Henri Diamant-Berger (9 June 1895 â€" 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 screenplays between 1916 and
1971.Born in Paris, to a Jewish family, he studied to be a lawyer but
was drawn to the motion picture business. He began his career when he
co-directed the 1913 silent film short De film... en aiguilles with
André Heuzé. In addition to writing screenplays, during the period
from 1916 to 1919, Diamant-Berger also published and edited a film
magazine and books about the movies. In 1918, he was hired by Pathé
and sent to the United States to help set up the company's film
laboratory at Fort Lee, New Jersey. Upon his return to France, Pathé
had him set up a laboratory in Vincennes, as well as organize a film
studio in Boulogne-Billancourt.In 1921, Diamant-Berger directed the
film serial Les Trois Mousquetaires, one of two film versions of
Alexandre Dumas, père's novel The Three Musketeers released in 1921
(the other was Douglas Fairbanks' version) . For a short time in the
mid-1920s, he made pictures in the USA, including the drama
Fifty-Fifty (1925) starring Lionel Barrymore. He also directed the
1927 silent film Éducation de Prince. By the end of the decade he
successfully made the transition to talkies.Through his Barrymore
connection, Diamant-Berger acquired the screen rights for a play
produced on Broadway in 1921 written by John Barrymore's ex-wife,
Blanche Oelrichs. His French language film version of the same title,
Clair de lune (1932), starred Claude Dauphin and Blanche Montel. Among
his notable sound films was a remake, Les Trois Mousquetaires (1932),
a six-hour epic about the three musketeers for which he wrote the
screen adaptation and used much of the same cast from his 1921 silent
version. Diamant-Berger's other directorial efforts include two
Arsène Lupin detective films in 1937. However, after directing
Tourbillon de Paris in 1939, he lost eight full years to World War II.
In 1951, he directed the acclaimed drama Monsieur Fabre starring
Pierre Fresnay.
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 screenplays between 1916 and
1971.Born in Paris, to a Jewish family, he studied to be a lawyer but
was drawn to the motion picture business. He began his career when he
co-directed the 1913 silent film short De film... en aiguilles with
André Heuzé. In addition to writing screenplays, during the period
from 1916 to 1919, Diamant-Berger also published and edited a film
magazine and books about the movies. In 1918, he was hired by Pathé
and sent to the United States to help set up the company's film
laboratory at Fort Lee, New Jersey. Upon his return to France, Pathé
had him set up a laboratory in Vincennes, as well as organize a film
studio in Boulogne-Billancourt.In 1921, Diamant-Berger directed the
film serial Les Trois Mousquetaires, one of two film versions of
Alexandre Dumas, père's novel The Three Musketeers released in 1921
(the other was Douglas Fairbanks' version) . For a short time in the
mid-1920s, he made pictures in the USA, including the drama
Fifty-Fifty (1925) starring Lionel Barrymore. He also directed the
1927 silent film Éducation de Prince. By the end of the decade he
successfully made the transition to talkies.Through his Barrymore
connection, Diamant-Berger acquired the screen rights for a play
produced on Broadway in 1921 written by John Barrymore's ex-wife,
Blanche Oelrichs. His French language film version of the same title,
Clair de lune (1932), starred Claude Dauphin and Blanche Montel. Among
his notable sound films was a remake, Les Trois Mousquetaires (1932),
a six-hour epic about the three musketeers for which he wrote the
screen adaptation and used much of the same cast from his 1921 silent
version. Diamant-Berger's other directorial efforts include two
Arsène Lupin detective films in 1937. However, after directing
Tourbillon de Paris in 1939, he lost eight full years to World War II.
In 1951, he directed the acclaimed drama Monsieur Fabre starring
Pierre Fresnay.
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