Marcel Achard French playwright and screenwriter Date of Birth: 05.05.1899 Country: France

Biography of Marcel Achard

Marcel Achard was a French playwright, screenwriter, actor, and director known for his sentimental comedies that were light-hearted yet witty. His works gained popularity and influence in the theater and literary circles of France. In 1959, he was elected as an Immortal Member of the French Academy.

Marcel Augustin Ferréol, his real name, was born on July 5, 1899, in Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, a suburb of Lyon in the Rhône department. He began his writing career in the 1920s when he adopted the pseudonym Marcel Achard. Despite being only 17 years old during the height of World War I in 1916, Achard worked as a rural teacher. After the war ended in 1919, he moved to Paris and found work as a prompter at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier. He also worked as a journalist for several publications, including the renowned newspaper Le Figaro.

Achard wrote his first play in 1922, and the following year, he achieved great success when renowned actor and director Charles Dullin staged his play "Voulez-vous jouer avec moi?", a subtle comedy about the circus and its clowns. Achard himself appeared in the production, playing one of the clowns. This play set the template for his future theatrical works, most of which can be seen as modern interpretations of characters and situations from traditional Italian commedia dell'arte. Characters like Pierrot and Columbine found themselves in contemporary settings, repeatedly encountering love and obstacles, evoking laughter and tears from the audience.

Two of his most popular plays during this period, "Jean de la Lune" (1929) and "Domino" (1932), further developed these themes. The former portrays how Jef's unwavering trust in his unfaithful wife transforms her into her ideal version, while the latter tells the story of another unfaithful wife who hires a gigolo to divert her husband's attention from her real lover. However, the gigolo manages to play his role with such sincerity that she falls in love with this fictional character.

A characteristic feature of Achard's plays is a subtle sense of sentimental melancholy, emphasized by the titles, mostly taken from popular folk songs. Examples of his style include "Marlbrough s'en va-t-en guerre" (1924), "Noix de coco" (1935), "Auprès de ma blonde" (1946), "Savez-vous planter les choux?" (1946), and "Nous irons à Valparaiso" (1948). Achard's greatest successes and rise in popularity occurred between the two World Wars, with French critics favorably comparing him to famous playwrights such as Pierre de Marivaux and Alfred de Musset.

After World War II, despite criticism, Achard continued to write at the same pace. Four of his plays were produced on Broadway. "Domino," adapted by actress and writer Grace George, premiered at the Playhouse on August 16, 1932, but closed after only seven performances. Seventeen years later, a much better reception was received by the adaptation of "Auprès de ma blonde," rewritten by renowned screenwriter S.N. Behrman, running for 247 performances. Nine years later, "Patate" repeated the failure of "Domino," and finally, "A Shot in the Dark" achieved success with 389 performances.

Achard also wrote numerous screenplays for film and television, with over 60 works being adapted from his plays and scripts. In 1958 and 1959, he served as the president of the Cannes Film Festival, and in 1960, he presided over the Venice Film Festival. Marcel Achard passed away on September 4, 1974, in his beloved city, Paris, at the age of 75, due to diabetes. He left behind his wife, Lily.