Monca, Georges

(1888-1940)

   Actor, director, and screenwriter. Georges Monca began his career in the theater. He was an established actor who went on to become the director of the Théâtre de la République. Monca was recruited by Pathé in 1908 to act in and direct films for the studio; however, he quickly gave up screen acting to focus on directing. He made nearly three hundred films during the course of a career that spanned five decades. Nearly all of his films were done in the silent era, and although Monca is probably best remembered for his comedies, he directed a wide array of films.

   Early in his directing career, Monca worked on the legendary Boireau burlesque series, when he codirected Les Apprentisages de Boireau (1907) with Albert Capellani. The film starred the legendary comic actor André Deed. This experience probably led Monca to try to resurrect the Boireau series after Deed left Pathé for Italy. He directed three episodes, Boireau—deux vieux amis de collège (1908), Boireau—Consentement forcé (1908), and Boireau a mangé de l'ail (1908), all featuring Paul Berthot in the title role. However, the public was not receptive to the series without its star.

   Monca was also responsible for the highly successful Rigadin comic series, which ran from 1909 until 1919, and which starred comic actor Charles Prince. There were more than one hundred films made in the Rigadin series, including Rigadin (1909), Rigadin et ses fils (1911), Rigadin a perdu son monocle (1911), Rigadin aux Balkans (1912), Rigadin et la poudre de l'amour (1912), Rigadin veut faire du cinéma (1913), Rigadin Napoléon (1913), Rigadin mauvais ouvrier (1914), La Nuit de noces de Rigadin (1914), Le Divorce de Rigadin (1915), Rigadin n'est pas un espion (1915), L'Or de Rigadin (1916), Rigadin, méefie-toi des femmes (1916), Les Deux Rigadins (1917), L'Épervier de Rigadin (1918), Rigadin a fait un riche mariage (1918), La Femme de Rigadin (1918), and Rigadin dans les Alpes (1919). Monca also did a number of very successful films featuring French music-hall diva Mistinguett. Monca's Mistinguett films include Agence Alice ou la sécurité des ménages (1910), Le Clown et le pacha (1911), L'Abîme (1911), La Cabotine (1911), Le Coup de foudre (1912), Bal costumé (1912), La Vocation de Lolo (1912), Une bougie recalcitrante (1912), and La Valse renversante (1914).

   Other films Monca directed include Un monsieur qui suit les dames (1908); Le Soulier trop petit (1909), starring Max Linder; Les Deux orphelines (1909); Jim Blackwood jockey (1909); Les Femmes collantes (1910); La Cigale et la fourmi (1910); Le Secret du passé (1911); La Fille des chiffonniers (1912), starring Jean Kemm; Le Petit chose (1912); Trois femmes pour un mari (1913); La Goualeuse (1914), codirected with Alexandre Devarennes; En Famille (1915); Le Malheur qui passe (1915), starring Gabrielle Robinne; Le Mot de l'énigme (1916); La Mort du duc d'Enghien (1916); La Proie (1917); Les Feuilles tombent (1917); Chantelouve (1921); Judith (1921); Altemer le cynique (1924); L'Ironie du sort (1924); and Autour d'un berceau (1925) and Le Chemineau (1926), both codirected with Maurice Kéroul.

   In addition to directing during the silent era, Monca also acted in several films, including Lucien Nonguet's Victime de sa probité (1908) and Le Roman d'un malheureux (1908), Capellani's Riquet à la houppe (1908), and his own Le Sourire de Rigadin (1916). He also wrote the screenplays for a number of the films he directed.

   Monca made only a handful of sound films. He was one of the masters of the silent film and found it difficult to adapt to the use of sound. His sound films include La Chanson du lin (1931), La Roche aux mouettes (1933), Une nuit de noces (1935), codirected with Kéroul, Trois jours de perm' (1936), and Le Choc en retour (1937), his final film, which was also codirected with Kéroul.