Henri Decoin

Biography: life and films

Henri Decoin was born in Paris on 18th March 1890. He had a modest upbringing, his mother being the main breadwinner as his father was paralysed. From an early age, his main passion in life was sport. He gave up his studies to become a professional athlete and swimmer, and took part in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. After the First World War, in which he served as an air pilot, he became a sports journalist and published an experimental book about boxing in 1926, Quinze Combats. His career in cinema began in 1925 when he wrote the script for Le Roi de la pédale, a film directed by Maurice Champreux. He scripted several films throughout the 1930s, most notably Victor Tourjansky's Le Chanteur inconnu (1931) and Carmine Gallone Un soir de rafle (1931), before making his directing debut with a short film entitled À bas les hommes. His first feature as a solo director was Toboggan (1934), which starred the boxer Georges Carpentier.

In Germany, Decoin directed French language versions of a number of films, including Domino vert (1935), on which he worked with his future wife, Danielle Darrieux, for the first time. Decoin then directed Darrieux in a string of films, including such popular successes as Battement de coeur (1939) and Premier rendez-vous (1941). In 1938, Decoin accompanied Darrieux to Hollywood, where she had signed a contract with Universal Pictures. During his stay there, Decoin made a close observation of American filmmaking techniques, and would emulate these in his films when he returned to France. With his country now under Nazi occupation, it was for the German-run company Continental that Decoin directed his first masterpiece, Les Inconnus dans la maison (1942), an inspired adaptation of a Georges Simenon novel that featured Raimu in one of his most celebrated roles.

Throughout the two decades that followed, Henri Decoin was one of the most prolific French film directors of his generation, his output including a number of films that have since become classics of French cinema. These include: Entre onze heures et minuit (1949), La Vérité sur Bébé Donge (1951) and Razzia sur la chnouf (1955). He was a versatile filmmaker, as adept at directing policiers as light comedies such as Dortoir des grandes (1953), period dramas like L'Affaire des poisons (1955) and swashbucklers like Le Masque de fer (1962). He even directed a musical comedy, Folies-Bergère (1957). Henri Decoin made around fifty films in total and worked with some of France's leading actors, including established stars, such as Jean Marais and Jean Gabin, and promising newcomers like Lino Ventura and Louis de Funès. He ended his career by making populist genre films such as Nick Carter va tout casser (1964). Decoin died in Neuilly-sur-Seine on 4th July 1969, from complications arising from a surgical operation.

Filmography