Henri Jeanson
Encyclopedia
Henri Jeanson, was a French
writer
and journalist
. He was a "satrap" in the "College of Pataphysics".
. Before becoming a journalist, he had several casual jobs, including being depicted as a soldier on a good-luck card for a postcard seller, belying his future pacifism
. In 1917, he started work for La Bataille, newspaper of the Confédération générale du travail
. Noted for his strong writing, he was a journalist throughout the 1920s, with intervening stints as reporter, interviewer and film critic. He was distinguished by the potency of his style and a taste for polemic
. Jeanson worked for several papers including the Journal du peuple, Hommes du Jour and the Canard enchaîné, where he defended complete pacifism.
He resigned from the Canard enchaîné in 1937, in solidarity with Jean Galtier-Boissière
.
He was sentenced to 18 months in prison in July 1939, for publishing an article in Solidarité Internationale Antifasciste, a periodical founded in November 1938 by Louis Lecoin
, in which he congratulated Herschel Grynszpan
for his assassination of Ernst vom Rath
, an official of the German embassy in Paris. He was arrested in November 1939, at which time he had already joined his regiment in Meaux
, for articles which had appeared in March and August 1939, and for having signed Louis Lecoin's tract "Paix immédiate". On the 20 December 1939, he was sentenced by a military tribunal
to five years in prison for "calling for disobedience within the ranks".
marched into Paris. His freedom was obtained by the lawyer and minister César Campinchi
. He remained in Paris, and in August 1940 was given the chief editorship of Aujourd'hui, an "independent" newspaper. The first issue went out on the 10 September 1940. In November 1940, the German authorities pressurized him to take a public position against the Jews and in favour of the politics of collaboration with the Vichy regime. Jeanson resigned and went back to prison. He was freed a few months later after the intervention of his friend Gaston Bergery, a neo-radical who had turned to the collaborationists through ultra-pacifism. From that point on he was banned from the press and the cinema, and worked secretly, writing film dialogues without putting his name to them. With Pierre Bénard
, Jeanson participated in the development of secret pamphlets, and just missed being re-arrested in 1942. He continued to lie low until the liberation of France.
His story is said to illustrate the contradictions and compromises of absolute pacifism: the willingness to seek an understanding with Germany to avoid war, transforming, after France's defeat, into a desire for proper coexistence, even offering to serve the Germans. The newspaper Aujourd'hui was far from being innocent in its hunting down those allegedly responsible for France's defeat, resorting to the "clean sweep of the broom" myth in its Anglophobia
. The paper entered into resonance with Marshal Philippe Pétain
's narrative, and took the direction of German propaganda.
, le Canard enchaîné, Combat and L'Aurore
. He left the editorship of le Canard enchaîné in April 1947, following an article which was cut, on the subject of "Aragon
, Elsa Triolet
, Maurice Thorez
and the communists". This departure was the occasion of upheaval and settling of accounts among the press. He ultimately returned to le Canard, where he published articles under the pseudonym
"Huguette ex-Micro" until 1970. He participated in "Cinémonde" . From 1967 to 1970, he was a television critic for L'Aurore.
While Jeanson was feared in the art and political worlds for his deadly prose, he was also at the forefront of leading great political struggles, over pacifism
, anticolonialism, defending freedom of expression, always remaining a free spirit.
Jeanson abandoned cinema in 1965 to devote himself to polemical journalism and the editing of his memoir
s, which were published under the title 70 Ans d'adolescence several months after his death. He died in Équemauville
, near Honfleur
(Calvados
) on the 6 November 1970.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. He was a "satrap" in the "College of Pataphysics".
As a journalist before World War II
Jeanson was born on the 6th of March in Paris. His father was a teacherTeacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. Before becoming a journalist, he had several casual jobs, including being depicted as a soldier on a good-luck card for a postcard seller, belying his future pacifism
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
. In 1917, he started work for La Bataille, newspaper of the Confédération générale du travail
Confédération générale du travail
The General Confederation of Labour is a national trade union center, the first of the five major French confederations of trade unions.It is the largest in terms of votes , and second largest in terms of membership numbers.Its membership decreased to 650,000 members in 1995-96 The General...
. Noted for his strong writing, he was a journalist throughout the 1920s, with intervening stints as reporter, interviewer and film critic. He was distinguished by the potency of his style and a taste for polemic
Polemic
A polemic is a variety of arguments or controversies made against one opinion, doctrine, or person. Other variations of argument are debate and discussion...
. Jeanson worked for several papers including the Journal du peuple, Hommes du Jour and the Canard enchaîné, where he defended complete pacifism.
He resigned from the Canard enchaîné in 1937, in solidarity with Jean Galtier-Boissière
Jean Galtier-Boissière
Jean Galtier-Boissière was a writer, polemist, and journalist from Paris, France. He founded Le Crapouillot and wrote for Le Canard enchaîné.-Bibliography:* Croquis De Tranchées. 1917...
.
He was sentenced to 18 months in prison in July 1939, for publishing an article in Solidarité Internationale Antifasciste, a periodical founded in November 1938 by Louis Lecoin
Louis Lecoin
Louis Lecoin, Louis Lecoin, Louis Lecoin, (b. 30 September 1888, Saint-Amand-Montrond in the Cher département, d. 1971, was a militant anarcho-pacifist. He was at the center of the foundation of the Union pacifiste de France.- Biography :...
, in which he congratulated Herschel Grynszpan
Herschel Grynszpan
Herschel Feibel Grynszpan was a Polish Jew and political assassin. Grynszpan's assassination of the German diplomat Ernst vom Rath on November 7, 1938, after the deportation of his family, provided the excuse for the Nazi Kristallnacht, the antisemitic pogrom of November 9–10, 1938...
for his assassination of Ernst vom Rath
Ernst vom Rath
Ernst Eduard vom Rath was a German diplomat, remembered for his assassination in Paris in 1938 by a Jewish youth, Herschel Grynszpan. The assassination triggered Kristallnacht, the "Night of Broken Glass"....
, an official of the German embassy in Paris. He was arrested in November 1939, at which time he had already joined his regiment in Meaux
Meaux
Meaux is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located east-northeast from the center of Paris. Meaux is a sub-prefecture of the department and the seat of an arondissement...
, for articles which had appeared in March and August 1939, and for having signed Louis Lecoin's tract "Paix immédiate". On the 20 December 1939, he was sentenced by a military tribunal
Military tribunal
A military tribunal is a kind of military court designed to try members of enemy forces during wartime, operating outside the scope of conventional criminal and civil proceedings. The judges are military officers and fulfill the role of jurors...
to five years in prison for "calling for disobedience within the ranks".
During World War II
Jeanson was in prison for his pacifist writings, and this only a few days before the German armyWehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
marched into Paris. His freedom was obtained by the lawyer and minister César Campinchi
César Campinchi
César Campinchi was a lawyer and French statesman in the beginning of the 20th century....
. He remained in Paris, and in August 1940 was given the chief editorship of Aujourd'hui, an "independent" newspaper. The first issue went out on the 10 September 1940. In November 1940, the German authorities pressurized him to take a public position against the Jews and in favour of the politics of collaboration with the Vichy regime. Jeanson resigned and went back to prison. He was freed a few months later after the intervention of his friend Gaston Bergery, a neo-radical who had turned to the collaborationists through ultra-pacifism. From that point on he was banned from the press and the cinema, and worked secretly, writing film dialogues without putting his name to them. With Pierre Bénard
Pierre Bénard
Pierre Bénard was a French journalist.Bénard was born in 1898; his father was clerk to an attorney. He began as a journalist in the 1920s, for L'Œuvre, where he held the judicial brief, and for Bonsoir...
, Jeanson participated in the development of secret pamphlets, and just missed being re-arrested in 1942. He continued to lie low until the liberation of France.
His story is said to illustrate the contradictions and compromises of absolute pacifism: the willingness to seek an understanding with Germany to avoid war, transforming, after France's defeat, into a desire for proper coexistence, even offering to serve the Germans. The newspaper Aujourd'hui was far from being innocent in its hunting down those allegedly responsible for France's defeat, resorting to the "clean sweep of the broom" myth in its Anglophobia
Anglophobia
Anglophobia means hatred or fear of England or the English people. The term is sometimes used more loosely for general Anti-British sentiment...
. The paper entered into resonance with Marshal Philippe Pétain
Philippe Pétain
Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain , generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain , was a French general who reached the distinction of Marshal of France, and was later Chief of State of Vichy France , from 1940 to 1944...
's narrative, and took the direction of German propaganda.
As a journalist after the war
Despite Jeanson's wartime work for Aujourd'hui, he regained the editorship of le Canard enchaîné after France's liberation. He resumed his journalistic calling, working for Le CrapouillotLe Crapouillot
Le Crapouillot was a French magazine started by Jean Galtier-Boissière as a satiric publication in France, during World War I. In the trenches during WWI, the affectionate term for le petit crapaud, "the little toad" was used by French soldiers, the poilus, to designate small...
, le Canard enchaîné, Combat and L'Aurore
L'Aurore (1944 newspaper)
L'Aurore was a French newspaper first sold on 11 September 1944, soon after the Liberation of Paris. Its name refers to the previous, unrelated publication, L'Aurore . Publication ended in 1985....
. He left the editorship of le Canard enchaîné in April 1947, following an article which was cut, on the subject of "Aragon
Louis Aragon
Louis Aragon , was a French poet, novelist and editor, a long-time member of the Communist Party and a member of the Académie Goncourt.- Early life :...
, Elsa Triolet
Elsa Triolet
Elsa Yur'evna Triolet was a French writer.-Biography:Born Ella Kagan into a Jewish family of a lawyer and a music teacher in Moscow, she and her sister, Lilya Brik received excellent educations; they were able to speak fluent German and French and play the piano...
, Maurice Thorez
Maurice Thorez
thumb|A Soviet stamp depicting Maurice Thorez.Maurice Thorez was a French politician and longtime leader of the French Communist Party from 1930 until his death. He also served as vice premier of France from 1946 to 1947....
and the communists". This departure was the occasion of upheaval and settling of accounts among the press. He ultimately returned to le Canard, where he published articles under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"Huguette ex-Micro" until 1970. He participated in "Cinémonde" . From 1967 to 1970, he was a television critic for L'Aurore.
While Jeanson was feared in the art and political worlds for his deadly prose, he was also at the forefront of leading great political struggles, over pacifism
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
, anticolonialism, defending freedom of expression, always remaining a free spirit.
Jeanson abandoned cinema in 1965 to devote himself to polemical journalism and the editing of his memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
s, which were published under the title 70 Ans d'adolescence several months after his death. He died in Équemauville
Équemauville
-References:*...
, near Honfleur
Honfleur
Honfleur is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie...
(Calvados
Calvados
The French department of Calvados is part of the region of Basse-Normandie in Normandy. It takes its name from a cluster of rocks off the English Channel coast...
) on the 6 November 1970.
Scenario and dialogues
- Le Jugement de minuit (1932)
- La Dame de chez Maxim's (1932)
- Mariage à responsabilité limité (1933)
- Bach millionnaire (1933)
- The Merry Monarch (1933)
- Die Abenteuer des Königs Pausole (1933)
- Les Aventures du roi PausoleLes aventures du roi PausoleLes aventures du roi Pausole is an opérette in three acts with music by Arthur Honegger and a French libretto by Albert Willemetz, based on the 1901 novel by Pierre Louÿs. It was Honegger’s third operatic work, but his first in lighter vein, composed between May and November 1930, and dedicated to...
(1933) - Marchand d'amour (1934)
- Les Amants traqués (1936)
- Pépé le MokoPépé le MokoPépé le Moko is a 1937 French film directed by Julien Duvivier and starring Jean Gabin. It depicts an infamous gangster, Pépé le Moko who tries to escape the police by hiding in the casbah of the city of Algiers...
(1937) - Cargaison blanche (1937)
- Un carnet de bal (1937)
- Les Rois du sport (1937)
- Le Patriote (1937)
- Naples au baiser du feu (1938)
- Prison sans barreaux (1938)
- Entrée des artistes (1938)
- Tarakanowa (1938)
- Le Drame de Shanghaï (1938)
- A Lover's ReturnA Lover's ReturnA Lover's Return is a 1946 French drama film directed by Christian-Jaque. It was entered into the 1946 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Louis Jouvet - Jean-Jacques Sauvage* Gaby Morlay - Geneviève Gonin* François Périer - François Nisard...
(1946) - The DamnedThe Damned (1947 film)The Damned is a 1947 French drama film directed by René Clément. It was entered into the 1947 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Marcel Dalio - Larga * Henri Vidal - Docteur Guilbert* Florence Marly - Hilde Garosi* Fosco Giachetti - Garosi...
(1947) - Lady PanameLady PanameLady Paname was a 1950 drama, directed and written by Henri Jeanson, and starring Louis Jouvet, Suzy Delair, Henri Guisol and Henri Crémieux....
(1950) (également réalisateur) - Pour l'amour du ciel (1950)
- Paris Vice SquadParis Vice SquadParis Vice Squad is a 1951 French thriller film directed by Hervé Bromberger. It was entered into the 1951 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Odette Barencey - La concierge * Luc Barney - Mauduit* Robert Berri - Inspecteur Paulan [Insp...
(1951) - Fanfan la Tulipe (1952)
- La Minute de véritéLa Minute de véritéLa Minute de vérité is a 1952 French language motion picture drama directed by Jean Delannoy who co-wrote screenplay with Henri Jeanson, Roland Laudenbach and Robert Thoeren...
(1952) - Madame du Barry (1954)
- MaximeMaxime (film)Maxime is a 1958 French drama film directed by Henri Verneuil who co-wrote screenplay with Henri Jeanson and Albert Valentin. It based on novel by Henri Duvernois...
(1958) - Marie-OctobreMarie-OctobreMarie-Octobre is a 1959 French film directed by Julien Duvivier, based on the eponymous novel by Jacques Robert.-Plot:A group of ex-resistance fighters are brought together by Marie-Octobre, the code name of Marie-Helene Dumoulin...
(1959) - Le Crime ne paie pasLe Crime ne paie pasLe Crime ne paie pas is a 1962 French drama film directed by Gérard Oury. The film stars Danielle Darrieux, Michèle Morgan, Edwige Feuillère and Annie Girardot...
(1961) - sketch L'Affaire Hugues - Le Diable et les Dix CommandementsLe Diable et les Dix CommandementsLe Diable et les Dix Commandements , is a French comedy-drama film from 1963, directed by Julien Duvivier, written by David Alexander and Michel Audiard, starring Michel Simon and Louis de Funès...
(1962) - sketches Père et mère tu honoreras, Tu ne mentiras point, Tu ne jureras point - Le Repas des fauves (1964)
- Le MajordomeLe MajordomeLe Majordome is a 1965 French and Italian comedy film directed by Jean Delannoy.-Cast:*Paul Meurisse ... Léopold*Geneviève Page ... Agnès des Vallières*Paul Hubschmid ... Docteur Ventoux / Le 'chat'*Micheline Luccioni ... Arlette...
(1965) - Pas de caviar pour tante Olga (1965)
- Paris au mois d'août (1966)
- Le Saint prend l'affûtLe Saint prend l'affûtLe Saint prend l'affût is a French adventure drama film from 1966. It was directed by Christian-Jaque, written by Jean Ferry, starring Jean Marais and Raffaella Carrà...
(1966) - L'Homme à la Buick (1967)
Writer
Jeanson also wrote for the theatre, without much success despite it being his favourite artistic medium. He was member of the Académie de l'Humour and of the Académie Rabelais. His theatrical works include Amis comme avant, Aveux spontanés, Le Petit Navire, Toi que j'ai tant aimée and L'Heure éblouissante.Quotes
- Pour nous, un poète est un monsieur qui s'efforce de saisir l'eau par poignées. C'est seulement quand il y parvient que le monsieur est un poète.
- Par terre on se dispute, mais au lit on s'explique. Et sur l'oreiller, on se comprend ! (ArlettyArlettyArletty was a French actress, singer, and fashion model.-Life and career:Arletty was born Léonie Marie Julie Bathiat in Courbevoie , to a working-class family. Her early career was dominated by the music hall, and she later appeared in plays and cabaret. Arletty was a stage performer for ten years...
in Hôtel du NordHôtel du NordHôtel du Nord is a 1938 French drama film directed by Marcel Carné and starring Annabella.- Cast :* Annabella - Renée* Jean-Pierre Aumont - Pierre* Louis Jouvet - Monsieur Edmond* Arletty - Raymonde* Paulette Dubost - Ginette* Andrex - Kenel...
) - Vous avez déjà lu le Larousse ? C'est un recueil de noms célèbres complètement inconnus.
- Qui nierait que le cinéma sonore nous a fait découvrir le silence ? Le silence est la plus belle conquête du parlant.
- Je ne suis pas sceptique. Je ne crois à rien , mais j'y crois fermement...
- Les jeunes filles tiennent à l'estime de ceux qu'elles aiment. Après...
- De GaulleCharles de GaulleCharles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
a fait le don de la France à sa personne. (referring to PétainPhilippe PétainHenri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain , generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain , was a French general who reached the distinction of Marshal of France, and was later Chief of State of Vichy France , from 1940 to 1944...
's phrase Je fais don de ma personne à la France) - Le capitalisme, c'est l'exploitation de l'homme par l'homme ; et le marxisme, C'est le contraire. (attributed to Jeanson but probably not invented by him)
- « - J'ai besoin de changer d'atmosphère… et mon atmosphère : c'est toi ! - C'est la première fois qu'on me traite d'atmosphère ! Si j'suis une atmosphère, t'es un drôle de bled ! Oh là là… les types qui sont du milieu sans en être et qui cognent à cause de ce qu'ils ont été, on devrait les vider. Atmosphère… atmosphère ! Est-ce que j'ai une gueule d'atmosphère ? Puisque c'est ça vas-y tout seul à La Varenne… Bonne pêche et bonne atmosphère ! ». Dialogue between Louis JouvetLouis JouvetLouis Jouvet was a renowned French actor, director, and theatre director.- Life :Overcoming speech impediments and sometimes paralyzing stage fright as a young man, Jouvet's first important association was with Jacques Copeau's Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier, beginning in 1913...
and ArlettyArlettyArletty was a French actress, singer, and fashion model.-Life and career:Arletty was born Léonie Marie Julie Bathiat in Courbevoie , to a working-class family. Her early career was dominated by the music hall, and she later appeared in plays and cabaret. Arletty was a stage performer for ten years...
in Hôtel du NordHôtel du NordHôtel du Nord is a 1938 French drama film directed by Marcel Carné and starring Annabella.- Cast :* Annabella - Renée* Jean-Pierre Aumont - Pierre* Louis Jouvet - Monsieur Edmond* Arletty - Raymonde* Paulette Dubost - Ginette* Andrex - Kenel...
. - "Le suffrage universel est la voix de l’inconscience publique. C’est aussi l’un des plus ingénieux abus de confiance que l’homme ait inventés pour se moquer du monde. Comme le coup du rendez-vous, le coup du suffrage universel réussit toujours, avec cette différence qu’il fait quarante millions de dupes à la fois au lieu d’une."
- About the 1975 film Les Espions : « Henri-Georges ClouzotHenri-Georges ClouzotHenri-Georges Clouzot was a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best remembered for his work in the thriller film genre, having directed The Wages of Fear and Les Diaboliques, which are critically recognized to be among the greatest films from the 1950s...
a fait Kafka dans sa culotte »"