Raymond Bernard (10 October 1891 – 12 December 1977) was a French film director and screenwriter whose career spanned more than 40 years. He is best remembered for several large-scale historical productions, including the silent films '' Le Miracle des loups'' (''The Miracle of the Wolves'') and '' Le Joueur d'échecs'' (''The Chess Player'') and in the 1930s '' Les Croix de bois'' (''Wooden Crosses'') and a highly regarded adaptation of ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

''.

Biography

Raymond Bernard was born in Paris in 1891, the son of the author and humorist

Tristan Bernard Tristan Bernard (7 September 1866 – 7 December 1947) was a French playwright, novelist, journalist and lawyer. Life He studied law, and after his military service, he started his career as the manager of an aluminium smelter. In the 1890s, ...

and younger brother of the playwright

Jean-Jacques Bernard Jean-Jacques Bernard (30 July 1888 – 14 September 1972) was a French playwright and the chief representative of what became known as ''l’école du silence'' or, as some critics called it, the ''art of the unexpressed'', in which the dialogue doe ...

. He began his career as an actor appearing on stage in plays written by his father, including ''Jeanne Doré'' (1913) alongside

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 or 23 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including '' La Dame Aux Camel ...

(also filmed in 1916). In 1917, Bernard began to work behind the camera as assistant to

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 ...

at Gaumont and then continued as a director, principally adapting plays by his father. In these popular entertainments, he soon gained experience of working with leading performers such as

Max Linder Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

and

Charles Dullin Charles Dullin (; 8 May 1885 – 11 December 1949) was a French actor, theater manager and director. Career Dullin began his career as an actor in melodrama:185 In 1908, he started his first troupe with Saturnin Fabre, the ''Théâtre de Foir ...

.''Dictionnaire du cinéma français des années vingt (1895)''
Raymond Bernard profile
1895.revues.org; retrieved 6 October 2014. In 1924, Bernard embarked upon a new style of film, the historical spectacle, with '' Le Miracle des loups'' set in 15th-century France in the reign of

Louis XI Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revol ...

. This proved to be the most expensive film of its day and one of the more profitable.

Lenny Borger Lenny or Lennie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Lenny (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Lennie (surname), a list of people * Lenny (singer) (born 1993), Czech songwriter Arts and entertainment Music * ''L ...

. Programme notes for a Thames Television live presentation of ''The Chess Player'', London, 1990. Bernard's ability to combine dramatic narrative with spacious settings and large numbers of performers was utilised in the two remaining productions of his silent film career, '' Le Joueur d'échecs'' (1927) and ''

Tarakanova Princess Tarakanova (c. 1745 – ) was a pretender to the Russian throne. She styled herself, among other names, ''Knyazhna Yelizaveta Vladimirskaya'' (Princess of Vladimir), ''Fräulein Frank'', and ''Madame Trémouille''. Tarakanova ('' ...

'' (1930). Bernard's film-making in the sound era continued for nearly three decades. Further large-scale productions included his film about the First World War, '' Les Croix de bois'' (1932), and a three-part adaptation of Victor Hugo's ''

'' (1934) which was nearly five hours in length. In his later films, he returned to modest projects and budgets, including a number of sophisticated comedies. During the wartime Occupation of France, Bernard as a Jew was obliged to remain in hiding, and his film-making ceased until the end of the war. He retired from film-making in 1958, but in the 1970s, when he was in his 80s, he was able to supervise the reconstruction of ''Les Misérables'', which had been severely truncated in the 1940s for easier distribution. In 1977, shortly after the broadcast of a nearly complete version on French television, Bernard died at age 86. Raymond Bernard was an Officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

.Yearbook 1969 of the Society of Mutual Assistance of the Legion of Honour.

Filmography (as director)

*''Le Ravin sans fond'' (1917) (co-directed with

) *''Le Traitement du hoquet'' (1917) *''Le Gentilhomme commerçant'' (1918) *'' Le Petit Café'' (1919) (''The Little Café'') *''

Le Secret de Rosette Lambert ) , image = , alt = , caption = , director = Raymond Bernard , producer = Adolphe Osso , writer = , narrator = , starring = Lois Meredith Sylvia GreyPaul AmiotCamille Bert ...

'' (1920) (''The Secret of Rosette Lambert'') *''La Maison vide'' (1921) *''Triplepatte'' (1922) *''L'Homme inusable'' (1923) *''Grandeur et Décadence'' (1923) *''Le Costaud des Épinettes'' (1923) *'' Le Miracle des loups'' (1924) (''The Miracle of the Wolves'') *'' Le Joueur d'échecs'' (1927) (''The Chess Player'') *''

'' (1930) * ''

Faubourg Montmartre ''Montmartre'' (French: ''Faubourg Montmartre'') is a 1931 French drama film directed by Raymond Bernard and starring Gaby Morlay, Line Noro and Florelle.The A to Z of French Cinema p.306 Two sisters struggle to stay above water in the poverty-st ...

'' (1931) (''Montmartre'') *'' Les Croix de bois'' (1932) (''Wooden Crosses'') *''

'' (1934) *''Tartarin de Tarascon'' (1934) *''Amants et Voleurs'' (1935) (''Lovers and Thieves'') * ''

Anne-Marie Anne-Marie Rose Nicholson (born 7 April 1991) is an English singer. She has attained charting singles on the UK Singles Chart, including Clean Bandit's "Rockabye (song), Rockabye", which peaked at number one, as well as "Alarm (Anne-Marie song ...

'' (1936) *'' Le Coupable'' (1937) (''Culprit'') *''Marthe Richard au service de la France'' (1937) *'' J'étais une aventurière'' (1938) (''I Was an Adventuress'') *''Les Otages'' (1939) (''The Mayor's Dilemma'') *'' Cavalcade d'amour'' (1940) (''Love Cavalcade'') *'' Un ami viendra ce soir'' (1946) (''A Friend Will Come Tonight'') *'' Adieu chérie'' (1946) (''Goodbye Darling'') * ''

Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...

'' (1949) *''

Le Cap de l'espérance ''The Cape of Hope'' (French: ''Le Cap de l'espérance'') is a 1951 French-Italian crime film directed by Raymond Bernard and starring Edwige Feuillère, Frank Villard and Jean Debucourt.Parish p.231 It was shot at the Billancourt Studios an ...

'' (1951) (''The Cape of Hope'') *'' Le Jugement de Dieu'' (1952) (''Judgement of God'') *' (1953) (''Lady of the Camelias'') *'' La Belle de Cadix'' (1953) (''The Beauty of Cadiz'') *''Les Fruits de l'été'' (1955) (''Fruits of Summer'') * '' Le Septième Commandement'' (1957) (''The Seventh Commandment'') *''Le Septième Ciel'' (1958) (''Seventh Heaven'')

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bernard, Raymond 1891 births 1977 deaths 20th-century French Jews Film directors from Paris