Writing

Maurice Dekobra

Born May 26, 1885 · Paris, France

Died June 1, 1973 · aged 88

Maurice Dekobra (26 May 1885, Paris – 1 June 1973, Paris) was a French writer. His real name was Ernest-Maurice Tessier. Viewed as a subversive writer in the 1920s and 1930s, he became one of the best-known French writers between the First and the Second World Wars. His books have been translated into 77 languages, and he has been described as an early example of an international best-seller writ…

Known For

Siren of the TropicsSiren of the Tropics · 1927
Siren of the Tropics
★ 5.51927
MovieMusicDrama
Marquis Sévéro, a rich, lazy Parisian, wants to divorce his wife so that he can marry his own goddaughter Denise. But Denise herself loves André Berval, an engineer employed by the marquis. Filled with jealousy, the marquis sends André to the Antilles, to prospect some land he has just acquired. He promises André that he can marry Denise if he is successful in the tropics, but he then writes to Alvarez, his manager at the site, asking him to prevent André from ever returning to France. The brutal Alvarez forms an instant hatred for André when the engineer breaks up Alvarez's attempt to rape Papitou, a beautiful native girl. Papitou becomes devoted to André, and protects him against Alvarez's schemes. But she faces a crisis herself when she learns that André plans to marry Denise.
YoshiwaraYoshiwara · 1937
Yoshiwara
★ 6.01937
MovieRomanceDrama
Based on a novel by Maurice Dekobra, the film is set in Yoshiwara, the red-light district of Tokyo, in the nineteenth century. It depicts a love triangle between a high-class prostitute, a Russian naval officer, and a rickshaw man.
Madonna of the Sleeping CarsMadonna of the Sleeping Cars · 1928
Madonna of the Sleeping Cars
★ 8.01928
MovieDramaAdventure
Lady Diana Wynham, a crumbling aristocrat, entrusts her new secretary, Prince Séliman, with a daring mission on whose success will depend the survival of her fortune.
Operation Diplomatic PassportOperation Diplomatic Passport · 1965
Operation Diplomatic Passport
★ 7.01965
MovieActionThriller
The daughter of a foreign diplomat in Paris is courted by two men. One of them entrusts her with a harmless commission for Poland, as she has a diplomatic passport. But it's a trap, and the girl is forced to work for Eastern spies.
SoupçonsSoupçons · 1956
Soupçons
★ 9.01956
MovieDrama
"Poisoner" - After her fiancé is arrested Claire finds herself alone and forced to find work. She is hired by a country squire, Etienne de Montenoy, as the tutor of his goddaughter. It does not take long before Montenoy falls for her but a little longer before the young woman, reluctant at first, understands Etienne loves her truly and then requites his love. Etienne lives so happily with her that he decides to make her his heir. Shortly after, he is murdered by poison...
The Roundup is for TonightThe Roundup is for Tonight · 1954
The Roundup is for Tonight
★ 8.81954
MovieDramaComedy
Three sketches that all start in the police station, where Léa, La Pintade and the brigadier himself tell their little stories. The story of Danielle, who bamboozled the impresario Mortimer so well that he made her his wife; the story of the sad little Simon, deprived of a father and unable to stand the mockery of his friends; and the story of the daughter of an ex-convict who - by golly - steals a statue on the day of her First Communion.
Hell Is Sold OutHell Is Sold Out · 1951
Hell Is Sold Out
★ 6.01951
MovieDrama
A supposedly dead writer suddenly turns up to confront the young woman who is using his penname.
Friends and LoversFriends and Lovers · 1931
Friends and Lovers
★ 4.91931
MovieDramaRomance
British Army captain Geoff Roberts carries on an affair with Alva, the wife of the cruel Victor Sangrito. Sangrito, however, is well aware of the affair, as he uses his beautiful wife to lure men into romance with her, then blackmailing them to save their careers.

Filmography

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Siren of the TropicsSiren of the Tropics · 1927
Siren of the Tropics
★ 5.51927
MovieMusicDrama
Marquis Sévéro, a rich, lazy Parisian, wants to divorce his wife so that he can marry his own goddaughter Denise. But Denise herself loves André Berval, an engineer employed by the marquis. Filled with jealousy, the marquis sends André to the Antilles, to prospect some land he has just acquired. He promises André that he can marry Denise if he is successful in the tropics, but he then writes to Alvarez, his manager at the site, asking him to prevent André from ever returning to France. The brutal Alvarez forms an instant hatred for André when the engineer breaks up Alvarez's attempt to rape Papitou, a beautiful native girl. Papitou becomes devoted to André, and protects him against Alvarez's schemes. But she faces a crisis herself when she learns that André plans to marry Denise.

Writer