Feyder, Jacques

(Jacques Frédérix / July 21, 1885, Ixelles, Brabant, Belgium-May 24, 1948, Rive-de-Prangins, Switzerland)

   After working for two years in a cannon foundry, he moved to Paris in 1910. From 191I to 1915, he had a modest career as a stage and film actor (1913 Le Trait d'Union, Henri Pouctal; 1915 Autour d'une Bague, Gaston Ravel; Protéa III ou la Course à la Mort, three episodes: prologue and five parts; prologue and four parts; prologue and three parts; Quand Minuit sonna, Charles Burguet; Le Troisième Larron, Charles Burguet; La Pépite d'Or, short, Charles Burguet; Les Vampires / USA: The Vampires, ten episodes: "La Tête coupée", "La Bague qui tue", "Le Cryptogramme rouge", "Le Spectre", "L'Evasion du Mort", "Les Yeux qui fascinent", "Satanas", "Le Maître de la Foudre", "L'Homme des Poisons", "Les Noces sanglantes", Louis Feuillade; 1916 La Faute de PierreVaisy, Jacques de Baroncelli). In 1916 producer Léon Gaumont hired him as assistant to director Gaston Ravel. He made his directing debut completing a couple of Ravel's movies. Under contract with the MGM (1928-1931), he shot several American features, including the last Greta Garbo silent film (The Kiss). He co-wrote and co-adapted Julien Duvivier's Poil de Carotte, authored the screenplay of Jean Grémil-lon's Gardiens de Phare, and supervised the shooting of Matura-Reise (Sigfrit Steiner, Switzerland, 1946). Other credit (as supervisor, art director): 1946 Macadam / UK and USA: Back Streets of Paris (Marcel Blistène, according to some sources, Jacques Feyder directed the movie). He was married to actress Françoise Rosay (1891-1974), with whom he co-wrote a book (1944 Le Cinéma, notre Métier, Editions Skira). He had three sons: Marc Frédérix (set deco­rator), Paul Feyder (assistant director), and Bernard Farrel (assistant director).

 Filmography

1916 ◘ Des Pieds et des Mains (Gaston Ravel; Jacques Feyder completed the movie)

        ◘ Monsieur Pinson, Policier (short; Gaston Ravel; Jacques Feyder completed the movie; also actor)

        ◘ L'Instinct est maître (short; also editor)

        ◘ Le Destin est maître (short)

        ◘ Le Bluff (short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Le Pied qui étreint (four episodes: "Le Micro bafouilleur sans Fil", "Le Rayon noir", "La Girouette humaine", "L'Homme au Foulard à Pois"; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Têtes de Femmes, Femmes de Tête (short)

        ◘ Un Conseil d'Ami (short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Tiens, vous êtes à Poitiers (short)

        ◘ Abrégeons les Formalités (short)

        ◘ Le Frère de Lait (short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ La Trouvaille de Buchu (also screenwriter)

        ◘ Biscot se trompe d'Etage (short; also screenwriter)

        ◘ La Pièce de Dix Sous (short)

        ◘ Pardessus de Demi-Saison (short)

        ◘ L'Homme de Compagnie (short; also adapter)

        ◘ Le Destin est maître (short)

1917 ◘ Les Vieilles Femmes de l'Hospice (short; also screenwriter, adapter)

        ◘ Le Billard cassé (short)

        ◘ Le Ravin sans Fond (Raymond Bernard completed the movie after Jacques Feyder was sent to the front)

1918 ◘ La Faute d'Orthographe (also screenwriter, adapter)

1921 ◘ L'Atlantide / USA: Lost Atlantis / Missing Hus­bands (also screenwriter, adapter; France / Belgium)

1923 ◘ Crainquebille / USA: Bill / Coster Bill of Paris (also screenwriter, adapter, art director; France / Belgium)

1925 ◘ Visages d'Enfants / UK: Mother / USA: Faces of Children (also co-screenwriter, art director; France / Switzerland; shot in 1923)

        ◘ Das Bildnis / L'Image (also adapter, actor; Germany / France)

1926 ◘ Gribiche / USA: Mother of Mine (also screenwriter, adapter)

        ◘ Au Pays du Roi lépreux (short; co-director with Henri Chomette; also screenwriter)

        ◘ Carmen (also screenwriter, adapter, editor)

        ◘ Nocturne (short)

        ◘ Thérèse Raquin / Du sollst nicht ehebrechen! / UK: Thou Shalt Not (also adapter, intertitles; France / Germany / Belgium)

        ◘ Les Nouveaux Messieurs (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, intertitles)

        ◘ The Kiss (USA)

1930 ◘ Le Spectre vert (USA)

        ◘ Si l'Empereur savait ça / Olympia / USA: If the Emperor Only Knew That (shot in double ver­sion, French and German; France / Germany)

1931 ◘ Anna Christie (USA)

        ◘ Son of India (USA)

        ◘ Daybreak (USA)

        ◘ Révolte dans la Prison (French-language version of George W. Hill's Big House; replaced by Paul Fejos during the production; USA)

        ◘ Le Grand Jeu (also co-screenwriter)

        ◘ Pension Mimosas / Die klugen Frauen (shot in double version, French and German; also co-screenwriter; France / Germany)

        ◘ La Kermesse héroïque / Die glucken Frauen / USA: Carnival in Flanders (shot in double ver­sion; also co-adapter; France / Germany)

        ◘ Knight Without Armor / USA: Knight Without Armor (UK)

        ◘ Les Gens du Voyage / Fahrendes Volk (shot in double version, French and German; also co-screenwriter; France / Germany)

1942 ◘ La Piste du Nord / La Loi du Nord (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter)

        ◘ Une Femme disparaît / UK: A Woman Disap­peared, Portrait of a Woman / USA: Portrait of a Woman (also co-screenwriter, producer; Switzerland)