Edouard Bourdet

Edouard Bourdet was born the October 26th 1887 with Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer and died the January 17th 1945 with Paris.

Dramatic author French, Journalist, Administrator of the Comédie-Française.

Its family

Edouard Bourdet is the son of Fernand Bourdet (1853 - 1906), engineer and of Marguerite Vallée 1860 - 1908), downward by his/her mother of the minister Georges Pléville Pelley. It Marie in January 1909 with Catherine Pozzi (1883 - 1934), poetess and Woman of letters. They have a son, Claude Bourdet.

Biography

Dramatic author, journalist

Edouard Bourdet begins with the theater in 1910 with Rubicon and continuous with the open Cage which has less of success. He makes the war in the hunters with foot; demobilized in 1919, it takes again its dramatic activity later only three years. For this period it becomes corresponding in England after the Armistice, for the dramatic Echo of Paris and critical.

But not more than its parts of pre-war period, the Man connected in 1923, is not success.

Captive the , in 1926, tackles a difficult subject, the suffering of a damnée woman, and the author treats it with much skill and the audacity which it allowed in the choice of the topic is fully accepted by very many people. Its boldness is indeed moderated by a constant preoccupation with a honesty; it thus accumulates right observations which give to its developments an appearance of rigor, that which was lacking on the subject. Colette will write: “But Edouard Bourdet is young, and does not have prone to be timid in front of the success. Moreover, it is endowed with a patient and quiet vocation”.

Edouard Bourdet becomes one of the leading vendors of the light comedies of between two wars. In 1927, it is not tender with some of its contemporaries in Vient to appear . The literary prizes, the choice by the writers of subjects with a commercial aim and advertizing launching of a book and an author are shown in this part light comedies. When Edouard wrote Vient To appear , he asked his friend Jean Giraudoux to take it along street of the Holy Father, and there remained one afternoon to observe this fauna.

In the Weaker sex (1929), Edouard Bourdet makes us portrait of these men in the search of women who maintain them.

Fric-Frac is a play in 1936 and is adapted to the cinema in 1939. Arletty will declare many years after its death: “In connection with Burglary, one tends always a little to forget the author, Edouard Bourdet. Fric-Frac is one of the large parts of Bourdet”. It is a great business success.

Before the Second world war Henri Bernstein knows a renewal of celebrity thanks to a duel against Edouard Bourdet, his rival in the same theatrical kind. He is the friend of Paul Claudel and Jean Giraudoux, holds a literary Salon.

Administrator of the Comédie-Française

Regarded as one of the Masters of the Light comedies of the Inter-war period, Jean Zay, Minister for the culture of the Popular front name it Administrateur of the Comédie-Française in 1936. This nomination is worth serious enmities to him. Robert Brasillach speaks “about new the führer of the Th3e4atre Fran1cais”. If he acknowledges: “I too much much laughed with one or two parts of Mr. Bourdet”, he criticizes nevertheless the choice of Jean Zay who went on: “the author of so much of pleasant light comedies putting it at the head of the Comédie-Française”.

Brasillach is mistaken however heavily when he affirms that: “By the force of the things, one will give well to Mr. Jouvet or Mr. Copeau, of time to other, an old work to go up. But the old guard, will be protected always there by Mr. Bourdet”.

Edouard Bourdet, new Administrator general convenes at once Pierre Dux, triple the monthly payments of the actors, decides that the parts from now on are chosen by the Administrator alone, and the actor nomination for each role will depend exclusively on the Administrator and the official directors. It rectifies the Comédie-Française with Gaston Baty, Jacques Copeau, Charles Dullin and Louis Jouvet. Edouard Bourdet has a completely innovative activity as an administrator between on October 15th, 1936 and on December 27th, 1940. Louis Chaigne will write: “One cannot name Edouard Bourdet without recalling that he was a remarkable administrator of the Th3e4atre Fran1cais (of 1936 to 1940)”.

Named after the victory of the Popular front, Edouard Bourdet leaves his functions when the Maréchal Pétain seizes the power.

Boarder of the Comédie-Française in 1939, Gerard Oury obtains its first role which Edouard Bourdet in Britannicus entrusts to him, to replace a mobilized actor.

During the occupation Nazi

During the occupation Nazi, even if it is not any more Administrateur of the Comédie-Française, Bourdet does not engage in Resistance and the active fight. His/her son, Claude Bourdet is disappointed a little by it, even if it knows that his/her father is favorable to the ideas of resistance.

Hyménée , in 1941, does not have any more the audacity of its comedies of manners which made a description relentless of the mediums of the high bourgeoisie, like difficult times or approached topics hitherto little treated, like homosexuality, in captive the . Hyménée is a play where the comic one cuts the most beautiful share, but prudence just enables him to confuse satire and morals. The humanistic one, the author of pre-war period, named by Jean Zay, is much polemical, because times are difficult.

Pierre Fresnay puts in scene and plays, with the Th3e4atre Fran1cais, Père , a new comedy, in three acts, and Vient to appear in 1942 and 1944.

Edouard Bourdet however chose to give up his functions. He does not have to separate undesirable members judged for odious pretexts or to program rounds of German troops to the Comédie-Française.

Its death

Its death occurred brutally in 1945, following a Embolie. Artists as Jean Cocteau will pay homage to him. Its imposing work will be admired by a Pierre Fresnay, a Louis Jouvet, a Pierre Dux.

Edouard Bourdet is buried with the Cimetière of Passy.

Plays

1910 : Rubicon
1922: the Hour of the shepherd
1923: the man connected
1926: captive the , played London, New York and Vienna.
1927: has just appeared
1929: the Weaker sex , which runs a long time with the Théâtre of Michodière and is also represented with Berlin.
1932: the Fleur of the peas
1934: the difficult Times , taken again with the Theater of the Old Dovecote (Comédie-Française) from November 22nd to December 30th, 2006 in a setting in scene of Jean-Claude Berruti.
1936: Burglary
1941: Hyménée
1942 : Father

Notes and references of the article

See too

Bourdet Denise, Edouard Bourdet and its friends , Jeune Park. 1963.
Bordering Roger, Edouard Bourdet or the theater of the challenge , Editions of the Almond tree.

External bond

Quotations of Edouard Bourdet

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