Verneuil, Henri

(Achod Malakian / October 15, 1920, Rodosto, Turkey - January II, 2002, Bagno-let, Seine-Saint-Denis, France)

   Of Armenian descent, he arrived in 1924 in Marseille, France, with his parents, who fled Turkey and its slaughters. Having trained at the Arts et Métiers, he earned his diploma as a navy mechanical engineer. Then he began his professional life as a journalist and radio commentator. In 1946, he turned out his first short. After assisting director Robert Vernay (1950 Véronique), he shot his first feature-length, starring Fernandel, in 1951. He wrote a deeply moving auto­biography (1985 Mayrig, Editions Robert Laffont) and a novel (1997 Le Cheval Vartan, Editions Omnibus).

 Filmography

1947 ◘ Compositeurs et Chansons de Paris (short)

        ◘ Avedis Aharomian, dernier Président arménien (documentary; short)

        ◘ Escale au Soleil (short; also screenwriter, dialogist)

        ◘ Rythmes de Paris (short; also screenwriter)

1948 ◘ Cuba à Montmartre (short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Musique tropicale (short)

        ◘ Fantaisie pour Clarinette (short)

        ◘ Un Juré bavard (short)

1949 ◘ Trente-troisième Chambre (short)

        ◘ Les Nouveaux Misérables (short)

        ◘ La Kermesse aux Chansons (short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Une Journée avec Jacques Hélian et son Orches­tre (documentary; short)

        ◘ Entre Deux Trains (short)

        ◘ A qui le Bébé? (short)

        ◘ A la Culotte de Zouave (short; also screenwriter, adapter)

1950 ◘ Pipe Chien (short; also adapter)

        ◘ La Légende de Terre-Blanche (short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Les Chansons s'envolent (short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ On demande un Bandit (short)

        ◘ Paris Mélodie (short)

        ◘ L'Art d'être Courtier (short)

        ◘ Maldonne (short; also screenwriter)

1951 ◘ Variétés No. 1 (short)

        ◘ Un Curieux Cas d'Amnésie (short)

        ◘ La Table aux Crevés / UK: Village Feud (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter)

1952 ◘ Le Fruit défendu / UK and USA: Forbidden Fruit (also co-screenwriter)

        ◘ Brelan d'As (three parts: "L'Alibi de M. Wens", "Je suis un Tendre", "Le Témoignage d'un En­fant de Chœur")

1953 ◘ Le Boulanger de Valorgue / Me li mangio vivi / USA: The Wild Oat (France / Italy)

        ◘ Carnaval

        ◘ L'Ennemi public No. 1 / Il nemico pubblico nu­mero uno / UK: The Most Wanted Man in the World / Public Enemy Number One / USA: The Most Wanted Man (France / Italy)

        ◘ Le Mouton à Cinq Pattes / USA: The Sheep Has Five Legs

        ◘ Les Amants du Tage / UK: The Lovers of Lisbon / USA: Lover's Net

        ◘ Des Gens sans Importance (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter)

        ◘ Paris-Palace-Hôtel / Paris-Hotel (also co-screenwriter; France / Italy)

1957 ◘ Une Manche et la Belle / UK: The Evil That Is Eve / USA: What Price Murder? / A Kiss for a Killer (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter)

        ◘ Maxime (also co-screenwriter)

        ◘ Le Grand Chef / Noi gangsters / UK: The Big Chief / USA: Gangster Boss (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter; France / Italy)

        ◘ La Vache et le Prisonnier / La vacca e il prigioniero / USA: The Cow and I (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter; France / Italy)

1960 ◘ L'Affaire d'une Nuit / UK: It Happened at Night / USA: It Happened All Night

        ◘ La Française et l'Amour / La Francese e l'amore / USA: Love and the Frenchwoman (segment "L'Adultère / Adultery"; also uncredited actor; France / Italy)

1961 ◘ Le Président / Il Presidente (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter; France / Italy)

        ◘ Les Lions sont lâchés / I leoni scatenati / USA: The Lions Are Loose (France / Italy)

1962 ◘ Un Singe en Hiver / UK: It's Hot in Hell / USA:

        ◘ A Monkey in Winter (also uncredited actor; France / Italy)

        ◘ Mélodie en Sous-Sol / Colpo grosso al casino / UK: Anyone Can Win / The Big Snatch / USA: Any Number Can Win (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter; France / Italy)

        ◘ Cent Mille Dollars au Soleil / Centomila dollari al sole / UK and USA: Greed in the Sun (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter; France / Italy)

        ◘ Week-End à Zuydcoote / UK and USA: Weekend at Dunkirk (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter; France / Italy)

1967 ◘ La Vingt-cinquième Heure / La venticinquesima ora / UK and USA: The 25th Hour (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist; France / Italy)

        ◘ La Bataille de San Sebastian / I cannoni di San Sebastian / Los canones de San Sebastian / USA: Guns for San Sebastian (France / Italy / Mexico)

        ◘ Le Clan des Siciliens / USA: The Sicilian Clan (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist)

1971 ◘ Le Casse / Gli scassinatori / USA: The Burglars (also co-screenwriter, producer; France / Italy)

1973 ◘ Le Serpent / Il Serpente / Die Schlange / USA: The Serpent / Night Flight from Moscow (also co-producer, co-adapter, co-dialogist, producer; France / Italy / West Germany)

1975 ◘ Peur sur la Ville / Il polizioto della brigata crimi-nale / UK: The Night Caller / USA: Fear over the City (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist; France / Italy)

1976 ◘ Le Corps de mon Ennemi (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, producer, uncredited actor)

1979 ◘ I . . . comme Icare (also screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist, delegate producer, un-credited actor)

1982 ◘ Mille Milliards de Dollars (also screenwriter, dialogist, producer)

1984 ◘ Les Morfalous (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, voice; France / Tunisia)

        ◘ Mayrig / USA: Mother (also author of original novel, screenwriter, adapter, dialogist)

        ◘ 588, Rue Paradis / USA: Mother (also author of original novel, screenwriter, adapter, dialogist, uncredited actor)

 Television Filmography

1993 ◘ Mayrig (TV miniseries; also author of original novel, screenwriter, adapter, dialogist)