Pierre Wolff born ( January 1st 1865 Paris, France – July 27th 1944 16th arrondissment, Paris, France ) was a French playwright.1
Biography
Pierre Wolff was a Jewish writer, who wrote numerous plays, as well as some libretti for operettas. He was the nephew of journalist Albert Wolff. His dramas were characterized by bitingly ironic observation of contemporary life, and by witty dialogue.1 One of his earliest plays, Jacques Bouchard (1890) which was performed at Théâtre Libre, was such a flop that even his famous uncle lambasted it, but his subsequent plays were received with enthusiasm.2 He had great success with the adultery-themed comedy The Secret of Polichinelle,3 which played in over 80 cities including in the United States, and also with Le Ruisseau.4 Nazimova performed in Les Marionnettes when it was produced in the United States.5
Works
Plays
- Le Cheval d'Aristote 1890
- Jacques Bouchard, 18906
- Leurs filles, 18917
- Les Maris de leurs filles 18928
- Celles qu'on respecte, 1892
- Celles qu'on aime, 1895
- Fidèle!, 1895
- Amants et maîtresses 18969
- Le Boulet, 1898
- Le Béguin, 1900
- Vive l'armée!, 1901
- Sacré Léonce!, 1901
- Le Cadre, 1902
- Celles qu'on respecte 190310
- The Secret of Polichinelle, 1903
- L'Âge d'aimer 190511
- Le Ruisseau, 19074
- Le Lys, 1908
- La Cruche, or J'en ai plein le dos de Margot 1909
- Les Marionnettes 191012
- L'Amour défendu 1911
- Les Deux Gloires 1916
- Le Voile déchiré 1919
- Les Ailes brisées 192013
- Le Chemin de Damas 192114
- Une sacré petite blonde with André Birabeau 1921
- Les Deux amants 1922
- L'École des amants 1923
- After Love, with Henri Duvernois 1924
- Le Renard, 1925
- Deux hommes, 1 act, 1926
- Dibengo, with Henri Duvernois 1925
- Le Dernier Client, 1 act, 1928
- Dix minutes sur la terre, rewrite 1929
- L'Invité, 1 act 1929
- La Belle de nuit 1932
- Les Deux vieilles, 1 act, 1932
- L'Inroulable, 1 act
Librettist
- Le Temps d'aimer, operetta in 3 actes, with Henri Duvernois, lyrics Hugues Delorme, music Reynaldo Hahn 1926
- Moineau, operetta in 3 actes, with Henri Duvernois, lyrics Léon Guillot de Saix, music Louis Beydts, 1931
Filmography
- The Marionettes, directed by Émile Chautard (1918, based on the play Les Marionnettes)
- The Virtuous Model, directed by Albert Capellani (1919, based on the play Le Ruisseau)
- The Secret of Polichinelle, directed by René Hervil (1923, based on the play The Secret of Polichinelle)
- After Love, directed by Maurice Champreux (1924, based on the play After Love)
- The Lily, directed by Victor Schertzinger (1926, based on the play Le Lys)
- Le Ruisseau, directed by René Hervil (1929, based on the play Le Ruisseau)
- When Love Is Over, directed by Léonce Perret (1931, based on the play After Love)
- Broken Wings, directed by André Berthomieu (1933, based on the play Les Ailes brisées)
- Beauty of the Night, directed by Louis Valray (1934, based on the play La Belle de nuit)
- Sacré Léonce, directed by Christian-Jaque (1936, based on the play Sacré Léonce)
- The Secret of Polichinelle, directed by André Berthomieu (1936, based on the play The Secret of Polichinelle)
- Familjens hemlighet, directed by Gustaf Molander (Sweden, 1936, based on the play The Secret of Polichinelle)
- Le Ruisseau, directed by Maurice Lehmann (1938, based on the play Le Ruisseau)
- After Love, directed by Maurice Tourneur (1948, based on the play After Love)
Screenwriter
- La route est belle (The Road Is Fine), directed by Robert Florey (1930)
- Un carnet de bal (Life Dances On), directed by Julien Duvivier (1937)
- Abus de confiance (Abused Confidence), directed by Henri Decoin (1938)
- Retour à l'aube (Return at Dawn), directed by Henri Decoin (1938)
- Serenade, directed by Jean Boyer (1940)
- The Man Who Seeks the Truth, directed by Alexander Esway (1940)
- Bring On the Girls, directed by Sidney Lanfield (1945) - Loosely based on The Man Who Seeks the Truth
- Abuso de confianza, directed by Mario C. Lugones (Argentina, 1950) - Remake of Abused Confidence
References
References
- Frank Moore Colby; Talcott Williams, editors (1918) "Wolff, Pierre", The New International Encyclopædia, Vol. 23, p. 671, Dodd, Mead and Co., New York
- "Small Talk of the Boulevards" (April 12, 1905) The Sketch, Vol. 49, No. 637, p. 442, London
- Alfred Jarry (1903) "Les Theatres", Revue Blanche, Vol. 30, p. 155 (in French)
- Le Ruisseau (1907)
- Barrett H. Clarke, translator (1914) "Antoine and the 'Free Theatre'", Four Plays of the Free Theater, Stewart & Kidd Co., Cincinnati
- Jacques Bouchard (1890) Tresse & Stock, Paris
- Leurs filles (1891)
- Les Maris de leurs filles (1892)
- Amants et maîtresses (1896)
- Celles qu'on respecte (1903)
- L'Âge d'aimer (22 April 1905) Illustration Théatrale, No. 10, Paris
- Les Marionnettes (1910)
- Les Ailes brisées (1920)
- Le Chemin de Damas (1922)
External links
External links
- Review of L'Age d'aimer, "The Sea-Coast of Bohemia" (June 10, 1905) The Outlook, Vol. 15, p. 830