Joseph Rouletabille
Encyclopedia
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
created by Gaston Leroux
Gaston Leroux
Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux was a French journalist and author of detective fiction.In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel The Phantom of the Opera , which has been made into several film and stage productions of the same name, notably the 1925 film starring Lon...
, a French
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...
.
Overview
In the first novel, The Mystery of the Yellow RoomThe Mystery of the Yellow Room
The Mystery of the Yellow Room: Extraordinary Adventures of Joseph Rouletabille, Reporter by Gaston Leroux, is one of the first locked room mystery crime fiction novels...
, Rouletabille solves an attempted murder in a locked room mystery
Locked room mystery
The locked room mystery is a sub-genre of detective fiction in which a crime—almost always murder—is committed under apparently impossible circumstances. The crime in question typically involves a crime scene that no intruder could have entered or left, e.g., a locked room...
. The book reveals that Rouletabille is the nickname of 18-year-old journalist Joseph Josephin, who was raised in a religious orphanage in Eu
Eu, Seine-Maritime
Eu is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.Eu is located near the coast in the eastern part of the department, near the border with Picardie.Its inhabitants are known as the Eudois.-Geography:...
, a small town near Fécamp
Fécamp
Fécamp is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:Fécamp is situated in the valley of the river Valmont, at the heart of the Pays de Caux, on the Albaster Coast...
.
It the novel Rouletabille's meets Ballmeyer, an international criminal of great repute and many identities (a character possibly inspired by fictional Arsène Lupin
Arsène Lupin
Arsène Lupin is a fictional character who appears in a book series of detective fiction / crime fiction novels written by French writer Maurice Leblanc, as well as a number of non-canonical sequels and numerous film, television such as Night Hood, stage play and comic book adaptations.- Overview :A...
). As Jean Roussel, Ballmeyer married a rich American heiress, Mathilde Stangerson, the Lady in Black of the second novel.
(The second novel has a dating problem: the first is stated as taking place in 1892, yet the sequel is stated as taking place in 1905 and three years later. Perhaps 1902 is a more acceptable date for the first novel.)
Ballmeyer returns in The Perfume of the Lady in Black at the end of the story, which takes place in a castle on the French Riviera
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
. Soon afterwards, Rouletabille is summoned to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
by the Czar, where he solves a murder at the Imperial Court.
Then there is a break. The next novel takes place contemporaneously, circa 1914. The fearless journalist marries the beautiful Ivana Vilitchkov and defeats the mad Turkish
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
warlord Gaulow.
In Rouletabille chez Krupp, Rouletabille became a French secret agent
Secret Agent
Secret Agent is a British film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on two stories in Ashenden: Or the British Agent by W. Somerset Maugham. The film starred John Gielgud, Peter Lorre, Madeleine Carroll, and Robert Young...
and infiltrates the Krupp
Krupp
The Krupp family , a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, have become famous for their steel production and for their manufacture of ammunition and armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th...
factories. This is one of the earliest espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
thrillers. Rouletabille saves Paris from being annihilated by a German missile.
In Le Crime de Rouletabille, the detective is almost framed for Ivana's murder. Then, in Rouletabille chez les Bohémiens, he helps recover a sacred book stolen from the Gypsies.
Books
- Le Mystère de la Chambre Jaune (The Mystery of the Yellow RoomThe Mystery of the Yellow RoomThe Mystery of the Yellow Room: Extraordinary Adventures of Joseph Rouletabille, Reporter by Gaston Leroux, is one of the first locked room mystery crime fiction novels...
) (serial. in L'Illustration, 1907; rep. Lafitte, 1908) - Le Parfum de la Dame en Noir (The Perfume of the Lady in Black) (serial. in L'Illustration, 1908; rep. Lafitte, 1909)
- Rouletabille chez le Tsar (Rouletabille and the Czar) (serial. in L'Illustration, rep. Lafitte, 1913). Reprinted as The Secret of the Night in the U.S.
- Rouletabille à la Guerre (Rouletabille at War) (serial. in Le Matin, 1914; rep. as 2 vols.: Le Château Noir (The Black Castle) and Les Étranges Noces de Rouletabille (The Strange Wedding of Rouletabille), Lafitte, 1916)
- Rouletabille chez Krupp (Rouletabille at Krupp's) (serial. in Je Sais ToutJe sais toutJe sais tout was a French magazine established by Pierre Lafitte in 1905. It was noted for its publication of the works of Maurice Leblanc, in particular the adventures of Arsène Lupin. It appeared on the 15th of each month, but publication was interrupted from August 1914 to the end of 1914. The...
, 1917; rep. Lafitte, 1920) - Le Crime de Rouletabille (The Crime of Rouletabille) (serial. in Je Sais Tout, 1921; rep. Lafitte, 1923)
- Rouletabille chez les Bohémiens (Rouletabille and the Gypsies) (serial. in Le Matin, 1922; rev. Lafitte, 1923)
Authorized Sequels by Noré Brunel:
- Rouletabille contre la Dame de Pique (Rouletabille vs. The Queen of Spades) (serial. in Le Soir, 1947)
- Rouletabille Joue et Gagne (Rouletabille Plays and Wins) (serial. in Le Soir, 1947)
Films
- Le Mystère de la Chambre Jaune (Fr.; B&W., 905 meters, 1913) with Marcel Simon (Rouletabille).
- Le Parfum de la Dame en Noir (Fr.; B&W., 1220 meters, 1914) with Maurice Le Féraudy (Rouletabille).
- The Mystery of the Yellow Room (US; B&W., 1900 meters, 1919).
- Rouletabille chez les Bohémiens (Fr.; B&W., 8000 meters, 1922) with Gabriel de Gravone (Rouletabille).
- Le Mystère de la Chambre Jaune (Fr.; B&W., 108 min., 1931) with Roland ToutainRoland ToutainRoland Toutain was a French actor, songwriter and stuntman. he is most well known for playing the aviator André Jurieux in Jean Renoir's film La Règle du jeu....
(Rouletabille). - Le Parfum de la Dame en Noir (Fr.; B&W., 109 min., 1931) with Roland Toutain (Rouletabille).
- Rouletabille Aviateur (Fr.; B&W., 100 min., 1932) with Roland Toutain (Rouletabille).
- Repülö arany (Hu.; B&W., 1932): alternative Hungarian language version of Rouletabille Aviateur.
- Rouletabille Joue et Gagne (Fr.; B&W., 95 min., 1947) with Jean PiatJean PiatJean Piat is a French actor and writer.-Life:Piat was born in Lannoy, Nord. He enlisted in the Comédie-Française on 1 September 1947, and became a member on 1 January 1953. He left the Comédie-Française on 31 December 1972, and became an honorary member the following day...
(Rouletabille). - El Misterio del Cuarto Amarillo (Argentina; B&W., 82 min., 1947).
- Rouletabille contre la Dame de Pique (Fr.; B&W., 88 min., 1948) with Jean Piat (Rouletabille).
- Le Mystère de la Chambre Jaune (Fr.; col., 90 min., 1949) with Serge ReggianiSerge ReggianiSerge Reggiani was an Italian-born French singer and actor. He was born in Reggio Emilia, Italy and moved to France with his parents at the age of eight...
(Rouletabille). - Le Parfum de la Dame en Noir (Fr.; col., 109 min., 1931) with Serge Reggiani (Rouletabille).
- Le Mystère de la Chambre Jaune (Fr.; col., 118 min., 2003) with Denis PodalydesDenis PodalydèsDenis Podalydès is a French actor, director and scriptwriter of Greek descent. He is a Sociétaire of the Comédie-Française....
(Rouletabille). - Le Parfum de la Dame en Noir (Fr.; col., 115 min., 2005) Denis PodalydesDenis PodalydèsDenis Podalydès is a French actor, director and scriptwriter of Greek descent. He is a Sociétaire of the Comédie-Française....
(Rouletabille).
Television
- Le Mystère de la Chambre Jaune (ORTFOffice de Radiodiffusion Télévision FrançaiseThe Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française was the national agency charged, between 1964 and 1974, with providing public radio and television in France.-Post World War II:...
1, B&W., 90 min., November 27, 1965) with Claude BrasseurClaude Brasseur-Biography:He was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine as Claude Pierre Espinasse, the son of actor Pierre Brasseur and actress Odette Joyeux. He is the godson of Ernest Hemingway and the father of Alexandre Brasseur....
(Rouletabille). - Le Parfum de la Dame en Noir (ORTF 1, B&W., ten 15-min. eps., March 3-14, 1966) with Philippe Ogouz (Rouletabille).
- Rouletabille chez le Tsar (ORTF 1, B&W., ten 15-min. eps., March 17-30, 1966) with Philippe Ogouz (Rouletabille).
- Rouletabille chez les Bohémiens (ORTF 1, B&W., ten 15-min. eps., March 31-April 13, 1966) with Philippe Ogouz (Rouletabille).
Comics
- Rouletabille (32 issues, Éditions Aventures & Voyages/Mon Journal, 1965-67) After a fairly faithful adaptation of the original novels in the early issues, Rouletabille was suddenly transplanted to the 1960s, where he fought enemy spies, etc. With No. 12, Rouletabille merged with its sister magazine RocamboleRocambole (character)Rocambole is the creation of Pierre Alexis Ponson du Terrail, a 19th-century French writer. Rocambole is a fictional adventurer. His importance to the genres of adventure novels and crime fiction cannot be overestimated, as he represents the transition from the old-fashioned Gothic novel to modern...
and became Rocambole et Rouletabille. However, the two characters never met.
- Rouletabille, written by Claude Moliterni and drawn by Eugenio SicomoroEugenio SicomoroEugenio Sicomoro, byname of Bruno Brunetti is an Italian comic book artist.Born in Rome, Sicomoro made his debut in the late 1970s on the Italian magazine Lanciostory. Later, together with Claude Moliterni, he created the series Rouletabille for the French magazines Pilote and Charlie Mensuel...
, the first three published by DargaudDargaudLes Éditions Dargaud is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics series, headquartered in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. It was founded in 1943 by Georges Dargaud.Initially, Dargaud published novels for women...
: - La Momie Écarlate (1987)
- Le Singe d'Or (1989)
- Sida Connection (Bagheera, 1993)
- Rouletabille written by André-Paul DuchateauAndré-Paul DuchâteauAndré-Paul Duchâteau is a Belgian comics writer and mystery novelist. He worked with Tibet on Ric Hochet. He has also written under the pseudonym Michel Vasseur.-Awards:*1974: Grand Prix de Littérature Policière - French Prize...
, drawn by Bernard C. Swysen, published by Claude Lefrancq:- Le Fantôme de l'Opéra (Rouletabille meets The Phantom of the OperaThe Phantom of the OperaLe Fantôme de l'Opéra is a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serialisation in "Le Gaulois" from September 23, 1909 to January 8, 1910...
) (1989) - Le Mystère de la Chambre Jaune (1990)
- Le Parfum de la Dame en Noir (1991)
- La Poupée Sanglante (1992)
- La Machine à Assassiner (1993)
- L'Épouse du Soleil (1994)
- Le Trésor du Fantôme de l'Opéra (1996)
- Le Fantôme de l'Opéra (Rouletabille meets The Phantom of the Opera