Marcel Achard
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Marcel Achard (5 July 1899 – 4 September 1974) was a French playwright and screenwriter whose popular sentimental comedies Garzanti p. 3 maintained his position as a highly recognizable name in his country's theatrical and literary circles for five decades.
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He was elected to the
Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
in 1959.


Themes and variations within a philosophical outlook

A native of the Rhône département's Urban Community of Lyon, France's second largest metropolitan area, Marcel-Auguste Ferréol was born in
Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon (, literally ''Sainte-Foy near Lyon'') is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. Geography It is a suburb of the city of Lyon, located to the west of the city. It is locate ...
, one of the city's suburbs, and adopted his
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at the start of his writing career in the early 1920s. Able to absorb knowledge quickly, he became, in 1916, in the midst of
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, a village schoolteacher at the age of 17. In 1919, a few months after the end of the war, the 20-year-old aspiring writer arrived in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and found jobs as a prompter at the
Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier The Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier is a theatre located at 21, rue du Vieux-Colombier, in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It was founded in 1913 by the theatre producer and playwright Jacques Copeau. Today it is one of the three theatres in Paris ...
and as a journalist for various publications, including the major daily newspaper, ''
Le Figaro () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It was named after Figaro, a character in several plays by polymath Pierre Beaumarchais, Beaumarchais (1732–1799): ''Le Barbier de Séville'', ''The Guilty Mother, La Mère coupable'', ...
''. Marcel Achard wrote his first play in 1922 and had a major success the following year when renowned actor-director Charles Dullin staged his play ''Voulez-vous jouer avec moâ?'' 'Would You Like to Play with Me?'' a sensitively delicate comedy about circus and its clowns, casting the playwright in a small part, as one of the clowns. The production set a pattern for the remainder of his theatrical output, most of which can be considered as 20th century reworkings of
stock character A stock character, also known as a character archetype, is a type of character in a narrative (e.g. a novel, play, television show, or film) whom audiences recognize across many narratives or as part of a storytelling tradition or convention. Th ...
s and situations from the Italian traditional
Commedia dell'arte Commedia dell'arte was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Theatre of Italy, Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is a ...
. The personages of
Pierrot Pierrot ( , ; ), a stock character of pantomime and commedia dell'arte, has his origins in the late 17th-century Italian troupe of players performing in Paris and known as the Comédie-Italienne. The name is a hypocorism, diminutive of ''Pierr ...
and Columbine are transported into modern-day settings and inserted into an occasionally mawkish or nostalgic love plot with equal doses of laughter mingled with pain and regret. These themes were expanded upon in two of his most popular plays of the period—1929's ''Jean de la Lune'' 'John of the Moon'' a/k/a ''The Dreamer''and 1932's ''Domino''. ''Jean'' showed how the unwavering trust of Jef, the faithful
Pierrot Pierrot ( , ; ), a stock character of pantomime and commedia dell'arte, has his origins in the late 17th-century Italian troupe of players performing in Paris and known as the Comédie-Italienne. The name is a hypocorism, diminutive of ''Pierr ...
prototype, transforms his scandalously adulterous wife into his idealized image of her, while ''Domino'' presented another unfaithful wife who pays a gigolo to make a pretense of courting her so as to distract her husband from her real lover, but the gigolo manages to act his character with such pretend sincerity that she winds up falling in love with this fictional persona. The distinctive quality of Achard's plays was their dreamlike mood of sentimental melancholy, underscored by the very titles which were primarily taken from popular bittersweet songs of the day. 1924's ''Marlbrough s'en va-t-en guerre''
Marlborough Marlborough or the Marlborough may refer to: Places Australia * Marlborough, Queensland * Principality of Marlborough, a short-lived micronation in 1993 * Marlborough Highway, Tasmania; Malborough was an historic name for the place at the sou ...
Gets Himself Off to War''], 1935's ''Noix de coco'' [''Coconuts''], 1946's ''Auprès de ma blonde'' [''Close to My Girlfriend''] and ''Savez-vous planter les choux?'' [''Do You Know How to Plant Cabbage?''] and 1948's ''Nous irons à Valparaiso'' 'We're Going to Valparaiso''">Valparaiso.html" ;"title="'We're Going to Valparaiso">'We're Going to Valparaiso''are among some examples of this specific style.


Career peak in the interwar period

Achard's greatest successes and popularity were in the period between the two World Wars when contemporary critics favorably compared him to some of his renowned French predecessors such as Pierre de Marivaux and Alfred de Musset. Postwar pundits were not as kind, pointing out the rather narrow scope of human psyche that he represented and deprecatingly referring to him as a "spécialiste de l'amour" love specialist"for the sickly-sweet characteristics of his poetic imagination. The critics focused, of course, on Achard's most popular plays, disregarding the fact that the reason Achard continued to write them is precisely because they met with such unvarying success. His less-well known works, however, show innovative techniques and original themes. 1929's ''La Belle Marinière'' 'The Beautiful Lady of the Canals'' a/k/a ''The Beautiful Bargewoman''still has some of the excessively-poetic dialogue, but is overall a realistic play about a love triangle involving a bargeman, his wife and his best friend and companion. Similarly, 1933's ''La femme en blanc'' 'The Woman in White''uses a then-new technique of recreating for the audience events as they are being described by the play's characters. In 1938's ''Le corsaire'' 'The Privateer'' a "play-in-a-play" device, pioneered by
Luigi Pirandello Luigi Pirandello (; ; 28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) was an Italians, Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his bold and ...
, depicts film actors portraying the life of a long-ago pirate, finding themselves caught in an endless loop of similarities. The same year saw the production of his most controversial play, ''Adam'', which strove to give insight into the conflicted emotions of an unhappy
homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...
. Although the very subject matter caused it to be considered scandalous at the time, its brief revival three decades later, in the open and radicalized culture of the late 1960s, when the author was approaching his 70th birthday, found the once-ahead-of-its-time work judged as a tame and dated period piece below Achard's usual literary standard.


Successful postwar plays

After
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, despite the criticism, Achard's literary output continued unabated. Among his most successful later plays were 1952's ''Les compagnons de la Marjolaine'' 'The Companions of Marjoram''and 1955's ''Le mal d'amour'' 'Love Sickness'' The greatest popularity, however, was achieved by a 1957 comedy about a testy, ill-tempered character nicknamed ''Patate'' 'Spud''and a 1962 comic mystery '' L'Idiote'' 'The Idiot'' best known in
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as the basis for the play and film '' A Shot in the Dark''. Four of Achard's plays also had Broadway runs. ''Domino'', adapted by actress-writer Grace George, opened at the
Playhouse Theatre The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt in ...
on 16 August 1932 and closed after seven performances. The title role went to Rod La Rocque, a top star of the silent cinema, whose career was on the wane following the advent of the talkies, and the lead actress was Jessie Royce Landis. Seventeen years later, a much better run was enjoyed by ''Auprès de ma blonde'', which was reworked by
S. N. Behrman Samuel Nathaniel Behrman (; June 9, 1893 – September 9, 1973) was an American playwright, screenwriter, biographer, and longtime writer for ''The New Yorker''. His son is the composer David Behrman. Biography Early years Behrman's parents, Z ...
into ''I Know My Love''. It opened at the Shubert Theatre on 2 November 1949 and ran for 247 performances, closing on 3 June 1950. It was directed by and starred
Alfred Lunt Alfred David Lunt (August 12, 1892 – August 3, 1977) was an American actor and director, best known for his long stage partnership with his wife, Lynn Fontanne, from the 1920s to 1960, co-starring in Broadway theatre, Broadway and West End thea ...
and his leading lady was, as always, his wife,
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. Nine years after that premiere, however, ''Patate'', which played to sold-out theaters in Paris, could not translate its elusive charm to American audiences and repeated the seven-performance fiasco of the previous single-name character, ''Domino''. The fellow whose
nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...
made up the title was played by Tom Ewell, and the female lead, Susan Oliver, won the Theatre World Award for her performance, while the
Irwin Shaw Irwin Shaw (February 27, 1913 – May 16, 1984) was an American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and short-story author whose written works have sold more than 14 million copies. He is best known for two of his novels: '' The Young Lions'' (1 ...
adaptation opened at Henry Miller's Theatre on 28 October 1958 and closed on November 1. Ultimately, it would be ''A Shot in the Dark'', three years later, which would boast the longest run. Adapted by Harry Kurnitz and directed by Harold Clurman, it racked up an impressive 389 performances, opening at the
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on 18 October 1961 and closing on 22 September 1962. The stars were Julie Harris, Walter Matthau and
William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...
. Achard's numerous screenplays, frequently centering on relatively recent historical events and personalities, include 1936's ''
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'', 1938's '' Orage'' and 1942's '' Félicie Nanteuil''. He presided over the
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in 1958 and 1959 and had a similar role at the
Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...
in 1960. It was also in 1959 that he was finally, at the age of 60, elected to the
Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
.


Death

Marcel Achard died of
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in his Paris home two months after his 75th birthday. He was survived by his wife, Lily.


Filmography

*''Jean de la Lune'', directed by
Jean Choux Jean Choux (1887–1946) was a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film producer, producer born in Geneva. He was active in French and Italian cinema from the silent era until his death in 1946. Filmography * ''The Vocation of André C ...
(France, 1931, based on the play ''Jean de la Lune'') *'' Mistigri'', directed by
Harry Lachman Harry B. Lachman (June 29, 1886 – March 19, 1975) was an American artist, set designer, and film director. He was born in La Salle, Illinois on June 29, 1886. Lachman was educated at the University of Michigan before becoming a magazine and b ...
(France, 1931, based on the play ''Mistigri'') *'' The Beautiful Sailor'', directed by
Harry Lachman Harry B. Lachman (June 29, 1886 – March 19, 1975) was an American artist, set designer, and film director. He was born in La Salle, Illinois on June 29, 1886. Lachman was educated at the University of Michigan before becoming a magazine and b ...
(France, 1932, based on the play ''La Belle Marinière'') *'' Cocoanut'', directed by Jean Boyer (France, 1939, based on the play ''Noix de coco'') *'' The Strange Monsieur Victor'' (1938) *'' Life Begins Today'', directed by Schamyl Bauman (Sweden, 1939, based on the play ''Pétrus'') *''
Domino Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also called '' pips'' or ''dots'' ...
'', directed by Roger Richebé (France, 1943, based on the play ''Domino'') *'' Pétrus'', directed by
Marc Allégret Marc Allégret (22 December 1900 – 3 November 1973) was a French screenwriter, photographer and film director. Biography Born in Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland, he was the elder brother of Yves Allégret. Marc was educated to be a lawyer in ...
(France, 1946, based on the play ''Pétrus'') *''Jean de la Lune'', directed by Marcel Achard (France, 1949, based on the play ''Jean de la Lune'') *'' A Shot in the Dark'', directed by
Blake Edwards Blake Edwards (born William Blake Crump; July 26, 1922 – December 15, 2010) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Edwards began his career in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon began writing screenplays and radio scripts ...
(1964, based on the play ''L'Idiote'') *''Patate'', directed by Robert Thomas (France, 1964, based on the play ''Patate'')


Citations


References

* * (obituary)


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Achard, Michel 1899 births 1974 deaths People from Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon 20th-century French dramatists and playwrights French male screenwriters 20th-century French screenwriters Members of the Académie Française Deaths from diabetes in France 20th-century French male writers French male dramatists and playwrights