Charles Krauss

Biography

Paris first drew breath for Charles Krauss, the Frenchman who swapped the city’s cobblestones for the glow of the silver screen. Between 1920 and 1921 he steered three early features through their paces—Bolla di sapone’s playful suds, Il gatto nero’s shadowy feline menace, and the courtly intrigue of Li-Pao, mandarino—working both sides of the camera as actor and director. Off-set he shared his life with actress Maryse Dauvray. The curtain fell in 1926, leaving behind a trio of silent-era gems and a legacy condensed into flickering light.