French Wednesdays

[johncorrigan]

play in the background of whatever you're doing for the next few minutes.

The Three Themes (from Tati's "Mon oncle") · Frank Barcellini
.

Talking of Tati, Global, Talking Pictures TV are showing 'Jour de Fete' tomorrow evening at 6.10pm. First time I ever saw it was in a cinema in France - I had never heard of Jacques Tati, which my French and German hosts found almost as funny as the film.

On a different subject, Cerys Matthews was doing a review of 2023 and she played this song again by Myriam Gendron. I think she may be Canadian - this is the beautiful 'Poor Girl Blues' and fits perfectly into the first French Wednesday of 2024.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLIQKDT0s3E

Bonne année!

[johncorrigan]

It's a Wednesday and it's the day of Valentine - perhaps Lucienne Boyer would be appropriate singing 'Parlez-Moi D'Amour' for a French Valentine Wednesday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIAQWr34De0

[Padraig]

perhaps Lucienne Boyer would be appropriate singing 'Parlez-Moi D'Amour'

Very appropriate, John. I heard a lovely version of Plaisir d'Amour this morning which I thought of posting, but you beat me to it, you old romantic.

[johncorrigan]

Very appropriate, John. I heard a lovely version of Plaisir d'Amour this morning which I thought of posting, but you beat me to it, you old romantic.

I wouldn't let that stop you, Padraig.

[Padraig]

John, excuse my French; I mistakenly identified the song I heard this morning - in fact it was Parlez-moi d'Amour, not Plaisir d'Amour, which is all too well-known anyway. Here is another chanson d'amour with a nod to the Hot Cub of France.

Où es-tu mon amour (Django) – Tatiana Eva-Marie - YouTube

[Mandryka]

Dalida/Delon Paroles, évidemment!

[Globaltruth]

Soon be Wednesday.

Padraig's post from Monday made me think of chansonniers and their infleunce on Jake Thackray.

A little Brel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxYVa0q8q_U

He influenced one or two other people too....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKtZf62BQzM

[Roger Webb]

Agnés Varda's New Wave classic 'Cléo 5 à 7' has the wonderful Corinne Marchant singing/rehearsing the new song 'Sans Toi' written for her by Michel Legrand (who plays the pianist in the film).
Very interesting director Varda, the first woman to direct a full length feature and in France a feminist icon.

Today though, another version, by Meow Meow, who sang 'The Mother' in the London production of the stage version of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, BTW Varda was married to Jacques Demy the director of the original film of 'Umbrellas'. Michel Legrand reprises his role as pianist, those Moonlight Sonata type arpeggios played now by ageing fingers.

https://youtu.be/XiQBB-797Gk?si=r1-ubXSk3JDSxfO1

This song has a special poignancy for me as we were staying in the flat we use in Paris at Rue Daguerre 14th arr. when Varda died. On going down to the boulangerie, almost opposite Varda's house we noticed crowds standing outside and candles and potatoes on the pavement (a reference to the Varda 'The gleaners and I'), on asking we were told she had died the night before.

[Globaltruth]

Agnés Varda's New Wave classic 'Cléo 5 à 7' has the wonderful Corinne Marchant singing/rehearsing the new song 'Sans Toi' written for her by Michel Legrand (who plays the pianist in the film).
Very interesting director Varda, the first woman to direct a full length feature and in France a feminist icon.

Today though, another version, by Meow Meow, who sang 'The Mother' in the London production of the stage version of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, BTW Varda was married to Jacques Demy the director of the original film of 'Umbrellas'. Michel Legrand reprises his role as pianist, those Moonlight Sonata type arpeggios played now by ageing fingers.

https://youtu.be/XiQBB-797Gk?si=r1-ubXSk3JDSxfO1

This song has a special poignancy for me as we were staying in the flat we use in Paris at Rue Daguerre 14th arr. when Varda died. On going down to the boulangerie, almost opposite Varda's house we noticed crowds standing outside and candles and potatoes on the pavement (a reference to the Varda 'The gleaners and I'), on asking we were told she had died the night before.

Thanks for sharing memories, they almost always make a post more powerful.
We saw Meow Meow a few years back in Berlin. An enigmatic figure - not only a friend of David Bowie but also Dame Edna

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW_1XpnYCr8

(perhaps there should be a Deutsch thread in this series)

. I'm also always pleased to be reminded of her and this is so atypical of when we saw her in full, faded, blowsy, boozy cabaret mode.

[johncorrigan]

https://youtu.be/XiQBB-797Gk?si=r1-ubXSk3JDSxfO1

This song has a special poignancy for me as we were staying in the flat we use in Paris at Rue Daguerre 14th arr. when Varda died. On going down to the boulangerie, almost opposite Varda's house we noticed crowds standing outside and candles and potatoes on the pavement (a reference to the Varda 'The gleaners and I'), on asking we were told she had died the night before.

Thank you, Roger. Great song, beautifully performed - not sure I recall ever seeing Michel Legrande before, now that I think of it.

[johncorrigan]

Soon be Wednesday.

Padraig's post from Monday made me think of chansonniers and their infleunce on Jake Thackray.

...and I was thinking that Leonard was also influenced by them, GT, and then 'The Partisan' came on the radio this morning. Glorious - 'Songs From a Room' was a real school record, and it's ideal for a French Wednesday, what with there being lots of French in it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S34cVkL6zCE

[Roger Webb]

Thanks for sharing memories, they almost always make a post more powerful.
We saw Meow Meow a few years back in Berlin. An enigmatic figure - not only a friend of David Bowie but also Dame Edna

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW_1XpnYCr8

(perhaps there should be a Deutsch thread in this series)

. I'm also always pleased to be reminded of her and this is so atypical of when we saw her in full, faded, blowsy, boozy cabaret mode.

I didn't know about the Bowie and Dame Edna connection - I think she is actually Australian (Edit: as well as Dame Edna of course!!) I've never seen Meow Meow 'live' or Dame Edna come to that.....but I did see Bowie once, at the Weston Super Mare Winter Gardens during my mis-spent teenage years.

[Roger Webb]

One of my favourite 'shorts' is the 2nd in Truffaut's Antoine Doinel series.

'Antoine et Colette', was written as a commission as part of a collaboration with other 'New Wave' directors of the time and explores music, love and growing up.

The ending shows Antoine settling down to watch a documentary about contemporary music with his girlfriend's parents - she's just gone for a night out with someone else!

The clip is particularly interesting as Truffaut used stills by Cartier-Bresson of lovers in Paris while the short but lovely 'l'Amour à 20 ans' written by Georges Delarue, and sung by him plays.

https://youtu.be/BQGsZGiUjPo?si=tgg7P0f5BC3tPsI4

By the way the chap in the bowler at the end looks remarkably like Michael Cox, flautist with the BBC SO!

[oliver sudden]

Meow Meow is very definitely Australian—she’s a dear friend although I haven’t seen her in far too long. I met her late last century before she was quite so famous. We both performed in the premiere of a Liza Lim opera. Under our real names of course.

[Roger Webb]

Meow Meow is very definitely Australian—she’s a dear friend although I haven’t seen her in far too long. I met her late last century before she was quite so famous. We both performed in the premiere of a Liza Lim opera. Under our real names of course.

Moon Spirit Feasting?