Raymond Bernard (10 October 1891 – 12 December 1977) was a French film director and screenwriter whose career spanned more than 40 years. He is best remembered for several large-scale historical productions, including the silent films '' Le Miracle des loups'' (''The Miracle of the Wolves'') and '' Le Joueur d'échecs'' (''The Chess Player'') and in the 1930s '' Les Croix de bois'' (''Wooden Crosses'') and a highly regarded adaptation of ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

''.

Biography

Raymond Bernard was born in Paris in 1891, the son of the author and humorist Tristan Bernard and younger brother of the playwright Jean-Jacques Bernard. He began his career as an actor appearing on stage in plays written by his father, including ''Jeanne Doré'' (1913) alongside Sarah Bernhardt (also filmed in 1916). In 1917, Bernard began to work behind the camera as assistant to

Jacques Feyder Jacques Feyder (; 21 July 1885 – 24 May 1948) was a Belgian actor, screenwriter and film director who worked principally in France, but also in the US, Britain and Germany. He was a director of silent films during the 1920s, and in the 1930 ...

at Gaumont and then continued as a director, principally adapting plays by his father. In these popular entertainments, he soon gained experience of working with leading performers such as Max Linder and Charles Dullin.''Dictionnaire du cinéma français des années vingt (1895)''
Raymond Bernard profile
1895.revues.org; retrieved 6 October 2014. In 1924, Bernard embarked upon a new style of film, the historical spectacle, with '' Le Miracle des loups'' set in 15th-century France in the reign of

Louis XI Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revol ...

. This proved to be the most expensive film of its day and one of the more profitable. Lenny Borger. Programme notes for a Thames Television live presentation of ''The Chess Player'', London, 1990. Bernard's ability to combine dramatic narrative with spacious settings and large numbers of performers was utilised in the two remaining productions of his silent film career, '' Le Joueur d'échecs'' (1927) and ''

Tarakanova Princess Tarakanova (c. 1745 – ) was a pretender to the Russian throne. She styled herself, among other names, ''Knyazhna Yelizaveta Vladimirskaya'' (Princess of Vladimir, Russia, Vladimir), ''Fräulein Frank'', and ''Madame Trémouille' ...

'' (1930). Bernard's film-making in the sound era continued for nearly three decades. Further large-scale productions included his film about the First World War, '' Les Croix de bois'' (1932), and a three-part adaptation of Victor Hugo's ''

'' (1934) which was nearly five hours in length. In his later films, he returned to modest projects and budgets, including a number of sophisticated comedies. During the wartime Occupation of France, Bernard as a Jew was obliged to remain in hiding, and his film-making ceased until the end of the war. He retired from film-making in 1958, but in the 1970s, when he was in his 80s, he was able to supervise the reconstruction of ''Les Misérables'', which had been severely truncated in the 1940s for easier distribution. In 1977, shortly after the broadcast of a nearly complete version on French television, Bernard died at age 86. Raymond Bernard was an Officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

.Yearbook 1969 of the Society of Mutual Assistance of the Legion of Honour.

Filmography (as director)

*''Le Ravin sans fond'' (1917) (co-directed with

) *''Le Traitement du hoquet'' (1917) *''Le Gentilhomme commerçant'' (1918) *'' Le Petit Café'' (1919) (''The Little Café'') *'' Le Secret de Rosette Lambert'' (1920) (''The Secret of Rosette Lambert'') *''La Maison vide'' (1921) *''Triplepatte'' (1922) *''L'Homme inusable'' (1923) *''Grandeur et Décadence'' (1923) *''Le Costaud des Épinettes'' (1923) *'' Le Miracle des loups'' (1924) (''The Miracle of the Wolves'') *'' Le Joueur d'échecs'' (1927) (''The Chess Player'') *''

'' (1930) * '' Faubourg Montmartre'' (1931) (''Montmartre'') *'' Les Croix de bois'' (1932) (''Wooden Crosses'') *''

'' (1934) *''Tartarin de Tarascon'' (1934) *''Amants et Voleurs'' (1935) (''Lovers and Thieves'') * '' Anne-Marie'' (1936) *'' Le Coupable'' (1937) (''Culprit'') *''Marthe Richard au service de la France'' (1937) *'' J'étais une aventurière'' (1938) (''I Was an Adventuress'') *''Les Otages'' (1939) (''The Mayor's Dilemma'') *'' Cavalcade d'amour'' (1940) (''Love Cavalcade'') *''

Un ami viendra ce soir ''A Friend Will Come Tonight'' (French: ''Un ami viendra ce soir'') is a 1946 French drama film directed by Raymond Bernard and starring Michel Simon, Madeleine Sologne and Paul Bernard.Rège p.620 The film's sets were designed by the art direc ...

'' (1946) (''A Friend Will Come Tonight'') *'' Adieu chérie'' (1946) (''Goodbye Darling'') * ''

Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a popu ...

'' (1949) *'' Le Cap de l'espérance'' (1951) (''The Cape of Hope'') *'' Le Jugement de Dieu'' (1952) (''Judgement of God'') *' (1953) (''Lady of the Camelias'') *'' La Belle de Cadix'' (1953) (''The Beauty of Cadiz'') *''Les Fruits de l'été'' (1955) (''Fruits of Summer'') * '' Le Septième Commandement'' (1957) (''The Seventh Commandment'') *''Le Septième Ciel'' (1958) (''Seventh Heaven'')

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bernard, Raymond 1891 births 1977 deaths 20th-century French Jews Film directors from Paris