Eugene-François Vidocq

Eugene-François Vidocq , born the July 24th 1775, street of the mirror of Venice, with Arras and dead the May 11th 1857 with Paris, is a French adventurer and detective.

Biography

Wire of baker, François Vidocq makes various larcenies during his childhood. Its strong size (at 12 years, he is a man) returns the easy work to him. At the 16 years age, engages in the revolutionary army . It then fights with Valmy and Jemappes then deserted the army. It is returned from there in 1793. It then continues an adventurous life of robber and swindler between Paris and the north of France.

The bagne

Stopped by Henri Gisquet, he is condemned in 1797 by the criminal court of Douai to eight years of forced labors for “forgery in public and authentic writings”. With Bicêtre, it is built-in the chain of Brest, a group of convicts intended for the bagne of this port. The voyage, particularly testing, lasts twenty-four days.

Vidocq benefits from it to try a first escape in forest from Compiegne. This first failure does not discourage it. The chain of convicts arrives to Brest the 24 nivôse An VI (January 13rd 1798). The chain makes halt at the entry of Brest at the hospital of Pontanézen, where one carries out the removal of iron of the convicts. Vidocq again tries to distort company with its guards, but it presses the two feet while trying to jump the enclosing wall.

Three weeks later, it enters to the bagne. The register number of the bagne describes it as follows: “22 years, cuts of 5 feet, 2 inches, 6 lines; clear hair, eyebrows châtains, bores in the same way; budded oval face; gray eyes, large nose; stop average, round chin and fourchu, low face, having a scar with the upper lip right-sided; bored ears. ”

Eight days after its arrival, it succeeds in getting clothing of sailor whom it dissimulates with the arsenal where it works. Having succeeded in changing (Vidocq is a true transformist) surreptitiously, it leaves Brest without being worried.

Again stopped in 1799, it is this time sent to the Bagne of Toulon, from where it escapes once again, on March 6th 1800. It acquires this way near the peoples of the underworld a respect and a notoriety without equal.

Safety

In 1806 it proposes its services of indicator to the police force of Paris.

In 1811 the prefect places it at the head of the Brigade of Safety, a police service whose members are the old ones condemned and whose role is to infiltrate in the “medium”.

Its many successes and its not very orthodoxe methods bring as many admirors to him as detractors.

Its enemies are in the underworld but also with the capacity. By twice, its superiors make it resign. Several people stopped by Vidocq show it to have assembled the blows for then stopping those which took part in it and, in this manner, to prove its effectiveness in the fight against crime. Justice did not retain these allegations.

The Information service for the trade

In 1827, Vidocq resigns definitively of its functions of chief of Safety. It settles with Saint-Mandé, close to Paris, and creates a small paper factory. He invents unfalsifiable paper. In 1828, it publishes Memories which are a great success, and which inspires in particular with Honore de Balzac his character of Vautrin. Ruined by its business of paper factory, it founds in 1833 the Information service for the trade, the first agency of private detective, who provides the tradesmen, realizing finance, of the intelligence services and monitoring.

82 years old, François Vidocq dies in Paris of the continuations of the cholera, on May 11th 1857, Rue Popincourt. Its place of burial is unknown today. A rumor said it buried with his wife to Saint-Mandé, however the municipal services of the city refuted this information. It is known however that the funeral ceremony was celebrated with the church Saint-Denys of Blessed Sacrament in Paris in the third district.

Imaginary popular

Vidocq has still today an important place in imaginary popular and French in particular.

Cinema and television

High colors, the character of Vidocq was carried several times at the screen:

the youth of Vidocq or How one becomes police officer (1909): First appearance of Vidocq to the screen in a short film of Middle-class Gerard. Vidocq is interpreted there by Harry Baur.
Vidocq (1922): realized by Jean Kemm, on a scenario of Arthur Bernède adapted of its own novel. Vidocq is interpreted by Rene Navarre
Vidocq (1938): realized by Jacques Daroy. Vidocq is interpreted by André Brulé
has Scandal in Paris (1946), carried out by Douglas Sirk. Vidocq is interpreted by George Sanders
the Rider of cross-death (1947): realized by Lucien Ganier-Raymond. Vidocq is interpreted by Henri Nassiet
Vidocq (1967): Televised series in which the role of Vidocq is interpreted by Bernard Christmas
the new adventures of Vidocq (1971): televised series in which Claude Brasseur includes the role
'' Vidocq '' (2001): realized by Pitof on a scenario of Jean-Christophe Grangé, whose role of Vidocq is interpreted by Gerard Depardieu

Novels

It also inspired with certain novelists of many characters:

Jean Valjean alias the father Madeleine in the Poor wretches of Victor Hugo
Vautrin in the human Comedy of Honore de Balzac
Rodolphe de Gerolstein in the Mysteries of Paris of Eugene Sweats
Auguste Dupin in Double assassination in the street Morgue of Edgar Allan Poe
Mr. Lecoq in the business Lerouge of Emile Gaboriau
the police officer Jackal in Mohicans of Paris of Alexandre Dumas, father

Publications

Memories of Vidocq, chief of the police force of Safety, until in 1827 (4 volumes, 1828-1829) Text in line 1 2 3 4
the Robbers (test, 1836)
summary Considerations on the prisons, the bagnes and the capital punishment (test, 1844)
Truths Mysteries of Paris (Romance, 1844)
Drivers of north (Romance, 1845)

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