Charles Spaak
Encyclopedia
Charles Spaak was a Belgian screenwriter who was noted particularly for his work in the French cinema
during the 1930s. He was the son of the dramatist and poet Paul Spaak
, the brother of the politician Paul-Henri Spaak
, and the father of the actresses Catherine Spaak
and Agnès Spaak.
, who then asked him to work on the adaptation of a stage play for his film Les Nouveaux Messieurs. He also worked as head of publicity for the production company Albatros. He went on to write the screenplays for Feyder's most important films of the 1930s: Le Grand Jeu
, Pension Mimosas
, and La Kermesse héroïque
. Spaak was also in demand to work with other leading directors. During the 1930s he worked with Julien Duvivier
on La Bandera
(1935) and La Belle Équipe
(1936), and with Jean Grémillon
on La Petite Lise (1930) and Gueule d'amour
(1937). He also collaborated with Jean Renoir
on two of his major films, Les Bas Fonds
(1936) and La Grande Illusion
(1937).
Many of these films of the 1930s are marked by a concern for realistic detail with sharply written dialogue, often pessimistic in tone, and several of them provided leading roles which were played by Jean Gabin
. He established himself, alongside Jacques Prévert
and Henri Jeanson
, as a leading screenwriter during one of the French cinema's richest periods.
During the German occupation of France, Spaak chose to return to Paris and found work on a number of the wartime productions that were made there, including further films with Duvivier and Grémillon. (In Bertrand Tavernier
's film Laissez-passer
(2001) which gives a detailed picture of how film-making continued in occupied Paris, Spaak is portrayed in 1943 when he was working on a film for the Continental-Films production company.)
After the war Spaak worked with new directors and in a wider range styles, and he formed a particular association with André Cayatte
in a series of films set against a background of the French judicial system: Justice est faite (1950), Nous sommes tous les assassins (1951), Avant le deluge
(1953), and Le Dossier noir
(1955). He also undertook some of the literary adaptations which marked the 'quality cinema' of the 1950s, including Thérèse Raquin (1953) and Crime et Châtiment (1956).
In 1949 Spaak made his only venture into directing with Le Mystère Barton, but the film met with little success.
Charles Spaak continued working selectively on scenarios until the early 1970s, and he died in 1975 in Vence in the South of France.
Cinema of France
The Cinema of France comprises the art of film and creative movies made within the nation of France or by French filmmakers abroad.France is the birthplace of cinema and was responsible for many of its early significant contributions. Several important cinematic movements, including the Nouvelle...
during the 1930s. He was the son of the dramatist and poet Paul Spaak
Paul Spaak
Paul Spaak was a Belgian lawyer and playwright.Born in Ixelles, Spaak graduated in law at the Université Libre de Bruxelles in 1894. On 22 July 1894, he married Marie Janson, daughter of Paul Janson. The couple had four children, of whom Paul-Henri Spaak, later Belgian Prime Minister like his...
, the brother of the politician Paul-Henri Spaak
Paul-Henri Spaak
Paul Henri Charles Spaak was a Belgian Socialist politician and statesman.-Early life:Paul-Henri Spaak was born on 25 January 1899 in Schaerbeek, Belgium, to a distinguished Belgian family. His grandfather, Paul Janson was an important member of the Liberal Party...
, and the father of the actresses Catherine Spaak
Catherine Spaak
-Biography:Spaak was born at Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine . She is the niece of Belgian politician Paul-Henri Spaak.She spent most of her career in Italy, where she became a teenage star...
and Agnès Spaak.
Career
Charles Spaak was born in Brussels in 1903 into a prominent Belgian family. In 1928 he moved to Paris and took a post as secretary to the film-maker Jacques FeyderJacques Feyder
Jacques Feyder was a Belgian actor, screenwriter and film director who worked principally in France, but also in the USA, Britain and Germany. He was a leading director of silent films during the 1920s, and in the 1930s he became associated with the style of poetic realism in French cinema...
, who then asked him to work on the adaptation of a stage play for his film Les Nouveaux Messieurs. He also worked as head of publicity for the production company Albatros. He went on to write the screenplays for Feyder's most important films of the 1930s: Le Grand Jeu
Le Grand Jeu (1934 film)
Le Grand Jeu is a 1934 French film directed by Jacques Feyder. It is a romantic drama set against the background of the French Foreign Legion, and the film was an example of poetic realism in the French cinema. The title Le Grand Jeu refers to the practice of reading the cards. Blanche asks whether...
, Pension Mimosas
Pension Mimosas
Pension Mimosas is a 1935 French film directed by Jacques Feyder. Based on an original scenario by Feyder and Charles Spaak, it is a psychological drama set largely in a small hotel on the Côte d'Azur, and it provided Françoise Rosay with one of the most substantial acting roles of her...
, and La Kermesse héroïque
Carnival in Flanders (film)
Carnival in Flanders is a 1935 French historical romantic comedy film directed by Jacques Feyder. Its original French title is La Kermesse héroïque and it is widely known under that name...
. Spaak was also in demand to work with other leading directors. During the 1930s he worked with Julien Duvivier
Julien Duvivier
Julien Duvivier was a French film director. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930-1960...
on La Bandera
La Bandera (film)
La Bandera is a 1935 film directed by Julien Duvivier, based on a novel by Pierre Mac Orlan. -Plot:Curfew bells are ringing at night in Paris, while a man and his drunken girlfriend Jacqueline walk down the street. Pierre Gilieth comes out of house #25 looking very frightened, both Pierre Gilieth...
(1935) and La Belle Équipe
La belle équipe
La belle équipe is a French film, directed by Julien Duvivier, and released in 1936. The script was written by Duvivier and Charles Spaak. Music was by Maurice Yvain - the song Quand on s'promène au bord de l'eau , sung by Jean Gabin was written by Duvivier, Maurice Yvain and Louis Poterat...
(1936), and with Jean Grémillon
Jean Grémillon
Jean Grémillon was a French film director. After directing a number of documentaries during the 1920s, many now lost, he had his first substantial success with the dramatic feature Maldone in 1928...
on La Petite Lise (1930) and Gueule d'amour
Lady Killer (1937 film)
Lady Killer is a 1937 drama film directed by Jean Grémillon and starring Jean Gabin.-Cast:* Jean Gabin - Lucien Bourrache, 'Gueule d'Amour'* Mireille Balin - Madeleine* Pierre Etchepare - Le patron de l'hôtel* Henri Poupon - Monsieur Cailloux...
(1937). He also collaborated with Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent era to the end of the 1960s...
on two of his major films, Les Bas Fonds
The Lower Depths (1936 film)
The Lower Depths is a 1936 French drama film directed by Jean Renoir, based on a play of the same title by Maxim Gorky. The film is an example of the poetic realism.Akira Kurosawa also directed a Japanese film version of Gorky's play, Donzoko...
(1936) and La Grande Illusion
Grand Illusion (film)
Grand Illusion is a 1937 French war film directed by Jean Renoir, who co-wrote the screenplay with Charles Spaak. The story concerns class relationships among a small group of French officers who are prisoners of war during World War I and are plotting an escape.The title of the film comes from a...
(1937).
Many of these films of the 1930s are marked by a concern for realistic detail with sharply written dialogue, often pessimistic in tone, and several of them provided leading roles which were played by Jean Gabin
Jean Gabin
-Biography:Born Jean-Alexis Moncorgé in Paris, he grew up in the village of Mériel in the Seine-et-Oise département, about 22 mi north of Paris. The son of cabaret entertainers, he attended the Lycée Janson de Sailly...
. He established himself, alongside Jacques Prévert
Jacques Prévert
Jacques Prévert was a French poet and screenwriter. His poems became and remain very popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. Some of the movies he wrote are extremely well regarded, with Les Enfants du Paradis considered one of the greatest films of all time.-Life and...
and Henri Jeanson
Henri Jeanson
Henri Jeanson, was a French writer and journalist. He was a "satrap" in the "College of Pataphysics".- As a journalist before World War II :...
, as a leading screenwriter during one of the French cinema's richest periods.
During the German occupation of France, Spaak chose to return to Paris and found work on a number of the wartime productions that were made there, including further films with Duvivier and Grémillon. (In Bertrand Tavernier
Bertrand Tavernier
Bertrand Tavernier is a French director, screenwriter, actor, and producer.-Life and career:Tavernier was born in Lyon, the son of Geneviève and René Tavernier, a publicist and writer, several years president of the French PEN club. Tavernier wanted to become a filmmaker since the age of thirteen...
's film Laissez-passer
Safe Conduct (film)
Safe Conduct is a 2002 French historical drama film directed by Bertrand Tavernier and written by Tavernier and Jean Cosmos.-Plot:The film is about the French film industry from 1942 to 1944 during the Nazi occupation. The film focuses on assistant director and resistance fighter Jean Devaivre and...
(2001) which gives a detailed picture of how film-making continued in occupied Paris, Spaak is portrayed in 1943 when he was working on a film for the Continental-Films production company.)
After the war Spaak worked with new directors and in a wider range styles, and he formed a particular association with André Cayatte
André Cayatte
André Cayatte was a French New Wave filmmaker and lawyer, who became known for his films centering on themes of crime, justice, and moral responsibility, themes which Cayatte persisted in affirming regardless of changing contemporary attitudes.Some of Cayatte's earlier films that covered these...
in a series of films set against a background of the French judicial system: Justice est faite (1950), Nous sommes tous les assassins (1951), Avant le deluge
Before the Deluge
Before the Deluge is a 1954 French drama film directed by André Cayatte. It was entered into the 1954 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Antoine Balpêtré - Monsieur Albert Dutoit * Paul Bisciglia - Jean-Jacques Noblet...
(1953), and Le Dossier noir
Black Dossier (film)
Black Dossier is a 1955 French drama film directed by André Cayatte. It was entered into the 1955 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Jean-Marc Bory as Juge Jacques Arnaud* Danièle Delorme as Yvonne Dutoit* Bernard Blier as Commissaire Noblet...
(1955). He also undertook some of the literary adaptations which marked the 'quality cinema' of the 1950s, including Thérèse Raquin (1953) and Crime et Châtiment (1956).
In 1949 Spaak made his only venture into directing with Le Mystère Barton, but the film met with little success.
Charles Spaak continued working selectively on scenarios until the early 1970s, and he died in 1975 in Vence in the South of France.
Selective list of screenplays
Charles Spaak wrote or contributed to more than 100 film screenplays, including the following:- 1928 Les Nouveaux Messieurs (d. Jacques Feyder)
- 1930 La Petite Lise (d. Jean Grémillon)
- 1931 Dainah la métisse (d. Jean Grémillon)
- 1933 Le Grand JeuLe Grand Jeu (1934 film)Le Grand Jeu is a 1934 French film directed by Jacques Feyder. It is a romantic drama set against the background of the French Foreign Legion, and the film was an example of poetic realism in the French cinema. The title Le Grand Jeu refers to the practice of reading the cards. Blanche asks whether...
(d. Jacques Feyder) - 1934 Pension MimosasPension MimosasPension Mimosas is a 1935 French film directed by Jacques Feyder. Based on an original scenario by Feyder and Charles Spaak, it is a psychological drama set largely in a small hotel on the Côte d'Azur, and it provided Françoise Rosay with one of the most substantial acting roles of her...
(d. Jacques Feyder) - 1935 La BanderaLa Bandera (film)La Bandera is a 1935 film directed by Julien Duvivier, based on a novel by Pierre Mac Orlan. -Plot:Curfew bells are ringing at night in Paris, while a man and his drunken girlfriend Jacqueline walk down the street. Pierre Gilieth comes out of house #25 looking very frightened, both Pierre Gilieth...
(d. Julien Duvivier) - 1935 Les Beaux Jours (d. Marc Allégret)
- 1935 La Kermesse héroïqueCarnival in Flanders (film)Carnival in Flanders is a 1935 French historical romantic comedy film directed by Jacques Feyder. Its original French title is La Kermesse héroïque and it is widely known under that name...
(d. Jacques Feyder) - 1935 Veille d'armes (d. Marcel L'Herbier)
- 1936 Les Bas-fondsThe Lower Depths (1936 film)The Lower Depths is a 1936 French drama film directed by Jean Renoir, based on a play of the same title by Maxim Gorky. The film is an example of the poetic realism.Akira Kurosawa also directed a Japanese film version of Gorky's play, Donzoko...
(d. Jean Renoir) - 1936 La Belle ÉquipeLa belle équipeLa belle équipe is a French film, directed by Julien Duvivier, and released in 1936. The script was written by Duvivier and Charles Spaak. Music was by Maurice Yvain - the song Quand on s'promène au bord de l'eau , sung by Jean Gabin was written by Duvivier, Maurice Yvain and Louis Poterat...
(d. Julien Duvivier) - 1936 L'Homme du jour (d. Julien Duvivier)
- 1936 Les Loups entre eux (d. Léon Mathot)
- 1936 La Porte du large (d. Marcel L'Herbier)
- 1937 Aloha, le chant des îles (d. Léon Mathot)
- 1937 L'Étrange Monsieur Victor (d. Jean Grémillon)
- 1937 La Grande IllusionGrand Illusion (film)Grand Illusion is a 1937 French war film directed by Jean Renoir, who co-wrote the screenplay with Charles Spaak. The story concerns class relationships among a small group of French officers who are prisoners of war during World War I and are plotting an escape.The title of the film comes from a...
(d. Jean Renoir) - 1937 Gueule d'amourLady Killer (1937 film)Lady Killer is a 1937 drama film directed by Jean Grémillon and starring Jean Gabin.-Cast:* Jean Gabin - Lucien Bourrache, 'Gueule d'Amour'* Mireille Balin - Madeleine* Pierre Etchepare - Le patron de l'hôtel* Henri Poupon - Monsieur Cailloux...
(d. Jean Grémillon) - 1938 La Fin du jour (d. Julien Duvivier)
- 1938 Le Récif de corailLe Récif de corailLe Récif de corail is a 1938 French language motion picture adventure drama directed by Maurice Gleize. The screenplay was written by Charles Spaak, based on novel by Jean Martet...
(d. Maurice Gleize) - 1939 Le Dernier TournantLe Dernier tournantLe Dernier tournant is a 1939 French drama film directed by Pierre Chenal, written by Charles Spaak and Henri Torrès, based on novel "The Postman Always Rings Twice" by James M...
(d. Pierre ChenalPierre ChenalPierre Chenal was a French director and screenwriter who flourished in the 1930s, and was best known for film noir thrillers such as the 1937 film L’Alibi, where he worked with Erich von Stroheim and Louis Jouvet. In 1939 he made Le Dernier Tournant, the first of many film treatments of James M...
) - 1939 RemorquesRemorquesRemorques is a 1941 French drama film directed by Jean Grémillon. The screenplay was written by Jacques Prévert and André Cayatte , based on novel by Roger Vercel. The film stars Jean Gabin, Madeleine Renaud and Michèle Morgan...
(d. Jean Grémillon) [uncredited] - 1940 Untel père et filsThe Heart of a NationThe Heart of a Nation is a 1943 French drama film directed by Julien Duvivier who co-wrote screenplay with Marcel Achard and Charles Spaak. The film stars Raimu, Michèle Morgan and Louis Jouvet...
(d. Julien Duvivier) - 1941 L'Assassinat du père Noël (d. Christian-Jaque)
- 1941 Péchés de jeunesse (d. Maurice Tourneur)
- 1942 Le Lit à colonnesLe Lit à colonnesLe Lit à colonnes is a French drama film from 1942, directed by Roland Tual, written by Charles Spaak, starring Fernand Ledoux and Jean Marais. The scenario was based on a novel of Louise de Vilmorin...
(d. Roland Tual) - 1943 Le Ciel est à vous (d. Jean Grémillon)
- 1944 Les Caves du Majestic (d. Richard Pottier)
- 1945 L'Affaire du collier de la reine (d. Marcel L'Herbier)
- 1946 PaniquePaniquePanique is a French film directed by Julien Duvivier, made in 1946 and released in 1947, starring Michel Simon and Viviane Romance. In 1989 Patrice Leconte remade the film as Monsieur Hire, with the title rôle played by Michel Blanc.-Plot:...
(d. Julien Duvivier) - 1949 Black JackBlack Jack (film)Black Jack is a 1950 adventure film written and directed by Julien Duvivier and starring George Sanders, Herbert Marshall, Patricia Roc and Dennis Wyndham. It tells the story of a man who uses his yacht to smuggle drugs tries to go straight, but finds it harder than he had anticipated...
(d. Julien Duvivier) - 1950 Justice est faiteJustice Is DoneJustice Is Done is a 1950 French drama film directed by André Cayatte. It tackles the subject of euthanasia by depicting a court case in which a woman is tried for killing her terminally ill husband at his request...
(d. André Cayatte) - 1952 Adorables créaturesAdorables créaturesAdorables créatures is a 1952 French and Italian romantic comedy film directed by Christian-Jaque.-Cast:*Daniel Gélin ... André Noblet*Antonella Lualdi ... Catherine Michaud*Danielle Darrieux ... Christine*Martine Carol ... Minouche...
(d. Christian-Jaque) - 1952 Le Banquet des fraudeursThe Smugglers' BanquetThe Smugglers' Banquet is a 1952 Belgian crime film directed by Henri Storck. It was entered into the 1952 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Marguerite Daulboys* Yves Deniaud – Van Mol* Arthur Devère – Fabriekskoncierge* Marthe Dua...
(d. Henri Storck) - 1952 Nous sommes tous des assassins (d. André Cayatte)
- 1953 Avant le délugeBefore the DelugeBefore the Deluge is a 1954 French drama film directed by André Cayatte. It was entered into the 1954 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Antoine Balpêtré - Monsieur Albert Dutoit * Paul Bisciglia - Jean-Jacques Noblet...
(d. André Cayatte) - 1953 Thérèse Raquin (d. Marcel Carné)
- 1955 Le Dossier noirBlack Dossier (film)Black Dossier is a 1955 French drama film directed by André Cayatte. It was entered into the 1955 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Jean-Marc Bory as Juge Jacques Arnaud* Danièle Delorme as Yvonne Dutoit* Bernard Blier as Commissaire Noblet...
(d. André Cayatte) - 1955 Scuola elementare (d. Alberto Lattuada)
- 1956 Crime et Châtiment (d. Georges Lampin)
- 1957 Quand la femme s'en mêle (d. Yves Allégret)
- 1961 CartoucheCartouche (film)Cartouche is a 1962 French film directed by Philippe de Broca and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Claudia Cardinale.- Plot :In the 18th century, Louis Dominique Bourguignon is working with Malichot's gang, but their ways are too 'unethical' for him. He hides out from Malichot and joins the army,...
(d. Philippe de Broca) - 1961 La Chambre ardenteThe Burning Court (film)The burning court is a French-Italian-German film directed by Julien Duvivier, released in 1962. The script was written by Charles Spaak and Duvivier, from the novel by John Dickson Carr.-Plot:...
(d. Julien Duvivier) - 1962 Germinal (d. Yves Allégret)
- 1962 Le Glaive et la Balance (d.André Cayatte)
- 1973 La Main à couper (d. Étienne Périer)
Further reading
Spaak, Janine. Charles Spaak, mon mari. (Paris: Éditions France-Empire, [1977]).External links
- Charles Spaak at Ciné-Ressources [in French].
- Charles Spaak commemorated at the Université Européenne d'Écriture [in French].
- Charles Spaak at IMDb.