Fabienne Fabrèges
Italian postcard. Fotocelere, Turin.
Fabienne Fabrèges (1889-?) was a French actress, but also scriptwriter and director of the silent film. She had a rich career at Gaumont, and afterward in Italian silent film.
Fabienne Fabrèges is part of a generation of "modern" young women who, at the beginning of the twentieth century, were able to overcome the roles of women who were forced upon them in Western society when pursuing their careers. Fabienne Fabrèges began as a young actress at the age of 15 in "Cousin Bette" by Honoré de Balzac. In 1911, her talent as a performer was already receiving favorable reviews. Then she was part of the troupe of the company of Charles Baret, performing in Strasbourg and various French cities. Fabrèges also played in theatrical performances abroad, notably on the stages of Saint-Petersburg, Berlin, London, and Madrid.
Fabrèges's film career (1910-1923) can be divided into three phases. Between 1910 and 1916, she worked in France for the Société des Établissements Gaumont where she joined Léonce Perret's troupe, director of the company with Louis Feuillade. At Gaumont she acted in some forty films, mostly directed by Perret, and from 1913 also by Feuillade, including the third episode of Fantomas (1913). During the First World War, in 1916, she moved to Italy, where she was immediately recognized as a leading actress by the Italian film industry, and, between 1916 and 1923, played in over twenty films. Fabrèges first acted at the Turin based company Corona Films, e.g. in Signora giurati (Giuseppe Giusti, 1916), of which a tinted print was found at the Dutch EYE Filmmuseum. Fabrèges here plays the owner of an opium den, who falls in love with one of her victims (Bonaventura Ibáñez). Fabrèges also scripted the film. Indeed, for several of these Italian films, Fabrèges is also credited as screenwriter.
In 1917 she also acted at other companies, such as Gladiator Film and Latino Ars. In 1918 she reached the apex of her career, when moving to De Giglio films. Producer Alfonso De Giglio was so impressed by her that he not only gave her several leads, but also let her found her own company, the Fabrèges Film Company. It operated under the aegis of De Giglio and produced four films in 1919: Il cuore di Musette, L’altalena della vita, Sua Maestà il Denaro, and Sua Maestà l’Amore. Fabrèges scripted all four and played the lead, while for L'altalena della vita she also functioned as director. Yet, despite praise for her direction and performance, critics condemned her script of the latter film. This may have meant the end of her own company (of which very few details are known), though Fabrèges still acted in two films by De Giglio in 1920, while a third had a late release in 1923. Finally, somewhere in 1920-1921, she left the stage and the screen in Italy and moved to Britain, where she continued to perform on stage in theaters, and starred in one film, The Penniless Millionaire (Einar Bruun 1921), with Stewart Rome in the lead, and Gregory Scott and Cameron Carr as co-stars. There, her career seems to have ended after 1923, following a breakup in love. She retired to Scotland and no longer showed herself in public.
It is unknown when and where Fabienne Fabrèges died. She is sometimes mentioned as Fabrège or Fabrege.
Sources: Elena Nepoti on the Woman Film Pioneer Project, French Wikipedia, IMDB. See wfpp.cdrs.columbia.edu/pioneer/fabienne-fabreges/
Fabienne Fabrèges
Italian postcard. Fotocelere, Turin.
Fabienne Fabrèges (1889-?) was a French actress, but also scriptwriter and director of the silent film. She had a rich career at Gaumont, and afterward in Italian silent film.
Fabienne Fabrèges is part of a generation of "modern" young women who, at the beginning of the twentieth century, were able to overcome the roles of women who were forced upon them in Western society when pursuing their careers. Fabienne Fabrèges began as a young actress at the age of 15 in "Cousin Bette" by Honoré de Balzac. In 1911, her talent as a performer was already receiving favorable reviews. Then she was part of the troupe of the company of Charles Baret, performing in Strasbourg and various French cities. Fabrèges also played in theatrical performances abroad, notably on the stages of Saint-Petersburg, Berlin, London, and Madrid.
Fabrèges's film career (1910-1923) can be divided into three phases. Between 1910 and 1916, she worked in France for the Société des Établissements Gaumont where she joined Léonce Perret's troupe, director of the company with Louis Feuillade. At Gaumont she acted in some forty films, mostly directed by Perret, and from 1913 also by Feuillade, including the third episode of Fantomas (1913). During the First World War, in 1916, she moved to Italy, where she was immediately recognized as a leading actress by the Italian film industry, and, between 1916 and 1923, played in over twenty films. Fabrèges first acted at the Turin based company Corona Films, e.g. in Signora giurati (Giuseppe Giusti, 1916), of which a tinted print was found at the Dutch EYE Filmmuseum. Fabrèges here plays the owner of an opium den, who falls in love with one of her victims (Bonaventura Ibáñez). Fabrèges also scripted the film. Indeed, for several of these Italian films, Fabrèges is also credited as screenwriter.
In 1917 she also acted at other companies, such as Gladiator Film and Latino Ars. In 1918 she reached the apex of her career, when moving to De Giglio films. Producer Alfonso De Giglio was so impressed by her that he not only gave her several leads, but also let her found her own company, the Fabrèges Film Company. It operated under the aegis of De Giglio and produced four films in 1919: Il cuore di Musette, L’altalena della vita, Sua Maestà il Denaro, and Sua Maestà l’Amore. Fabrèges scripted all four and played the lead, while for L'altalena della vita she also functioned as director. Yet, despite praise for her direction and performance, critics condemned her script of the latter film. This may have meant the end of her own company (of which very few details are known), though Fabrèges still acted in two films by De Giglio in 1920, while a third had a late release in 1923. Finally, somewhere in 1920-1921, she left the stage and the screen in Italy and moved to Britain, where she continued to perform on stage in theaters, and starred in one film, The Penniless Millionaire (Einar Bruun 1921), with Stewart Rome in the lead, and Gregory Scott and Cameron Carr as co-stars. There, her career seems to have ended after 1923, following a breakup in love. She retired to Scotland and no longer showed herself in public.
It is unknown when and where Fabienne Fabrèges died. She is sometimes mentioned as Fabrège or Fabrege.
Sources: Elena Nepoti on the Woman Film Pioneer Project, French Wikipedia, IMDB. See wfpp.cdrs.columbia.edu/pioneer/fabienne-fabreges/