Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast

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Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast , born Henry Charles Armand d'Abbadie d'Arrast or Henri d'Abbadie d'Arrast , (born May 6, 1897 in Buenos Aires , Argentina , † March 17, 1968 in Monte Carlo , Monaco ) was a French-American film director of the late silent film and early sound film era. Although completely unknown in Germany today, Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast was at times compared to Ernst Lubitsch .

Life

d'Arrast came from a respected French-Basque noble family and grew up in Argentina and France. After initially fighting for the French in World War I , he came to Hollywood through the acquaintance of director George Fitzmaurice . There he first worked on the production of The Nights of a Beautiful Woman (OT: A Woman of Paris ) by Charles Chaplin and then worked as Chaplin's assistant for The Gold Rush . d'Arrast remained close friends with Chaplin, who later often visited his country estate in France. He then shot for Paramount Pictureshis first film that immediately caught the attention of critics. The high point of his work were the two comedies Laughter , which he shot with Nancy Carroll and Fredric March at the New York Astoria Studios of Paramount, and Topaze , for which David O. Selznick brought him to the RKO in 1933 . Both films are characterized by their elegant staging, an intelligent script and perfect acting.

In Topaze , which was released before the strict censorship of the Production Code came into effect , d'Arrast portrays the adventures of a con man, played by John Barrymore , who openly lives with his lover ( Myrna Loy ). The critics put d'Arrast on a par with Lubitsch and he would have had a great career in front of him if he hadn't constantly been at odds with the studio managers. From 1934 it was impossible for him to find work in Hollywood any longer, and after two films in Spain, finally in 1946 he retired to a luxurious private life on the extensive estate of his family in Château d'Etchauz, near Saint Étienne de Baïgorry from Biarritz , back. He spent his free time at the roulette tables in the major casinos. With the renewed interest in pre-code films, Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast was also rediscovered.

He was married to actress Eleanor Boardman . The marriage was overshadowed by the endless custody disputes between Boardman and her first husband King Vidor over their daughters from that marriage. On one of the voyages between France and the USA, Boardman and d'Arrast's ship was shot at by a German submarine, so that the passengers had to spend a few hours in lifeboats. After his death, Boardman returned to the United States for good.

Filmography

  • 1927: A Gentleman of Paris
  • 1927: serenade
  • 1927: Service for Ladies
  • 1928: Dry Martini
  • 1928: The Magnificent Flirt
  • 1930: Laughter
  • 1930: Raffles (1930) (but not named as a director)
  • 1933: Topaze
  • 1934: La Traviesa molinera
  • 1935: The Three Cornered Hat

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Abbadie d'Arrast, Harry d '
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Abbadie d'Arrast, Henry Charles Armand d '(maiden name); Abbadie d'Arrast, Henri d '
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French-American film director of the late silent and early talkies era
DATE OF BIRTH May 6, 1897
PLACE OF BIRTH Buenos Aires , Argentina
DATE OF DEATH 17th March 1968
Place of death Monte Carlo , Monaco