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Léonce Joseph Perret (14 March 1880 – 12 August 1935) was a prolific and innovative French film actor, director and producer.The Museum of Modern Art

(retrieved 7 June 2007)
He also worked as a stage actor and director. Often described as
avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...
for his unorthodox directing methods, Perret introduced innovative camera, lighting and film scoring techniques to French cinema. Perret began his career as a relatively undistinguished stage actor. He was recruited to the film industry by the
Gaumont Film Company Gaumont SA () is a French film and television production and distribution company headquartered in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Founded by the engineer-turned-inventor Léon Gaumont (1864–1946) in 1895, it is the oldest extant film company in ...
. His numerous
short films A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...
gained significant accolade in French cinematography. Until his emigration to the United States in 1917, he was a fixture of the Gaumont Film Company. On American soil, he produced several popular films, the most notable being ''Lest We Forget'' (''N'oublions jamais'') in 1918. After returning to France, he directed the successful '' Koenigsmark'' in 1923. His film '' Madame Sans-Gêne'' (1925), starring
Gloria Swanson Gloria Mae Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most famously for h ...
, was the first joint Franco-American film production. In addition, Perret collaborated with many of the French and American idols of his generation such as
Abel Gance Abel Gance (; born Abel Eugène Alexandre Péréthon; 25 October 188910 November 1981) was a French film director, producer, writer and actor. A pioneer in the theory and practice of montage, he is best known for three major silent films: ''J'ac ...
, Gloria Swanson, Gaby Morlay, René Cresté, Arletty, Suzanne Grandais,
Mae Murray Mae Murray (born Marie Adrienne Koenig; May 10, 1885 – March 23, 1965) was an American actress, dancer, film producer, and screenwriter. Murray rose to fame during the silent film era and was known as "The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips" and "Th ...
, and Huguette Duflos.


Biography


Early life

Léonce Perret was born in 1880 to Eliès Ferdinand Perret and Marie Collinet. His parents owned a woodworking shop on Yver Street in
Niort Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; ; ) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres. The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the urban area. Geography T ...
, France. Léonce showed a taste for the arts from an early age, in particular for acting and poetry. During his adolescence, Léonce fell seriously ill and had to go to Paris to see medical specialists. He stayed in the capital for several months while being treated. It was during this brief stay that he began to dream of life as an artist. After many discussions with his parents in Niort, he received their blessing to pursue this dream. He returned to Paris and rented a small room on the
Boulevard Saint-Michel The Boulevard Saint-Michel () is one of the two major streets in the Latin Quarter of Paris, France, the other being the Boulevard Saint-Germain. It is a tree-lined boulevard which runs south from the Pont Saint-Michel on the Seine and Place ...
near the Luxembourg Garden. Here, he was able to immerse himself in his favorite books. His health complications came back, but he made a slow recovery. Later, he was granted a medical exemption from military service on 21 March 1901.


Introduction to theatre

Perret enrolled in the new music school,
Schola Cantorum The Schola Cantorum de Paris ( being ) is a private conservatory in Paris. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Bordes, Alexandre Guilmant and Vincent d'Indy as a counterbalance to the Paris Conservatoire's emphasis on opera. History The Schol ...
, located in the
Montparnasse Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. It is split betwee ...
neighborhood of Paris. His talent as an excellent singer and
flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...
player soon became apparent, thus began his very prolific artistic career. During this time, he loved to watch plays at the theatre in his free time and felt more and more drawn to the stage. He participated in small stage productions in order to learn the trade; he had to accept any offer that came his way to get paid, which often amounted to a pittance. At the same time he continued to take music and theatre classes. In 1899, Perret got the call for a six-month tour which enabled him to travel throughout Europe and to Russia. He was finally noticed by the playwright Eugène Brieux, who tapped him in the spring of 1900 for his first important role in the play ''La Robe rouge'' (''The Red Dress''). Then destiny smiled on Perret in June 1900 when he got his first contract as a young headliner at the Athénée theatre, one of his longtime dreams. In 1902, he toured again in Europe visiting Italy,
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, Germany, Russia, etc., acting in plays by Alexandre Dumas, fils, Alfred Capus, Marcel Prévost, and
Émile Augier Guillaume Victor Émile Augier (; 17 September 182025 October 1889) was a French dramatist. He was the thirteenth member to occupy seat 1 of the on 31 March 1857. Biography Augier was born at Valence, Drôme, the grandson of Pigault Lebrun, an ...
. He gained much theatrical experience during those years. Perret the actor began to get himself noticed by his performances, especially when he started acting at the
Vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
theatre in the beginning of 1903, notably playing the leading role in the play ''Ruy Blas''. In 1905, Perret signed a new contract with the Odéon, working first under the director Abel Tarride, then
André Antoine André Antoine (; 31 January 185823 October 1943) was a French actor, theatre manager, film director, author, and critic who is considered the father of modern mise en scène in France. Biography André Antoine was a clerk at the Paris Gas Uti ...
. He continued to tour in the theatres of Paris, the provinces of France, and sometimes Europe; however, he had severe financial difficulties during this period since he was rarely given the leading role. In 1909, he was employed for several months in a
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
theatre during another trip to Russia. On the way back to France he stopped in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
to act in the play ''
Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 â€“ 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th ce ...
''. It was there that Mr. Grassi, the director of Gaumont Germany, recruited him for a new occupation: filmmaking.


Film career

Perret saw working behind a camera as an extension of his theatrical work, unlike the rest of the theatre world who looked down on the cinema. In 1909, he directed his first three short films in Berlin. They included the pacifist film ''Pourquoi la guerre?'' Next, he began directing short films of 4–5 minutes from his own screenplays, such as ''Le Bon Juge'' and ''Fan-Fan le petit grenadier''. From Berlin, he went back to Paris and found employment at the
Gaumont Film Company Gaumont SA () is a French film and television production and distribution company headquartered in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Founded by the engineer-turned-inventor Léon Gaumont (1864–1946) in 1895, it is the oldest extant film company in ...
under the artistic direction of
Louis Feuillade Louis Feuillade (; 19 February 1873 – 25 February 1925) was a French filmmaker of the silent film, silent era. Between 1906 and 1924, he directed over 630 films. He is primarily known for the crime serial film, serials ''Fantômas (1913 ser ...
. He started out there as an actor in a good number of films shot in the Gaumont studios at 53, rue de la Villette. He then moved up the ladder quickly at Gaumont thanks to his directing experience from Berlin. Around this time he met Valentine Petit, a singer and dancer who was working at the
Folies Bergère 150px, Stanisław Julian Ignacy Ostroróg">Walery, 1927 The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the arc ...
. She became his wife several years later. Valentine acted in several of Perret's films and helped him greatly in his business dealings. Perret and the cast at Gaumont worked with many actors including Suzy Prim, Yvette Andréyor, Suzanne Grandais, etc. Perret acted in many of the films he directed. ''Le Feu à la mine'' (1911), was one of his first films to be relatively successful. In 1913, he started the "Léonce" series which consisted of Perret himself playing dramatic, comic and even burlesque characters; he would film around forty episodes of this series. That same year he directed the dramatic comedy ''Le Mariage de minuit'' (''Midnight Marriage'') featuring Suzanne Grandais, an actress he had discovered at the
Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Olympia (Par ...
. Suzanne subsequently became quite popular. Even though the public still didn't know Perret by name, his face was starting to become familiar. In fact, until 1913, the names of the director and actors were not included in the credits due to the studios' near-prohibition. One day, Perret demanded that Gaumont and Louis Feuillade include the leading actors' names in the credits, a precedent that was soon followed by all the other directors of the time. Trying new techniques, Perret progressively filmed more outdoors and, sometimes, outside of Paris. He even experimented with the police genre with the trilogy ''Main de fer''. The same year Perret directed ''L'Enfant de Paris'', the film that would mark the end of his financial difficulties and make his reputation as one of the best French directors of his era. ''L'Enfant de Paris'' was subsequently remade several times. Perret demonstrated with this film that French filmmaking technique rivaled that of the Americans, even the technique of the eminent American director D. W. Griffith. Furthermore, at a showing of ''L'Enfant de Paris'' at the French Film Library in 1951,
Georges Sadoul Georges Sadoul (; 4 February 1904 – 13 October 1967) was a French film critic, journalist and cinema writer. He is known for writing encyclopedias of film and filmmakers, many of which have been translated into English. Biography Sadoul w ...
stated: "Perret made brilliant use of every editing resource at his disposal: varied camera angles, backlighting, his cameraman Specht's beautiful photography… all while working from a rather ordinary script that borrowed heavily from the ''Deux orphelines''. Mixing Ennery's melodrama with a few jingoistic episodes, Léonce Perret was able to render a graceful and lively story by using an extraordinarily refined cinematic repertoire: backlighting, low-angle shots, close-ups, moving shots and numerous other innovations, all of which Perret implemented with flair, in stark contrast to Louis Feuillade's minimalist style and the still somewhat primitive technique of David W. Griffith at that time." Thus, Perret demonstrated that the French cinematic technique of that time transcended that of the Americans. Like many of his peers during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Perret directed several patriotic and
jingoistic Jingoism is nationalism in the form of aggressive and proactive foreign policy, such as a country's advocacy for the use of threats or actual force, as opposed to peaceful relations, in efforts to safeguard what it perceives as its national inter ...
movies such as ''La voie de la Patrie''. Military music was played during the film's projection, an innovative idea for that period. Perret was second in command at the Gaumont film company under Louis Feuillade during this very successful period of the French film industry; when French films were being shown in many foreign countries. However, in 1914, the war broke out and movie-making ground to a halt. Everyone was called up to serve in the army, including Perret, who for a time was conscripted as a nurse's aide in Niort as he was unable to fight due to his health problems. At Léon Gaumont's request he returned to filmmaking in 1915 to make several patriotic shorts like ''Françaises, veillez!'' (''Frenchwomen, take care!''), a short film warning women on the home front to be aware of possible traitors. Soon after, he released ''Debout les morts'', a film based on one of
Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...
's novels. Until 1916, Perret alternated between patriotic and sentimental films. Even though he was named artistic director of Gaumont in 1915 in place of Feuillade (who was fighting on the front), he began complaining about the lack of financial resources Gaumont was willing to commit to his films. Perret wanted to direct bigger budget films. His contract with Gaumont was set to expire at the end of 1916.


American film producer

Perret believed that "the cinema has won the freedom to go where it chooses throughout the world and has become a universal medium that facilitates open artistic and commercial exchanges." He arrived in the United States in February 1917, just a few weeks before the U.S. joined the Allied forces in World War I. He settled in
Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
, a region that was at the time developing a filmmaking industry in competition with Hollywood. A favorable contract was signed with the World Film Company, an independent production company founded by Jules Brulatour and Lewis J. Selznick. This was a sizable community of expatriate French directors in America looking to participate in the rapidly growing American film industry. His first film shot in the U.S. was '' The Silent Master'', based on a novel by Phillips Oppenheim. ''A Modern Othello'' quickly followed, based on a short story by the French writer Ernest M. Laumann. Shortly afterwards, he directed ''Lest We Forget'', which showed the world the image of a heroic and wounded France. The postwar propaganda was released in 1918 and was enormously successful in France. Its release shortly preceded the signing of the armistice that ended World War I. This film and other film successes during that year supplied Perret with enough money to start his own production company: Perret Pictures, Inc., which was affiliated with the distributor
Pathé Exchange Pathé Exchange, commonly known as Pathé, was an American film production and distribution company, largely of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood's silent film, silent era. Known for its trailblazing newsreel and wide array of short film, s ...
. With this new company, he produced and directed a series of films including ''La 13ème chaise'' based on the play by Bayard Veiller and ''
The Twin Pawns ''The Twin Pawns'' is a 1919 American silent film drama directed by Leonce Perret and starring Mae Murray. It is yet another film taken from Wilkie Collins' novel '' The Woman in White''. The film was released by Pathé Exchange. Cast *Mae Murr ...
'' starring the Hollywood celebrity
Mae Murray Mae Murray (born Marie Adrienne Koenig; May 10, 1885 – March 23, 1965) was an American actress, dancer, film producer, and screenwriter. Murray rose to fame during the silent film era and was known as "The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips" and "Th ...
. His 1920 film, ''The Lifting Shadows'', strongly criticized the newly ascended powers in Russia and revealed Perret's prejudices towards
Bolshevism Bolshevism (derived from Bolshevik) is a revolutionary socialist current of Soviet Leninist and later Marxist–Leninist political thought and political regime associated with the formation of a rigidly centralized, cohesive and disciplined p ...
. His string of successful films continued until 1921 when an economic recession in the U.S. put the brakes on the burgeoning film industry.


International success

Perret decided to give up working in the United States for good at the end of summer 1921. His passion for the renewal of French cinematography was evident in this statement:
"The artistic, economic, scientific and social ambitions of the film industry are so strong that its potential is limitless. It should be one of our most important domestic industries. But to get French film back on top, a place it never should have lost, and to assure its global expansion, the domestic film industry has to have a global vision in its subject matter, artisanship and casting. Our great history and tradition can provide the inspiration for international films, a fact that is not unknown to our foreign competitors who have pulled their story lines for their latest films from French history as told by our most famous novelists and playwrights."
Having benefited from the all research and progress made in the American cinema, he planned to adapt his newly acquired knowledge to the French film industry. Back in France, he became one of the great innovators of film direction. By September, he was already directing and producing his first film back on French soil: ''L’Ecuyère'', distributed by Pathé-Consortium-Cinéma. Around the same time he started considering doing a film adaptation of the Pierre Benoit novel ''Koenigsmark''. The completed film starring Huguette Duflos was released to French theatres in March 1924. ''Koenigsmark'' was tremendously successful with moviegoers and is still considered today to be one of the landmark films of the 1920s. Moreover, in 2002, the film was restored by the French Film Library under the direction of Claudine Kaufmann. '' Madame Sans-Gêne'' (1925), released by
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
and starring
Gloria Swanson Gloria Mae Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most famously for h ...
, was the first joint Franco-American film production. The retelling of the French Revolution overthrowing
King Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir-apparent of King Louis XV), and Mari ...
enjoyed record box office receipts in both France and the United States. Unfortunately, ''Madame Sans-Gêne'' is now considered a
lost film A lost film is a feature film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. ...
since no copies of the film are known to exist.Sam Staggs, ''Spotlight on Sunset Boulevard'' Perret was one of the benchmarks of French cinema in his era; his films were regularly greeted with critical acclaim. 1926 and 1927 saw the release of ''La Femme nue'' based on the play by Henry Bataille and ''Morgane la sirène'' based on the novel by Charles Le Goffic. A new production and distribution company entered onto the French film scene at the end of March 1927: Franco-Film. Perret was named artistic director and board member of this new company operating out of the Rex Ingram studios in
Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionCamille de Morlhon and several other pioneering directors such as Raymond Bernard, Jean Duran, Léon Mathot, etc. The first film Perret distributed with Franco-Film, ''Morgane la sirène'', was wildly successful in France, England and Canada, which confirmed the young company's international ambitions. ''Printemps d’amour'', the first French color film using the new American technology
Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...
, came out that same year starring Louis Lagrange and the American actress Hope Hampton. Afterwards Perret produced his last two silent films: ''La Danseuse Orchidée'' (with the American actor
Ricardo Cortez Ricardo Cortez (born Jacob Kranze or Jacob Krantz; September 19, 1900 – April 28, 1977) was an American actor and film director. He was also credited as Jack Crane early in his acting career. Early years Ricardo Cortez was born Jacob K ...
as well as Xenia Desni and Marcya Capri) and another film adaptation of a Henry Bataille play called ''La Possession'' (with the Italian actress Francesca Bertini). Perret left an indelible mark on the cinema of the 1920s. Often called the "magician of film" by his peers, he clearly belongs in the silent film hall of fame.
Henri Langlois Henri Langlois (; 13 November 1914 – 13 January 1977) was a French film archivist and cinephile. A pioneer of film preservation, Langlois was an influential figure in the history of cinema. His film screenings in Paris in the 1950s are often ...
, a pioneer in film preservation, observed that "Léonce Perret's legacies to cinema are his aesthetic discoveries and priceless refinements."


Beginning of talking pictures

Convinced that there was a future in talking films, Perret directed an adaptation of Huguette Garnier's famous novel entitled ''Quand nous étions deux'' in 1929. However, his first talking film met with only mild success compared to the other competing films of that period. In general, the Franco-Film company was having difficulty adapting to talking films. After he finished ''Quand nous étions deux'', Perret decided to leave the Franco-Film. He didn't quit the film industry, however; his next project was a collaboration with Adolphe Osso, the founder of the production company Osso. Together they shot Perret's first live sound film ''Arthur''. He followed that up in 1931 with a film adaptation of a play by Pierre Wolff and Henri Duvernois called ''Après l'amour'' starring Gaby Morlay, a film that was particularly successful in
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
. Perret's next project was ''Grains de beauté'' in 1932, followed by ''Enlevez-moi'', a film that showcased the young actress Arletty as well as the veteran actor Roger Tréville. The next year Perret collaborated with the queen of stage and film Gaby Morlay and his former colleague André Luguet to shoot his new film ''Il était une fois'' with the company Pathé-Nathan. Based on a play by Francis de Croisset, the movie won the best French film of the year award from the weekly cinema review Pour Vous. Next Perret adapted
Alphonse Daudet Alphonse Daudet (; 13 May 184016 December 1897) was a French novelist. He was the husband of Julia Daudet and father of Edmée, Léon and Lucien Daudet. Early life Daudet was born in Nîmes, France. His family, on both sides, belonged to the ' ...
's novel ''Sapho'' in 1933. As he had already acted in a stage adaptation of the novel when he was doing theatre, he knew the subject well. In 1934, while working with the
Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...
, Perret tried an experimental type of play-documentary from
Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...
's body of work. Although the experiment was met with limited success, it proved to be an inspiration for other artists such as
Sacha Guitry Alexandre-Pierre Georges "Sacha" Guitry (; 21 February 188524 July 1957) was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the boulevard theatre (aesthetic), boulevard theatre. He was the son of a leading French ac ...
who later created similar types of experimental films. While working on a new bilingual (French-English) talking version of ''Koenigsmark'', Perret fell ill and had to be hospitalized at the Saint Jean de Dieu clinic in Paris. He died on 12 August 1935 and was buried in Niort. However, Perret is surprisingly unfamiliar to the generations of movie buffs that followed him. Cinema historians give him little consideration in their published research. For example, the study of Perret did not exist until 2003, but it was not definitive. Entitled ''Léonce Perret'', the biography was published by the French Association for Historical Film Studies in collaboration with the Bologne Film Library under the direction of Bernard Bastide and Jean A. Gili. In 2006, Daniel Taillé published a more thorough work giving homage to such a pioneering artist. This was entitled ''Léonce Perret, cinématographiste''.


Tributes

The
Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...
in New York City organized a film exhibition showcasing Perret's work. The
Gaumont Film Company Gaumont SA () is a French film and television production and distribution company headquartered in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Founded by the engineer-turned-inventor Léon Gaumont (1864–1946) in 1895, it is the oldest extant film company in ...
exhibits recently restored films annually at the Museum of Modern Art. In 2003, a selected collection of Perret's best films were restored from nitrite negatives and showcased at this exhibition. The films were selected by Martine Offroy, who was the curator of Gaumont Film Company. The Gaumont Film Company and the
Cinémathèque française A cinematheque is an archive of films and film-related objects with an exhibition venue. Similarly to a book library (bibliothèque in French), a cinematheque is responsible for preserving and making available to the public film heritage. Typically ...
contributed in the restoration of the films, in collaboration with the Centre National de la Cinématographie and the
Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) * Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) * Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...
.


Filmography

A definitive filmography for Perret would be virtually impossible given that he wrote, acted in, directed or produced more than 400 films. Of those more than 400 films, only roughly one third are still available today. The remaining copies are stored mostly at the Gaumont Film Library, the French Film Library, the National Cinematography Film Archives and in several other European film libraries such as the Nederlands Filmmuseum in Amsterdam.


Actor


Director


Screenwriter

Perret wrote the screenplays for the vast majority of his movies, with the exception of those from his early apprenticeship period (before 1913). Most of the movies from his apprenticeship period were written by
Louis Feuillade Louis Feuillade (; 19 February 1873 – 25 February 1925) was a French filmmaker of the silent film, silent era. Between 1906 and 1924, he directed over 630 films. He is primarily known for the crime serial film, serials ''Fantômas (1913 ser ...
, the artistic director at Gaumont at that time. Several others from that period were written by other associates at Gaumont such as Abel Gance, Étienne Arnaud and Marcel Lévesque. After gaining the Gaumont Company's trust, Perret began directing his own screenplays starting around 1911. From 1917 on, he adapted many screenplays from novels such as ''Folie d'Amour'' (1917), ''La treizième chaise'' (1919) and ''Koenigsmark'' (1923). He also collaborated with other filmmakers on some scripts such as ''Koenigsmark'', which was co-written with René Champigny and ''Madame Sans-Gêne'' with the American Forrest Halsey. The screenplay for ''La Danseuse Orchidée'' from 1928 is credited to Jean-Joseph Renaud. It is one of the rare postwar Perret films where he did not write the script himself.


Producer

Perret produced many of his films, starting with his period of work in the United States. In 1917, he started his own production company ''Perret Picture Inc''. Some of the films he produced in the U.S. were ''La Fayette, We Come'' (1918) and ''The Unknown Love'' (1918) as well as ''The Twin Pawns'' (1919) and ''A.B.C. of Love'' (1919). After his return to France, he had the opportunity to produce several movies with the Franco-Film company (''Morgane la Sirène'' and ''Printemps d'Amour'' in 1927; ''La Danseuse Orchidée'', ''Poliche'' and ''La Possession'' in 1928; ''Quand nous étions deux'' in 1930).


Notes


References

* Bernard Bastide and Jean Antoine Gili, ''Léonce Perret'', Association française de recherche sur l'histoire du cinéma, 368 pages, 2003 * Daniel Taillé, ''Léonce Perret cinématographiste'', Association Cinémathèque en Deux-Sèvres, 2006


External links

*
A review of ''Léonce Perret''

A review of ''Léonce Perret "cinématographiste''

Films of Léonce Perret, links to newspapers related to cinema
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perret, Leonce 1880 births 1935 deaths People from Niort Male actors from Nouvelle-Aquitaine French cinema pioneers French film producers French male silent film actors Silent film comedians French film directors French male stage actors French theatre directors French slapstick comedians French military personnel of World War I Schola Cantorum de Paris alumni 20th-century French male actors