Émile Isola was born on 4 September 1860 in Blida,Algeria and died in Paris on 17 May 1945. Along with his younger brotherVincent Isola with whose life and career he was closely involved, he was aconjurer andtheatre director in Paris; they were known as theFrères Isola – the Isola Brothers.
Born in Algeria of Italian parents, Émile Isola arrived in Paris in 1880, and with his brother undertook a variety of jobs before they first showed their conjuring act in public. They acquired theThéâtre des Capucines in 1892 and renamed it Théâtre Isola attracting large audiences.
At the end of 1895, the Isola brothers discovered the invention of theFrères Lumière,cinematography, and devised a projector calledIsolatographe for which the films were provided by another pair of brothers,Frères Emile and Charles Pathé. By colouration of the films they were able to show 'colour films' at the Théâtre Isola.[1]
In 1897, they bought the Parisiana and stopped their own act to become theatrical producers. The brothers became the directors of theOlympia in 1898, theFolies Bergère in 1901, and theGaîté-Lyrique from 1903-1913. As joint directors of theOpéra-Comique from 1914-1925 (with Pierre-Barthélemy Gheusi and subsequently withAlbert Carré),[2] they revivedPenelope byFauré andLe Festin de l'araignée byRoussel, and produced Milhaud's first operaLa brebis égarée.[3]
Their tenure at theThéâtre Mogador saw the Paris premieres ofNo, No, Nanette andRose-Marie, and revivals of Offenbach operettas.
Directorship of the Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt from 1926 brought about their ruin despite the success of theBallets Russes ofSergei Diaghilev, and ofSacha Guitry andYvonne Printemps. In 1936 the brothers were obliged to restart touring with their conjuring act. During the occupation of Paris in 1943, they took over the direction of theThéâtre Pigalle. They died in relative obscurity after the war.
In 1917 the Bouffes-Parisiens presentedL'Illusioniste, a play about the sentimental adventures of a magician, by Guitry inspired by the Isola brothers.
He received the Légion d'honneur in 1922. He was married twice, to Sidonie Victorine Marie Courbarien and after her death, to Yvonne Cadet.
