- published: 03 Aug 2012
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Henri Fabre (November 29, 1882 – June 30, 1984) was a French aviator and the inventor of the first successful seaplane, the Fabre Hydravion.
Henri Fabre was born into a prominent family of shipowners in the city of Marseille. He was educated in the Jesuit College of Marseilles where he undertook advanced studies in sciences. He then intensively studied aeroplane and propeller designs. He patented a system of flotation devices which he used when he succeeded in taking off from the surface of the Etang de Berre on March 28, 1910. On that day, he completed four consecutive flights, the longest about 600 meters. the Hydravion has survived and is displayed in the Musée de l'Air in Paris. Henri Fabre was soon contacted by Glenn Curtiss and Gabriel Voisin who used his invention to develop their own seaplanes.
As late as 1971, the aged Fabre could still be seen sailing his own boat single handedly in Marseille harbor. He died at the age of 101 as one of the last living pioneers of human flight.
Actors: Henri Diamant-Berger (writer), Walter Futter (producer), Raymond Borderie (producer), Paul Bonifas (actor), Roger Vincent (actor), Georges Tabet (actor), Olivier Hussenot (actor), Patrick Dewaere (actor), Pierre Magnier (actor), Jacques Emmanuel (actor), Pierre Fresnay (actor), Pierre Moncorbier (actor), Hubert Noël (actor), Rosine Delamare (costume designer), Pierre Bertin (actor),
Plot: Pierre Fresnay plays the title role of a dedicated man, living in the south of France in the 19th-century and somewhat ahead of his time. Fabre ekes out a meager existence for his huge family as a mathematics instructor who studies insects. Recognition of his work, both in the field of entomology and as it related to man's behavior, came slowly over a 50-year period that showed him that man alone possesses a soul and free will.
Keywords: 1800s, 19th-century, avignon-france, behaviorist, caterpillar, character-name-in-title, children, entomologist, entomology, family-relationships