Albert Capellani

Albert Capellani ( born August 23, 1874 in Paris, † September 26, 1931 ) was a French stage actor, film director, screenwriter and producer.

Life

Capellani learned acting at the Paris Conservatoire d'Art dramatique, including at Le Bargy. He began his career as a stage actor at the Théâtre Libre d' Antoine and later worked at the Odéon. Because of his organizational skills, he soon became a stage manager by Firmin Gémier and took over 1903 managerial positions in the Parisian music hall Alhambra.

1905 Albert came Capellani the film. In Pathé Frères, he worked as a director under Ferdinand Zecca and created short dramas and features films. 1908 founded Société Pathé Cinématographique the Auteurs et Gens de Lettres ( SCAGL ) and made Capellani to their artistic director. The new company in the Pathé group should consult with screenplays by famous playwrights and the film adaptation of literary works on a cash strong middle-class audience. This movement became known in France under the term film d'Art. The supervised by Capellani directors included, among others Denola Georges, Georges Monca, Michel Carré and Henri Estievant.

Capellani who already had experience with short and medium-length films, took over the control rooms of important productions themselves and went because of the complex actions of the literary sources on to feature films. It originated L' Assommoir (1909 ), Notre -dame de Paris ( 1911), Les Mystères de Paris (1911 ), Le Chevalier de Maison Rouge (1912 ), La Glu ( 1913), and Germinal (1913) and the two-hour Les Misérables (1913 ), which are considered peak Capellanis creation in France and were internationally successful. He could move numerous stage performer to appearances in the film, including his brother Paul Capellani, Berthe Bovy, Jacques Gretillat, Henri Krauss and vaudeville artist Mistinguett Through its links with the Parisian theater scene.

With the start of World War I in 1914 Capellani went to the USA. One of his first work there was in 1915 a film adaptation of Dumas ' La Dame aux Camelias with Clara Kimball Young in the title role. The actress took over in the following years often lead roles in films Capellanis. Until 1918, he was shooting for various film companies, most recently several films for the Metro Picture Corporation and Nazimova. From 1919 to 1920 he had his own production company, the Albert Capellani Productions. In the first film his company, Oh Boy! (1919) for a stage musical with music by Jerome Kern, Capellani had its probably the only film appearance. Until 1922 he worked in the U.S., then he went back to France, where he unsuccessfully tried to import American methods of filmmaking.

His last years were marked by serious illness and financial uncertainty. He suffered from paralysis and died at the age of 57 years.