See also: Erlanger

Philippe Erlanger is a senior official and French historian born with Paris the July 11th 1903 and died in Cannes on November 23rd, 1987.

Biography

Philippe Erlanger is the son of the type-setter Camille Erlanger (1863-1919) and of Irene Illel-Manoach (1878-1920). He makes his studies in Paris, obtaining an arts degree, a license in right, and his diploma of the Private school of Political sciences.

General inspector at the Minister of education Main road, it is named in 1938 directing of the French Association of artistic action, function which it will occupy until in 1968. In parallel, it is named in 1946 chief of the service of the artistic Exchanges at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Attempting to make radiate French art abroad and foreign art in France, it organizes many exposures and famous theater tours (Louis Jouvet, Jean-Louis Barrault, Jean Vilar, etc).

It is him which with the idea of the Cannes festival in 1939, in reaction to the discredit whose the Mostra of Venice which rewarded, in 1938 was covered, the documentary one of Leni Riefenstahl the Gods of the Stage , under influence of the Nazism, ex æquo with a film supervised by the son of Mussolini. Present in Venice, it can announce the launching of a concurrent initiative, with the downstream of its partial trusteeship, Jean Zay, Minister for the State education and the Art schools. The town of Cannes is selected for its approval and its sunning. First acting general of the festival until in 1951, Philippe Erlanger will be also member of the jury in 1953 and 1954.

Journalist, art Critic and historian, Philippe Erlanger published many biographies (see below). Starting from some chroniclers and memorialist S of time, it clarifies a historical personality with a predilection for and the sexual escapades of the protagonists, from the strictly event-driven, but always attractive point of view. Its well built books, written well, were often great popular successes. Its biography of Louis XIV was even classified at the head of the historical works of the century by a contest of the Figaro Littéraire .

To the cinema, it gives the scenario and the dialogs of Marie-Antoinette queen of France (1956), presented in official selection to the Cannes festival, of the seizure of power by Louis XIV (Roberto Rossellini, 1966).

The whole of its work was crowned by the French Academy and received the Grand Prix of the French Radiation in 1962. It was made Commandeur of the Légion of honor.

By allusion to its supposed homosexuality and an affection for Brittany, Philippe Erlanger was called “Ille-et-Vilaine” (it is unpleasant). There remained unmarried and deceased without posterity.