E.G. de Meyst

Passionate about filmmaking in general and cinematographic technique in particular, self-taught director Emile-Georges De Meyst (1902-1989) tried and managed to make movies in his native Belgium, a country which did not benefit, like its neighbor France, from an organized film industry. And it must be said that, come hell or high water, De Meyst managed to maintain a steady output for four decades, which is quite an accomplishment considering the difficulties he had to cope with. Not that his films are very good as a whole, but he proved that with enough determination films could be made on a regular basis in Belgium. The adventure began in 1923 when De Meyst, then studying Romance philology in Liège, decided that he would make his first film, entitled La roche du diable (1923). He hired a few local amateur actors, wrote, photographed and produced (with the support of his mother who lent him 40,000 Belgian francs) this melodrama, quite typical of its time period. The following year, De Meyst left for Paris where his technical skills were noticed by Abel Gance, who hired him. The young Belgian had indeed designed a system of mirrors that helped to multiply the number of extras on the screen by ten. Quite useful for someone like Gance about to produce such a visually demanding epic as Napoleon (1927). Back in his native country, E.G. DeMeyst embarked on an ambitious project, La Brabançonne (1932), meant to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the Belgian revolution. But filmed as a silent and presented with the addition of a poor soundtrack, unsupported by the authorities, the film soon disappeared from the screens. Disappointed by this experience, De Meyst found refuge in Paris where he made one or two unrewarding comedies before returning to Brussels where , in 1936, he directed what is considered his best work Le mort (1936), a dark naturalistic tale in which he played the main part alongside French actress Gina Manès. After the war, the Belgian helmer tried to bring French quality to his films, often using Gallic thespians like Jean-Louis Barrault in the adaptation of Fernand Crommelynck's Le cocu magnifique (1947) or Louis Salou in the crime flick Les atouts de Monsieur Wens (1947) The rest of his production consists in popular movies meant for the Belgian French speaking public, the last one being Filles de fraudeurs (1962). After which, E.G. De Meyst retired until his death at 87. Like so many of these brave little soldiers who moved heaven and hell to help Belgian cinema to exist, E.G. De Meyst is now unjustly forgotten.