Korber, Serge

(February I, 1936, Paris, France - )

   He made his acting debut at the cabaret Le Cheval d'Or before working as a lighting designer for shows of such singers as Edith Piaf and Gilbert Bécaud (1961-1962) and managing the famous Olympia music hall. After playing small parts in two movies (1961 Tire-au-Flanc 62 / USA: The Army Game, Claude de Givray, François Truffaut; 1962 Cléo de 5 à 7 / Cleo dalle 5 alle 7 / USA: Cleo from 5 to 7, Agnès Varda, France / Italy), he made his directing debut in 1962 and notably tried to give some original tone to the two vehicles of Louis de Funès that he filmed. From 1975 to 1979, he chose the pseudonym of John Tho­mas (a reference to D. H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover) to sign porn flicks (1975 Hard Love / Jeunes Filles perverses / La Vie sentimentale de Walter Petit / French video: Désirs intenses / Ijsk(I)ontjes voor een hete bliksem, also screenwriter, France / Belgium; A Bout de Sexe / Un Grand Coup dans le Pare-Chocs; 1976 L'Odyssée de l'Extase; L'Essayeuse; Excès / Jeanne et Paul; Hurlements de Plaisir; 1977 Cailles sur Canapé; Pornotis-simo; 1979 The Nibblers). After this saucy interlude, he returned to working with comedies. He also col­laborated as a delegate producer on two TV movies (1991 Prince Lazure, Danièle J. Suissa, Canada / France; 1992 Vacances au Purgatoire, Marc Simenon) and co-wrote another film for television (1995 L'Enfant en Héritage, Josée Dayan).

 Filmography

1962 ◘ Un Jour à Paris (short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ La Dame à la longue Vue (short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Delphica (short; also screenwriter)

1963 ◘ La Rentrée (short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ L'Epouse infernale (short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Eve sans Trêve (short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Altitude 8625 (short)

        ◘ La Demoiselle de Saint-Florentin (short)

        ◘ Le 17e Ciel / UK: Seventeenth Heaven (also screenwriter, adapter)

        ◘ Un Idiot à Paris (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, actor)

        ◘ La Petite Vertu

        ◘ Décameron '69 (co-director only)

        ◘ L'Homme-Orchestre / Beato fra le donne / Beato tra le donne (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist; France / Italy)

        ◘ Sur un Arbre perché / Aggrappato ad un albero, in bilico su un precipizio a strapiombo sul mare (also adapter, uncredited actor; France / Italy)

        ◘ Les Feux de la Chandeleur / La divorziata / USA: Hearth Fires (also co-screenwriter; France / Italy)

1974 ◘ Ursule et Grelu / Ursule e Grelu (also co-screenwriter; France / Italy)

        ◘ Le Rallye des Joyeuses (co-director with Alain Nauroy)

        ◘ Et vive la Liberté! (also co-screenwriter)

        ◘ Je vous ferai aimer la Vie (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter)

        ◘ Un Jour, un Tueur (unreleased)

1980 ◘ Cherchez l'Erreur

1988 ◘ A notre regrettable Epoux (also co-screenwriter)

1996 ◘ Les Bidochon (also producer)

 Television Filmography

1970 ◘ Les Enquêteurs associés (episode "Les Enquê­teurs s'associent")

1981 ◘ Le Fils Père

1983 ◘ Merci Sylvestre (6 x 52'; episodes "L'Homme de Ménage", "Le Psychothérapunk", "La Femme P.D.G.", "Merveilleuse Daphné", "Du Caviar dans le Ketchup", "La Call-Girl") Un Psy pour Deux

1986 ◘ Maestro (also co-screenwriter)

        ◘ L'Homme au Képi noir (36 x 13'; co-director with Robert Cappa, François Dupont-Midy)

        ◘ Cinq Filles à Paris (TV miniseries)

1987 ◘ Florence ou la Vie de Château (four episodes: "Fête de Famille", "Gouvernement provisoire", "Roman-Photo", "Les Enarques aux Champs")

1989 ◘ Panique aux Caraïbes (13 x 52'; co-director with Jean-Claude Charnay)

        ◘ Marie Pervenche (episode "Boomerang")

1991 ◘ El aguila y el caballo / The Eagle and the Horse (Canada)

        ◘ Marie Pervenche (episode "Un Ressort diabolique")

        ◘ Le Réveillon, c'est à quel Etage? (also producer)

        ◘ Au Beau Rivage

        ◘ Le Galopin (also co-screenwriter)

        ◘ Les Petites Bonnes

        ◘ Paris Romance (documentary)

        ◘ Béjart! . . . Vous avez dit Béjart?. . . (documentary; co-director with Maurice Béjart; also producer)

   Video Documentaries

        ◘ Gabin intime: Aristocrate et Paysan (documentary)

        ◘ Louis de Funès intime (documentary)