Abel Gance

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Abel Gance was born in Paris in 1889, the illegitimate son of a prosperous doctor, Abel Flamant, and a working-class mother, Françoise Péréthon. He was brought up until the age of eight by his maternal grandparents in the coal-mining town of Commentry in central France. He then returned to Paris to rejoin his mother, who had by then married Adolphe Gance, a chauffeur and mechanic, whose name Abel then adopted. Although he later fabricated the history of a brilliant school career and middle-class background, Gance left school at the age of 14, and the love of literature and art which sustained him throughout his life was in part the result of self-education. He started working as a clerk in a solicitor's office, but after a couple of years he turned to acting in the theatre. When he was 18, he was given a season's contract at the Royal Park Theatre in Brussels, where he developed friendships with the actor Victor Francen and the writer Blaise Cendrars. While in Brussels, Gance wrote his first film scenarios, which he sold to Léonce Perret. Back in Paris in 1909, he acted in his first film, Perret's Molière. At that stage, he regarded the cinema as 'infantile and stupid' and was only drawn into film jobs by his poverty, but he nevertheless continued to write scenarios, and often sold them to Gaumont. During this period he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, often fatal at that time, but after a period of retreat in Vittel he recovered. With some friends, he established a production company, Le Film Français, and began directing his own films in 1911 with La Digue (ou Pour sauver la Hollande), a historical film which featured the first screen appearance of Pierre Renoir.

Reader's Guide

Abel Gance's significance lies in his innovative use of montage and visual techniques during the silent era. His films J'accuse (1919), La Roue (1923), and Napoléon (1927) showcased rapid cutting, hand-held cameras, superimposition, and Polyvision widescreen. La Roue originally ran for nearly nine hours (32 reels) and influenced contemporary directors. Napoléon, his greatest project, used triple cameras for panoramic effects and was restored in the 1980s as his best-known work. Gance also experimented with tracking shots, extreme close-ups, low-angle shots, and split-screen images. After sound arrived, his creative independence was curtailed following the failure of La Fin du monde (1931). He continued making films through the 1930s, including a 1938 version of J'accuse! as a warning against war. During World War II, he complied with the Vichy government and paid tribute to Philippe Pétain before fleeing to Spain in August 1943. His legacy endures through his technical innovations and silent film masterpieces.

Did You Know?

• Gance was diagnosed with tuberculosis, often fatal at that time, but recovered after a period of retreat in Vittel.
• His film La Roue was originally in 32 reels and ran for nearly nine hours; a modern reconstruction is nearly four and a half hours long.
• For Napoléon, Gance used a system called Polyvision needing triple cameras and projectors to achieve a widescreen effect, with the outer two film panels tinted blue and red to create a French flag.
• Gance was denounced as a Jew in 1941 and tried to get his name removed from the list of non-aryens forbidden to practice their profession.
• He fled to Spain in August 1943, citing growing hostility from the German authorities in France, and remained there until October 1945.