Rex is a cinema and concert venue in Paris, France. Location and access It is located at No. 1, boulevard Poissonnière in the 2nd arrondissement, on the grands boulevards. Its facades and roofs, as well as its hall and its ...

(1931), and established his own production company Les Établissements Jacques Haïk which was very active during the early 1930s. Following the introduction of

sound film A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...

he made several French-language films at the

Twickenham Studios Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

until his Paris studios were equipped for sound production. Haïk was

. Following the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he produced the anti-

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

'' My Crimes After Mein Kampf'' and supported the

Free French Free France () was a resistance government claiming to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third French Republic, Third Republic during World War II. Led by General , Free France was established as a gover ...

. In 1940, the Nazis took control of his company ''Les Films Régent'' during the

Nazi plunder Nazi plunder () was organized stealing of art and other items which occurred as a result of the Art theft and looting during World War II, organized looting of European countries during the time of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, Germany. Jewi ...

, and he returned to Tunisia to hide. He returned to Paris in 1945 but all of his movie theaters were confiscated under the pretext of

Aryanization Aryanization () was the Nazi term for the seizure of property from Jews and its transfer to non-Jews, and the forced expulsion of Jews from economic life in Nazi Germany, Axis powers, Axis-aligned states, and their occupied territories. It enta ...

. Haïk spent the last five years of his life trying to reclaim his real estate and died in 1950.

Selected filmography

* '' André Cornélis'' (1918) * '' Le Bossu'' (1925) * '' André Cornélis'' (1927) * '' The Beauty Shoppers'' (1927) * '' La Maisonde la Flêche'' (1930) * '' The Mystery of the Villa Rose'' (1930) * ''

Atlantis Atlantis () is a fictional island mentioned in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and ''Critias'' as part of an allegory on the hubris of nations. In the story, Atlantis is described as a naval empire that ruled all Western parts of the known world ...

'' (1930) * '' The Sweetness of Loving'' (1930) * '' Our Masters, the Servants'' (1930) * '' A Caprice of Pompadour'' (1931) * '' Azaïs'' (1931) * '' Coquecigrole'' (1931) * '' Make a Living'' (1931) * '' The False Millionaire'' (1931) * '' Love and Luck'' (1932) * '' Our Lord's Vineyard'' (1932) * ''

Night Shift The shift plan, rota or roster (esp. British) is the central component of a schedule (workplace), shift schedule in shift work. The schedule includes considerations of shift overlap, shift change times and alignment with the clock, vacation, train ...

'' (1932) * ''

The Lacquered Box ''The Lacquered Box'' (French: ''Le Coffret de laque'') is a 1932 French crime film directed by Jean Kemm and starring Danielle Darrieux. It was based on Agatha Christie's play '' Black Coffee'' which had been turned into a British film the pr ...

'' (1932) * '' Nicole and Her Virtue'' (1932) * '' Tossing Ship'' (1932) * ''

Mannequins A mannequin (sometimes spelled as manikin and also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off ...

'' (1933) * '' Claudine at School'' (1937) * '' Case of Conscience'' (1939) * '' My Crimes After Mein Kampf'' (1940) * ''

The Woman I Murdered ''The Woman I Murdered'' (French: ''La femme que j'ai assassinée'') is a 1948 French drama film directed by Jacques Daniel-Norman and starring Armand Bernard, Pierre Larquey and Micheline Francey.Bessy & Chirat p.459 The film's sets were designed ...

'' (1948)

References

Bibliography

* Crisp, C.G. ''The Classic French Cinema, 1930-1960''. Indiana University Press, 1993.

External links

* 1893 births 1950 deaths Mass media people from Tunis French film producers 20th-century Tunisian Jews Tunisian emigrants to France Jews who emigrated to escape Nazism Jewish film people {{France-film-bio-stub