Léonce-Henri Burel (23 November 1892 – 21 March 1977) was a French cinematographer whose career extended from the silent era until the early 1970s. He was the director of photography on more than 120 films, working almost exclusively in black-and-white."Léonce-Henri Burel", a
''Ciné-Ressources''
etrieved 24 May 2015./ref>

Career

After studying at the University of Nantes, he initially worked as a photoengraver before becoming a camera operator. At the Film d'Art company in 1915 he was noticed by

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 ...

and began a collaboration with him which extended over 16 films, including '' J'accuse'', '' La Roue'', and ''

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 the period of silent films he also worked on several productions with Jacques Feyder. During the 1930s he worked regularly with Jean Dréville and

Henri Decoin 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 ...

. With '' Le Journal d'un curé de campagne'', for which he won the best cinematography award at the Venice Film Festival in 1951, Burel began another important collaboration with the director Robert Bresson which continued through three further films. Burel also directed three films himself between 1922 and 1932. ''Dictionnaire du cinéma français'', sous la direction de Jean-Loup Passek. (Paris: Larousse, 1987.) p. 63.

Selected filmography

* 1915: '' La Folie du docteur Tube'', directed by

* 1917: ''Mater dolorosa'' ('' The Torture of Silence''), directed by Abel Gance * 1918: ''La Dixième Symphonie'' ('' The Tenth Symphony''), directed by Abel Gance * 1918: '' Le Comte de Monte Cristo'', directed by Henri Pouctal * 1919: '' J'accuse'', directed by Abel Gance * 1921: '' La Roue'', directed by Abel Gance * 1922: ''

Crainquebille ''Crainquebille'' is a 1922 French silent film directed by Jacques Feyder. The film was known as ''Bill'' in the US and as ''Old Bill of Paris'' and ''Coster Bill of Paris'' in the UK. The restored film is now known for its cinematic realism com ...

'', directed by Jacques Feyder * 1925: ''Visages d'enfants'' (''

Faces of Children ''Faces of Children'' (french: Visages d'enfants) is a 1925 French-Swiss silent film directed by Jacques Feyder. It tells the story of a young boy whose mother has died and the resentments which develop when his father remarries. It was a notable ...

''), directed by Jacques Feyder * 1926: '' Michel Strogoff'', directed by Victor Tourjansky * 1927: ''

'', directed by Abel Gance * 1927: ''Casanova'' ('' The Loves of Casanova''), directed by Alexandre Volkoff * 1928: ''L'Équipage'' ('' The Crew''), directed by

Maurice Tourneur Maurice may refer to: People *Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr *Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and Lo ...

* 1929: '' The Three Passions'', directed by Rex Ingram * 1929: '' Vénus'', directed by Louis Mercanton * 1930: '' Nuits de princes'' (''Nights of Princes''), directed by Marcel L'Herbier * 1931: '' La Femme d'une nuit'', directed by Marcel L'Herbier * 1932: ''La Femme nue'' ('' The Nude Woman''), directed by

Jean-Paul Paulin Jean-Paul Paulin (1902–1976) was a French film director, producer and screenwriter.Goble p.202 Selected filmography Director * ''The Nude Woman The Nude Woman may refer to: * The Nude Woman (1922 film), an Italian silent drama film * The Nude ...

* 1934: ''Le Petit Jacques'' ('' Little Jacques''), directed by Gaston Roudès * 1938: ''Retour à l'aube'' ('' Return at Dawn''), directed by

* 1940: '' Vénus aveugle'', directed by Abel Gance * 1942: ''La Belle Aventure'' ('' The Beautiful Adventure''), directed

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* 1949: '' Suzanne et ses brigands'' (''

Suzanne and the Robbers ''Suzanne and the Robbers'' or '' Suzanne and Her Robbers'' (French: ''Suzanne et ses brigands'') is a 1949 French comedy film directed by Yves Ciampi and featuring René Dary, Suzanne Flon and Pierre Destailles.Monaco p.87 The film's sets were ...

''), directed by Yves Ciampi * 1949: ''Valse brillante'' (''

Brilliant Waltz ''Brilliant Waltz'' (french: Valse brillante) is a 1949 French musical crime film directed by Jean Boyer and starring Mártha Eggerth, Jan Kiepura and Lucien Baroux.Fawkes p. 123 It was shot at the Boulogne Studios in Paris. The film's sets wer ...

''), directed by Jean Boyer * 1949: '' Le Mystère Barton'' ('' The Barton Mystery''), directed by Charles Spaak * 1951: ''Journal d'un curé de campagne'' ('' Diary of a Country Priest''), directed by Robert Bresson * 1955: ''La Madone des sleepings'' ('' Madonna of the Sleeping Cars''), directed by

Henri Diamant-Berger Henri Diamant-Berger (9 June 1895 – 7 May 1972) was a French director, producer and screenwriter. In a career that lasted more than 50 years, he directed 48 films between 1913 and 1959, produced 17 between 1925 and 1967 and wrote 21 screenpl ...

* 1956: ''Un condamné à mort s'est échappé'' ('' A Man Escaped''), directed by Robert Bresson * 1959: '' Pickpocket'', directed by Robert Bresson * 1962: ''Procès de Jeanne d'Arc'' ('' The Trial of Joan of Arc''), directed by Robert Bresson * 1963: ''

Chair de poule ''Chair de poule'' ( French for "goosebumps") is a 1963 French crime film directed by Julien Duvivier and starring Robert Hossein, Catherine Rouvel, Jean Sorel and Georges Wilson. The screenplay is based on the 1960 novel ''Come Easy, Go Easy'' b ...

'', directed by

Julien Duvivier Julien Duvivier (; 8 October 1896 – 29 October 1967) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930–1960. Amongst his most original films, chiefly notable are ''La Bandera (film), La Bandera'', ...

References

External links

* *"Léonce-Henri Burel", i
''Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers''
etrieved 24 May 2015.*"Léonce-Henri Burel", i
''Dictionnaire du cinéma français des années vingt''
covering particularly Burel's work with Gance and Feyder in the 1920s. etrieved 24 May 2015.In French. *"Burel & Bresson: interview by Rui Nogueira, translation and introduction by Tom Milne", in ''Sight and Sound'', Winter 1976/1977, vol. 46(1), pp. 18-21
Republished online
on the BFI website (September 2020); archived at th
Wayback Machine
etrieved 30 April 2021 {{DEFAULTSORT:Burel, Leonce-Henri 1892 births 1977 deaths French cinematographers