Romuald Joubé

Today, EYE Filmmuseum in Amsterdam presents the French silent film La Chèvre aux pieds d'or/The Goat with the Golden Feet (Jacques Robert, 1925), vaguely inspired by the biography of Mata Hari. The film is shown within the framework of the new exhibition Mata Hari - The Myth and the Maiden at Fries Museum in Leeuwarden, and introduced by film historian and EFSP co-editor Ivo Blom, who collaborated on the exhibition. The male lead of the film is Romuald Joubé (1876-1949). He was a French silent film actor, who became famous for his part in Abel Gance’s J’accuse (1918). He also acted in various naturalistic features by André Antoine.


French postcard by Editions Filma, no. 50. Photo: Pathé.


French postcard by Editions Cinémagazine, no. 117.


French postcard in the Les Vedettes de Cinéma series by A.N., Paris, no 103. Photo: P. Nadar.

The horrors of the war

Romuald Joubé, originally Romuald Charles Eugène Goudens Jean Sylve Joubé was born in Mazères, France in 1876. Around 1900, Joubé already acted on stage with the troupe of the Nouveau-Théàtre of Paris, directed by Lugné-Poë. Around 1909 he started at the Théàtre de l’Odéon with plays directed by André Antoine, the master of Naturalism in French theatre.

In 1910 he debuted in the cinema in the Film d’art productions. He played in various shorts, often directed by Henri Desfontaines. These included Polyeucte (Camille de Morlhon, 1910), Philémon et Baucis (Georges Denola, 1911) as Philemon, Milton (Henri Desfontaines, 1911) with Constant Rémy, La Mégère apprivoisée/The Taming Of The Shrew (Henri Desfontaines, 1911). He played the title roles in Le Colonel Chabert (Henri Pouctal, André Calmettes, 1911) and Brittanicus (Camille de Morlhon, 1912)

Other Film d'art films were Serge Panine (Henri Pouctal, 1913), Le Baiser supreme/The Kiss supreme (Edmond Floury, 1913) opposite Gabriel Signoret, Les deux gosses/The Two Kids (Albert Capellani, 1914) with Paul Capellani, Amour sacré/Holy Love (Dominique Bernard-Deschamps, 1915), and Le dernier rêve/The Last Dream (Henri Desfontaines, 1916).

In 1917, Joubé started to act in various features by André Antoine, who transferred his Naturalism onto cinema as well: the Alexandre Dumas père adaptation Les frères corses/The Corsican Brothers (André Antoine, 1917) with Henry Krauss, the François Coppée adaptation Le coupable/The Culprit (André Antoine, 1917) with Sylvie, and the fishermen drama Les travailleurs de la mer/The Workers of the sea (André Antoine, 1918), based on Victor Hugo. By now Joubé was playing both leading and supporting parts. In 1918-1919, Joubé played one of his most famous roles in the pacifist, First World War drama J’Accuse/I Accuse by Abel Gance, which was released in France in April 1919, so a few months after the Armistice.

Joubé plays Jean Diaz, a poet in love with Edith (Marise Dauvray), the wife of François Laurin (Séverin-Mars). The two men meet in the trenches and experience the horrors of the war. Laurin saves Diaz’s life and sacrifices himself for the benefit of the other two. Edith is raped by a German, raising the fruit of this encounter despite hostility. Maddened, Diaz returns from the trenches, despises his art and asks the village inhabitants: was it worthwhile, all the sacrifices, while the ghosts of the killed soldiers march up to them.


French postcard by Sadag de France, Paris, no. 109. Publicity still for J'Accuse (Abel Gance, 1919) with Edith (Marise Dauvray) and Jean Diaz (Romuald Joubé).


French postcard by Sadag de France, Paris. Publicity still for J'Accuse (Abel Gance, 1919).


French postcard by Sadag de France, Paris, no. 109. Publicity still for J'Accuse (Abel Gance, 1919) with Edith (Marise Dauvray), Jean Diaz (Romuald Joubé) and little Angele (Angèle Guys), towards the end of the film.

Lavish period piece

With J’Accuse, Romuald Joubé established his career, though he didn’t continue to act with Gance. Instead, he performed opposite Emmy Lynn in La faute d’Odette Marchal/Odette Marchal's fault (Henri Roussel, 1920), opposite Huguette Duflos in Mademoiselle de La Seiglière (André Antoine, 1921), opposite Sylviane Dumont in Fleur de neige/Snow Flower (Paul Barlatier, 1921) and he played the title role in the Jules Verne adaptation Mathias Sandorf (Henri Fescourt, 1921). Subsequently, he appeared opposite Pierre Fresnay in Le Diamant noir/The Black Diamond (André Hugon, 1922) and opposite Nathalie Lissenko in La Fille sauvage (Henri Étievant, 1922).

From 1923 Joubé alternated film with the stage. In the theatre, he played e.g. the title role in Peer Gynt in 1924. Still, he had big film roles as Andréa in Rouletabille chez les bohémiens/Rouletabille and the Bohemians (Henri Fescourt, 1923) with Gabriel de Gravone, as the title character in the historical adventure film Mandrin (Henri Fescourt, 1924) costarring Jacqueline Blanc, and as chevalier Robert Cottereau in the lavish period piece Le Miracle des loups/Miracle of the Wolves (Raymond Bernard, 1924).

In 1925 Joubé not only acted opposite Lilian Constantini in La Chèvre aux pieds d'or/The Goat with the Golden Feet (Jacques Robert, 1925), but he also went to Italy to act in several historical films by Giulio Antamoro: La Fanciulla di Pompei/The young girl of Pompeii (Giulio Antamoro, 1925) with Leda Gys, La Cieca di Sorrento/The Blind Girl of Sorrento (Giulio Antamoro, 1925) and Frate Francesco/The Passion of St. Francis (Giulio Antamoro, 1927).

Probably Joubé’s last silent film was the Henri Kistemaeckers adaptation Princesse Masha/Princess Masha (1927, René Leprince). The film is about an illegitimate Russian princess, raised by revolutionary intellectuals, who flees to Paris during the revolution and falls in love with a Frenchman (Joubé) but marries a cruel Russian ambassador to save her foster father (in vain). Returned to Russia during the war, she tries to flee again, with her French lover and sacrifices herself in the end for his honour. The film starred Claudia Victrix, a French singer who debuted in this film. Costars were Jean Toulout and Andrée Brabant. When sound cinema became the standard in France, Joubé didn’t act in films for years, though he was visible in a sonorised version of Le Miracle des loups (1930). In 1929 he acted in various stage plays in Canada, together with Germaine Rouer. In the same year, he also acted in Histoires de France, the play by Sacha Guitry that opened the new Théàtre Pigalle in Paris in 1929.

In 1937 he returned to the film set with a small part as Jean Diaz in Abel Gance’s own remake of J’accuse (Abel Gance, 1938), while the larger share of the character was played by Victor Francen. That year he also played Clouet in Sacha Guitry’s period piece Les Perles de la couronne (Sacha Guitry, 1937). Joubé played his last roles in film and on stage during the Second World War. On stage, he played in the Georges Simenon adaptation Le Pavillon d'Asnières (1943), while on the set he performed in a.o. Chant de l'exilé/Song of Exile (André Hugo, 1943) starring Tino Rossi. Romuald Joubé died in 1949 in Gisors, France.


Italian postcard by ICSA, no. 560. Photo: publicity still for Frate Francesco (Giulio Antamoro, 1927) with Romuald Joubé as Monaldo di Sassorosso.


Italian postcard by ICSA, no. 572. Photo: publicity still for Frate Francesco (Giulio Antamoro, 1927) with Monaldo di Sassorosso (Romuald Joubé) and Myria di Leros (Donatella Gemmò).


Italian postcard by ICSA, no. 573. Photo: publicity still for Frate Francesco (Giulio Antamoro, 1927). Caption: 'The conversion of Sassorosso.' Visible are Alberto Pasquali as St. Francis and Romuald Joubé as Sassorosso.


French postcard by Cinémagazine-Edition, Paris, no. 361.


French postcard in the series Les Vedettes de Cinéma by A.N., Paris, no. 76. Photo: G.L. Manuel Frères.

Sources: CinéRessources, Films de France, Wikipedia (French) and IMDb.

This post was last updated on 26 November 2024.

Frate Francesco (1927)

Frate Francesco/The Passion of St. Francis (1927) aka Santo Francesco was the third Italian film on the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. St. Francis, or Santo Francesco in Italian, was played by Alberto Pasquali, and the film was directed by Giulio Antamoro.


Italian postcard by ICSA, no. 557. Photo: publicity still for Frate Francesco (Giulio Antamoro, 1927) with Alberto Pasquali as St. Francis.


Italian postcard by ICSA, no. 563. Photo: publicity still for Frate Francesco (Giulio Antamoro, 1927) with Alberto Pasquali as St. Francis. Caption: 'Francis renounces all his earthly goods and dedicates himself to God.'


Italian postcard by ICSA, no. 560. Photo: publicity still for Frate Francesco (Giulio Antamoro, 1927) with Romuald Joubé as Monaldo di Sassorosso.


Italian postcard by ICSA, no. 558. Photo: publicity still for Frate Francesco aka Santo Francesco (Giuliano Antamoro, 1927) with Elena Baranowitch as Monna Pica.


Italian postcard by ICSA, no. 561. Photo: publicity still for Frate Francesco aka Santo Francesco (Giuliano Antamoro, 1927) with Euna De Rasi as Agnese.


Italian postcard by ICSA, no. 562. Photo: publicity still for Frate Francesco aka Santo Francesco (Giuliano Antamoro, 1927) with Alfredo Robert as Pietro di Bernardone.


Italian postcard for Frate Francesco aka Santo Francesco (Giuliano Antamoro, 1927) with Alfredo Robert as Pietro di Bernardone.

Ambitious project

Frate Francesco (Giulio Antamoro, 1927) was the third Italian silent film on the life of St. Francis of Assisi, after Il poverello di Assisi (Enrico Guazzoni, 1911) and Frate Sole (Mario Corsi, Ugo Falena, 1918). In addition, the poet Guido Gozzano had written a film script in 1916 and Adolfo Padovan had tried in vain his luck at Milano Films in the early 1910s.

Antamoro's Francis had been an ambitious project: in budget, in length, and in scope. Several scriptwriters were attracted while the famous Francescan, Professor Dane Jörgensen wrote the first script version. Instead of the idyllic countryside in Falena's version, Antamoro focused on characters, extending the storyline with all kinds of antagonists like Monaldo di Sassorosso and Myria di Leros who get ample time and space.

The film is also full of symbolism: Francis is presented as the new Christ, standing before the Crucifix. His mother holds a wounded man as in Mary's Pietà. The narrative's parable is that of a weak man who overcomes and mediates in conflicts, only thanks to his belief.

Still, not all critics liked the film at its release and some accused it of being too static and therefore uncinematic. Moreover, the film came out in a year that most Italian film people had lost hope to revive its national cinema and many had fled to Berlin to pursue their careers in Germany.


Italian postcard by ICSA, no. 557. Photo: publicity still for Frate Francesco (Giulio Antamoro, 1927). Caption: 'La Porziuncola'. Near this chapel dating from the 4th century, Frances and his followers built huts. Later it would be the basis of the first Francescan convent and would be incorporated in the Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli in Assisi.


Italian postcard by ICSA, no. 563. Photo: publicity still for Frate Francesco (Giulio Antamoro, 1927) with Alberto Pasquali as St. Francis. Caption: 'Pietro di Bernardone (Alfredo Robert) reproaches Frances (Pasquali) his dissolute life.'


Italian postcard by ICSA, no. 564. Photo: publicity still for Frate Francesco (Giulio Antamoro, 1927) with Alberto Pasquali as Francesco and Enta Droubetzkoy aka Elena Baranowitch as Francesco's mother Monna Pica.


Italian postcard by ICSA, no. 565. Photo: publicity still for Frate Francesco (Giulio Antamoro, 1927). Caption: 'Francis and a poor man.'


Italian postcard by ICSA, no. 566. Photo: publicity still for Frate Francesco (Giulio Antamoro, 1927). Caption: 'After the battle. Monna Pica (Enta Droubetzkoy) and a wounded man.'


Italian postcard by ICSA, no. 567. Photo: publicity still for Frate Francesco (Giulio Antamoro, 1927). Caption: 'Frances has invited the poor to follow him to his father's house.' In the middle Alberto Pasquali as Frances and Enta Droubetzkoy as his mother.


Italian postcard by ICSA, no. 569. Photo: publicity still for Frate Francesco (Giulio Antamoro, 1927). Caption: 'Chiara degli Scifi (Bice Jany) admires the piety of Francesco (Alberto Pasquali).'


Italian postcard by ICSA, no. 572. Photo: publicity still for Frate Francesco (Giulio Antamoro, 1927) with Monaldo di Sassorosso (Romuald Joubé) and Myria di Leros (Donatella Gemmò).


Italian postcard by ICSA, no. 573. Photo: publicity still for Frate Francesco (Giulio Antamoro, 1927). Caption: 'The conversion of Sassorosso.' Visible are Alberto Pasquali as St. Francis and Romuald Joubé as Sassorosso.


Italian postcard by ICSA, no. 574. Photo: publicity still for Frate Francesco (Giulio Antamoro, 1927). Caption: 'The Death of God's Little Poor Man'.

Sources: Elena Mosconi (L'impressione del film, 2006), Wikipedia (Italian) and IMDb.

J'accuse! (1919)

In less than two weeks it will be 2014 and it will be 100 years ago that the First World War started. European Film Gateway 1914 is an interesting digitisation project focusing on films and non-film material from and related to World War I. 26 partners, among them 21 European film archives, are digitalising 661 hours of film and ca. 5.600 film-related documents on the theme of the First World War. And it's all free accessible, so check it out.

The pacifist First World War drama J'accuse!/I Accuse (1919) is one of the silent masterpieces by French film director Abel Gance. Work on the film began in 1918 and some scenes were filmed on real battlefields.


French postcard by Sadag de France, Imp., Paris, no 109. Maryse Dauvray as Edith Laurin, after being raped by a German soldier, in J'accuse (Abel Gance, 1919).


French postcard by Sadag de France Imp., Paris, no. 109. Still for J'accuse (Abel Gance, 1919) with Romuald Joubé.


French postcard by Sadag de France Imp., Paris, no. 109. Still for J'accuse (Abel Gance, 1919) with Séverin-Mars

Experiencing the Horrors of the War

In J'accuse! Séverin-Mars plays the stubborn brute François Laurin, who lives in a Provençal village in the south of France. He maltreats his wife Edith (Maryse Dauvray), while she feels more for the gentle poet Jean Diaz (Romuald Joubé).

When the war breaks out in 1914, the villagers welcome the declaration of war with Germany and flock to enlist. The threesome seems to explode.

The two men meet again in the trenches and experience the horrors of the war. Laurin saves Diaz’s life and sacrifices himself for the benefit of the other two.

Edith is raped by a German soldier. She returns to the village with the fruit of this encounter. She raises the child despite hostility.

Maddened, Diaz returns from the trenches, despises his art and asks the village inhabitants: was it worthwhile, all the sacrifices, while the ghosts of the killed soldiers march up to them.

This sequence of the 'return of the dead' was shot in the south of France, using 2000 soldiers who had come back on leave.

The technical quality of the film was impressive, especially the cinematography of Léonce-Henry Burel with its subtle use of lighting effects and a mobile camera. For the battle scenes in the last section of the film, Gance also introduced some of the techniques of rapid editing which he would develop much further in his later films La Roue (1923) and Napoléon (1927).

J’accuse!/I Accuse was released in France in April 1919, only a few months after the Armistice. It was a great success with the public, whose mood in the aftermath of the war the film seemed to capture.


French postcard by Sadag de France Imp., Paris, no. 109. Photo: publicity still for J'accuse (Abel Gance, 1919) with Romuald Joubé and Maryse Dauvray.


French postcard by Sadag de France, Imp., Paris, no. 109.f Photo: publicity still for  J'accuse (Abel Gance 1919), starring Séverin-Mars. Here he is one of the ghosts of the dead soldiers who resurrect at the end of the film, and come to the survivors, asking them whether the war was worth fighting for.


French postcard by Sadag de France, Paris, no. 109. The resurrection of the dead soldiers in J'accuse (1919).


French postcard by Sadag de France, Paris, no. 109. Photo: Edith (Marise Dauvray), Jean Diaz (Romuald Joubé) and little Angele (Angèle Guys) towards the end of J'accuse (1919).

Sources: Wikipedia and IMDb.