Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset
Encyclopedia
Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset (30 March 1862 - 22 June 1913) was an early film pioneer in France, active between the years 1905 and 1913. He worked on many genres of film, but was particularly associated with the development of detective or crime serials, such as the Nick Carter and Zigomar series.
in the Ardennes region of France in 1862, and after studying painting and sculpture with Dalou
, he began a career designing theatre costumes and as a decorator of fans. He then became known as the producer and designer of spectacular ballets and pantomimes, notably Vercingétorix in 1900 at the newly-built Théâtre de l'Hippodrome in Paris. In 1905 he was hired by Gaumont
to work with Alice Guy on film productions (such as La Esméralda
(1905), based on Victor Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris, and La Vie du Christ (1906)), working firstly as a designer and then as assistant director.
After a short period working for the Éclipse film company, Jasset was engaged in 1908 by the new Éclair
production company to make film series beginning with Nick Carter, le roi des détectives
. The detective hero Nick Carter
was based on the series of popular American novels which were then being published in France by the German publisher Eichler. Jasset kept the name of the character but invented new adventures with a Parisian setting. The first six sections that Jasset directed were released at bi-weekly intervals in late 1908, and each one narrated a complete story.
Following another short period working for the small Raleigh & Robert company, Jasset returned to Éclair and travelled to North Africa to produce a series of fiction films and documentaries in Tunisia, taking advantage of its natural light and spectacular locations such as the ruins of Carthage. In the summer of 1910 he returned to Paris to become the "artistic director" of the Éclair studio, having oversight of all the company's production as well as his own film-making unit. In 1911 he made Zigomar, taking his title character from the popular newspaper and magazine stories of Léon Sazie about a master-criminal. This feature-length film was so successful that a second title, Zigomar contre Nick Carter (1912), was made ready within six months, and a third instalment followed in 1913, Zigomar peau d'anguille. Jasset adapted other popular novels such as Gaston Leroux
's Balaoo in 1913, and in the same year Protéa, a spy story in which for the first time the title character was a woman, played by a long-time favourite actress of Jasset, Josette Andriot
. The Protéa series continued after Jasset's death.
In 1912 Jasset turned from fantasy and spectacle to realism in making the first of two Zola adaptations, as part of Éclair's new series of social dramas. For Au pays des ténèbres, based on Germinal, he took his crew to Charleroi in Belgium to film in authentic locations, and although he updated the story to the present, he went to great lengths to recreate in the studio the detail of the actual mining galleries, exploiting the ability of film to be a recorder of contemporary reality. In the following year, Jasset filmed Zola's La Terre
(1913).
Jasset had just embarked on adaptations of two novels by Jules Verne when in June 1913 he became seriously ill. He entered hospital for an operation which initially appeared to be successful, but after a short revival he died in Paris on 22 June 1913. He was buried in the vault of his wife's family in Père Lachaise cemetery. His last film Protéa was released in September, perhaps edited by someone else.
Jasset made over 100 films, and explored many different genres apart from the crime serial. Le Capitaine Fracasse (1909) was a literary adaptation from Théophile Gautier
; Journée de grève (1909) a documentary; Hérodiade (1910) a biblical-historical spectacle. Only a very limited number of his films survive.
He was remembered as a man of immense energy, versatility, and concern for detail, and he took particular trouble in his direction of actors. Alexandre Arquillière, who appeared in several of Jasset's films including the role of Zigomar, recalled "a slender grizzled silhouette, with a damaged eye... the tireless energy of this director who did not even take the time to sleep when he was making a film".
, who was working at Gaumont and took the film serial to new heights with Fantômas
(1913–14), Les Vampires
(1915–16) and Judex (1916). These variously developed the roles of the resourceful detective, the master-criminal, and the mysterious woman of action who had previously appeared in Jasset's Nick Carter, Zigomar and Protéa films.
The model of crime and adventure series and serials developed by Jasset and Feuillade was taken up elsewhere in Europe during the next few years: Dr Gar el Hama (1911) in Denmark; Lieutenant Daring (1911- ) in the UK; Tigris (1913) and the Za La Mort series (1914–1924) in Italy. The Pathé
company's American branch took the serial to new levels of worldwide popularity with its production of The Perils of Pauline
(1914).
Jasset also contributed to early film theory with a journal article in which he analysed film style and the national characteristics of cinema.
Career
Victorin Jasset was born in FumayFumay
Fumay is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France, very close to the Belgian border.-Geography:It is situated in the Meuse valley, the main part of the town being surrounded by a large meander of the river.-Population:-Economy:...
in the Ardennes region of France in 1862, and after studying painting and sculpture with Dalou
Jules Dalou
Aimé-Jules Dalou was a French sculptor, recognized as one of the most brilliant virtuosos of nineteenth-century France, admired for his perceptiveness, execution, and unpretentious realism.-Life:...
, he began a career designing theatre costumes and as a decorator of fans. He then became known as the producer and designer of spectacular ballets and pantomimes, notably Vercingétorix in 1900 at the newly-built Théâtre de l'Hippodrome in Paris. In 1905 he was hired by Gaumont
Gaumont Film Company
Gaumont Film Company is a French film production company founded in 1895 by the engineer-turned-inventor, Léon Gaumont . Gaumont is the oldest continously operating film company in the world....
to work with Alice Guy on film productions (such as La Esméralda
Esmeralda (1905 film)
Esmeralda is a 1905 short silent film based on the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame written by Victor Hugo. It was directed by Alice Guy-Blaché and Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset....
(1905), based on Victor Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris, and La Vie du Christ (1906)), working firstly as a designer and then as assistant director.
After a short period working for the Éclipse film company, Jasset was engaged in 1908 by the new Éclair
Eclair (camera)
Éclair was a film production, film laboratory and movie camera manufacturing company established in Épinay-sur-Seine, France by Charles Jourjon in 1907....
production company to make film series beginning with Nick Carter, le roi des détectives
Nick Carter, le roi des détectives
Nick Carter, le roi des détectives is a French silent serial film based on the popular American novels featuring the master-detective Nick Carter. It was directed by Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset for the Éclair company...
. The detective hero Nick Carter
Nick Carter (literary character)
Nick Carter is a fictional character who began as a pulp fiction private detective and has appeared in a variety of formats over more than a century.-Literary history:...
was based on the series of popular American novels which were then being published in France by the German publisher Eichler. Jasset kept the name of the character but invented new adventures with a Parisian setting. The first six sections that Jasset directed were released at bi-weekly intervals in late 1908, and each one narrated a complete story.
Following another short period working for the small Raleigh & Robert company, Jasset returned to Éclair and travelled to North Africa to produce a series of fiction films and documentaries in Tunisia, taking advantage of its natural light and spectacular locations such as the ruins of Carthage. In the summer of 1910 he returned to Paris to become the "artistic director" of the Éclair studio, having oversight of all the company's production as well as his own film-making unit. In 1911 he made Zigomar, taking his title character from the popular newspaper and magazine stories of Léon Sazie about a master-criminal. This feature-length film was so successful that a second title, Zigomar contre Nick Carter (1912), was made ready within six months, and a third instalment followed in 1913, Zigomar peau d'anguille. Jasset adapted other popular novels such as 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...
's Balaoo in 1913, and in the same year Protéa, a spy story in which for the first time the title character was a woman, played by a long-time favourite actress of Jasset, Josette Andriot
Josette Andriot
Josette Andriot was a French film actress of the silent era, best known for playing the role of Protéa in the series of espionnage films made between 1913 and 1919....
. The Protéa series continued after Jasset's death.
In 1912 Jasset turned from fantasy and spectacle to realism in making the first of two Zola adaptations, as part of Éclair's new series of social dramas. For Au pays des ténèbres, based on Germinal, he took his crew to Charleroi in Belgium to film in authentic locations, and although he updated the story to the present, he went to great lengths to recreate in the studio the detail of the actual mining galleries, exploiting the ability of film to be a recorder of contemporary reality. In the following year, Jasset filmed Zola's La Terre
La Terre
La Terre is a novel by Émile Zola, published in 1887. It is the fifteenth novel in Zola's Rougon-Macquart series. The action takes place in a rural community in La Beauce, an area of northern France...
(1913).
Jasset had just embarked on adaptations of two novels by Jules Verne when in June 1913 he became seriously ill. He entered hospital for an operation which initially appeared to be successful, but after a short revival he died in Paris on 22 June 1913. He was buried in the vault of his wife's family in Père Lachaise cemetery. His last film Protéa was released in September, perhaps edited by someone else.
Jasset made over 100 films, and explored many different genres apart from the crime serial. Le Capitaine Fracasse (1909) was a literary adaptation from Théophile Gautier
Théophile Gautier
Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, art critic and literary critic....
; Journée de grève (1909) a documentary; Hérodiade (1910) a biblical-historical spectacle. Only a very limited number of his films survive.
He was remembered as a man of immense energy, versatility, and concern for detail, and he took particular trouble in his direction of actors. Alexandre Arquillière, who appeared in several of Jasset's films including the role of Zigomar, recalled "a slender grizzled silhouette, with a damaged eye... the tireless energy of this director who did not even take the time to sleep when he was making a film".
Influence
The most immediate influence of Jasset's work was seen in the films of Louis FeuilladeLouis Feuillade
Louis Feuillade was a prolific and prominent French film director from the silent era. Between 1906 and 1924 he directed over 630 films...
, who was working at Gaumont and took the film serial to new heights with Fantômas
Fantômas (1913 serial)
Fantômas is a French silent crime film serial directed by Louis Feuillade, based on the novel of the same name. The five episodes were released in 1913 – 1914....
(1913–14), Les Vampires
Les Vampires
Les Vampires is a 1915/1916 ten-part silent film serial. It was written and directed by Louis Feuillade and stars Musidora as "Irma Vep" a femme fatale whose name is a suspicious anagram of "vampire." The serial is set in Paris and follows the exploits of a gang of master criminals who call...
(1915–16) and Judex (1916). These variously developed the roles of the resourceful detective, the master-criminal, and the mysterious woman of action who had previously appeared in Jasset's Nick Carter, Zigomar and Protéa films.
The model of crime and adventure series and serials developed by Jasset and Feuillade was taken up elsewhere in Europe during the next few years: Dr Gar el Hama (1911) in Denmark; Lieutenant Daring (1911- ) in the UK; Tigris (1913) and the Za La Mort series (1914–1924) in Italy. The Pathé
Pathé
Pathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various French businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France.-History:...
company's American branch took the serial to new levels of worldwide popularity with its production of The Perils of Pauline
The Perils of Pauline (1914 serial)
The Perils of Pauline is a motion picture serial shown in weekly installments featuring Pearl White as the title character. Pauline has often been cited as a famous example of a damsel in distress, although some analyses hold that her character was more resourceful and less helpless than the...
(1914).
Jasset also contributed to early film theory with a journal article in which he analysed film style and the national characteristics of cinema.
Selected filmography
- La EsméraldaEsmeralda (1905 film)Esmeralda is a 1905 short silent film based on the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame written by Victor Hugo. It was directed by Alice Guy-Blaché and Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset....
(1905) - La Vie du Christ (1906)
- Nick Carter, le roi des détectivesNick Carter, le roi des détectivesNick Carter, le roi des détectives is a French silent serial film based on the popular American novels featuring the master-detective Nick Carter. It was directed by Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset for the Éclair company...
(1908) (6 episodes) - Riffle Bill, le roi de la prairie (1908) (5 episodes)
- Nouveaux exploits de Nick Carter (1909)
- La Fleur empoisonnée (1909)
- Journée de grève (1909)
- Docteur Phantom (1909) (6 episodes)
- Le Capitaine Fracasse (1909)
- Hérodiade (1910)
- Zigomar (1911)
- Au pays des ténèbres (1912)
- Le Cerceuil de verre (1912)
- Zigomar contre Nick Carter (1912)
- Les Batailles de la vie (1912)
- Tom Butler (1912)
- Zigomar peau d'anguille (1913)
- Balaoo (1913)
- Protéa (1913)