Serge de Poligny

Serge de Poligny (14 April 1903–23 March 1983) was a French screenwriter and film director.

Career Serge de Poligny was born in Paris in 1903. He studied art at the École des Beaux-Arts in the class of the painter Maurice Denis. In 1925 he joined the French subsidiary of the Paramount film company as a set-designer and painter, and soon took on the role of an assistant director. With the arrival of sound films, he took a job with UFA studios in Germany, supervising the French-language versions of films which were made in parallel with their German originals.

Serge de Poligny's first significant film as a director in France was an adaptation of Colette's novel Claudine à l'école in 1937. During the German Occupation in the 1940s, he made two films which have been seen as significant contributions to the genre of fantastique in the cinema. For Le Baron fantôme (1943) he worked with Jean Cocteau on the film's dialogue (Cocteau also acted in the title role), and Christian Dior designed the costumes. De Poligny said that he got the idea for it in an old magic book. His next film, La Fiancée des ténèbres (1945), was based on an old Cathar legend. His film career concluded in the mid-1950s, and he then devoted himself to the production of large-scale live shows, such as the commemorations of the Liberation of Paris (1964 & 1965); the Nuits de l'armée, and horse-riding shows like the Fêtes mondiales du cheval. and they were divorced in 1946. In 1949 he married Yolande Mazuc. Serge de Poligny died at Saint-Cloud on 23 March 1983.

Selected filmography Director Year Title English title Notes 1932 Les As du turf Aces of the Turf 1932 Vous serez ma femme You Will Be My Wife French language version of Der Frechdachs, made in Germany. 1932 Coup de feu à l'aube French language version of Schuß im Morgengrauen, made in Germany 1933 Rivaux de la piste French language version of Strich durch die Rechnung, made in Germany 1933 L'Étoile de Valencia The Star of Valencia French language version of Der Stern von Valencia, made in Germany 1934 L'or Gold French language version of Gold, co-directed with Karl Hartl in Germany 1934 Un de la montagne French language version of Swiss-German film Die weiße Majestät, filmed in Switzerland 1935 Retour au paradis Return to Paradise 1935 Jonny, haute-couture 1936 La Chanson du souvenir 1937 Claudine à l'école Claudine at School Adapted from the novel by Colette 1939 Le Veau gras The Fatted Calf 1943 Le Baron fantôme The Phantom Baron Dialogue by Jean Cocteau 1945 La Fiancée des ténèbres 1947 Torrents 1950 La Soif des hommes Thirst of Men 1952 Alger - Le Cap Documentary 1952 Cent ans de gloire Short 1955 Les Armes de la paix Documentary short