Loading AI tools
French pilot and engineer (1885-1950) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marcel Louis Henry Joseph Léon Courmes (13 June 1885 – 5 May 1950) was a French military officer and aviator during the First World War, and subsequently one of the first French sound cinematographers.
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (November 2023) |
Marcel Courmes | |
|---|---|
Marcel Courmes aviator in 1916 | |
| Born | 13 June 1885 Marseille |
| Died | 5 May 1950 (aged 64)[1] Neuilly-sur-Seine, France |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  French Republic |
| Service | French Army Light Aviation |
| Rank | Squadron Leader |
| Awards | Knight of the Legion of Honour on 6 July 1929 |
| Alma mater | École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr, École de cavalerie, Saumur |
| Relations | Courmes family |
| Other work | Sound cinematographers |
the son of Euphémie Segond and Captain Arthur Louis Courmes (1849-1921) who was the Knight of Legion of Honour. Courmes was born on June 13, 1885, to Euphémie Segond[2] and Captain Arthur Louis Courmes (1849–1921), a Knight of the Legion of Honour.[3] His paternal lineage traces back to Luc Courmes, a Huguenot captain born in 1580 in Grasse.[4][5][6] He was also the great-grandnephew of Claude-Marie Courmes, who served as deputy of Var, mayor of Grasse, and was a Knight of the Legion of Honour.[7]
On March 21, 1910, Courmes married Louise Read Chadwick, the daughter of American painter Francis Brooks Chadwick and Swedish painter Emma Löwstädt-Chadwick, in Grez-sur-Loing.[8]
Courmes had a son, Lieutenant Christian Courmes (1913–1987), and a daughter, Gilberte Courmes.[9] Christian was imprisoned in 1942 at the Colditz fortress, where he participated in the escape attempts known as "The Metro" and "The French Tunnel".[10] Gilberte married Colonel Maurice Delage,[11] a Companions of Liberation, who served with General Leclerc's "Force L" and established the 13th Engineering Battalion of the 2nd Armored Division. He eventually took part in Operation Overlord and the Liberation of Paris.[12]
Courmes graduated 6th out of 277 from his class at the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr, and Major out of 60 at École de cavalerie, Saumur.[13]
He was a classmate of Colonel de La Rocque and demonstrated his military loyalty to him by testifying as a character witness at La Rocque's trial.[14] He was also close to the first Chinese Saint-Cyrien, General Prince Pao-Tchao Dan (1884-1958).[15]
He served as second lieutenant in the 5th African Hunter Regiment (1907), then as lieutenant in the 2nd African Hunter Regiment (1907–1908). He served during the Moroccan Campaign in the 28th Dragoon Regiment (1910–1911) and in the 7th Dragoon Regiment (1913). He was described as a "brilliant but dreamy, excessively artistic cavalry officer who has a tendency towards too much benevolence in his command, which can have serious disadvantages in times of war."[13][by whom?]
In 1914, he was a special staff officer in the 4th Dragoon Regiment. He joined the French Air Force on August 1, 1915 in the French 2nd Bombardment Group, and then served in the Escadrille F 63. He was described as "an officer of perfect education, of an independent character who has great qualities of composure, courage and willpower, which make him an excellent pilot."[13][by whom?]
Courmes was one of the first French sound cinematographers, along with Joseph de Bretagne, both of whom participated in many French films of the 1930s.[clarification needed] In 1931, the pair featured in film La Chienne directed by Jean Renoir, for which Courmes was the artistic director and played the role of "The Colonel". They were supported by technical advisors from Western Electric, Bell and Hotchckiss whom assisted in direct capture of outdoor sound.[17] The pair's contribution is most apparent in the film's final sequence, a tracking shot with dialogue between Michel Simon and Alexis Godart on a busy street.[according to whom?] The "sound trucks" necessary for this sequence were used by the novice technicians, with the help of experts from Western Electric.[17]
Courmes' is also credited in Braunberger and Richebé films such as Fantômas (with Bell in 1932) and The Agony of the Eagles (1933, with Bell). Courmes also recorded the street sounds of La Tête d'un homme for Julien Duvivier (1932, production Vandal et Delac) and those of Hôtel du Nord for Marcel Carné in 1938. He worked again with Bretagne for the Renoir film Madame Bovary (1933) and Le Voyage de M. Perrichon (1934).[17]
Courmes obtained the following distinctions:[18]
Marcel Courmes was one of the first French sound cinematographers and was also the artistic director of Jean Renoir's film La Chienne. He participated in the following films[19]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
