''La Garçonne'' (''The Bachelor Girl'' or ''The Flapper'') is a 1936 French black-and-white film adaptation of the novel of the same name by

Victor Margueritte Victor Margueritte (1 December 186623 March 1942) was a French novelist. He was the younger brother of Paul Margueritte (1860–1918). Life He and his brother were born in Algeria. They were the sons of General Jean Auguste Margueritte (1 ...

. It was directed by

Jean de Limur Jean de Limur (13 November 1887, Vouhé, Charente-Maritime – 5 June 1976, Paris) was a French film director, actor and screenwriter. His works include '' La Garçonne'' (1936) and '' The Letter'' (1929). A French army officer and a designer, h ...

and starred

Marie Bell Marie Bell (23 December 1900 – 14 August 1985), born Marie-Jeanne Bellon-Downey, was a French tragedian, comic actor and stage director. She was the director of the Théâtre du Gymnase in Paris from 1962 onwards, and this theatre now bear ...

(in the title role),

Arletty Léonie Marie Julie Bathiat (15 May 1898 – 23 July 1992), known professionally as Arletty, was a French actress, singer, and fashion model. As an actress she is particularly known for classics directed by Marcel Carné, including '' Hotel du N ...

and

Edith Piaf Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English words ēad, meaning 'riches or blessed', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and vari ...

Plot

The eponymous ''garçonne'' or

flapper Flappers were a subculture of young Western women in the 1920s who wore short skirts (knee height was considered short during that period), bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptab ...

is Monique Lerbier, an emancipated French woman who leaves home to escape a

marriage of convenience A marriage of convenience is a marriage contracted for reasons other than that of love and commitment. Instead, such a marriage is entered into for personal gain, or some other sort of strategic purpose, such as a political marriage. There are ...

to a man she does not love which her parents have forced on her. She then falls into all sorts of carnal temptations and artificial pleasures previously unknown to her. These include her being seduced into a

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

love affair by a chanteuse character (played by

), ensuring the film became a

succès de scandale ''Succès de scandale'' ( French for "success from scandal") is a term for any artistic work whose success is attributed, in whole or in part, to public controversy surrounding the work. In some cases the controversy causes audiences to seek o ...

. Another actress in the film,

, said of it:

Cast

: Monique Lerbier *

: Niquette *

Henri Rollan Henri Rollan (23 March 1888 – 23 June 1967) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 40 films between 1910 and 1962. Selected filmography * '' De afwezige'' (1913) * ''Les Trois Mousquetaires'' (1921) * ''The Three Masks'' (1921 ...

: Régis Boisselot *

Maurice Escande Maurice Escande (14 November 1892 – 10 February 1973) was a French stage and film actor. In 1948 he starred in the film '' The Lame Devil'' under Sacha Guitry. Selected filmography *1917: ''Un vol étrange'' (Short) *1918: '' Simone'' - Mi ...

: Lucien Vigneret *

Jaque Catelain Jaque Catelain (9 February 1897 – 5 March 1965) was a French actor who came to prominence in silent films of the 1920s, and who continued acting in films and on stage until the 1950s. He also wrote and directed two silent films himself, and he ...

: Georges Blanchet *

Pierre Etchepare Pierre Paul Lucien Salvat Etchepare (2 October 1891 – 20 April 1943) was a French actor. Pierre Etchepare was born in Paris and died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine. Selected filmography * ''Happy Couple'' (1923) * '' My Aunt from H ...

: Plombino *

Philippe Hersent Philippe Hersent (26 July 1912 – 30 December 1982) was a French actor. He appeared in more than eighty films from 1930 to 1978. Filmography References External links * 1912 births 1982 deaths French male film actors {{Franc ...

: Peer Rys *

Jean Worms Jean Worms (1884–1943) was a French film actor who appeared in a mixture of leading and supporting roles. Worms played Tsar Nicholas II of Russia in the 1938 film ''Rasputin''.Kennedy-Karpat p.204 Partial filmography * ''L'auberge rouge'' (191 ...

: Monsieur Lerbier *

Marcelle Praince Marcelle Praince (9 June 1882 – 26 October 1969) was a French actress. Praince was born Célestine Cardi in Vigeois, Corrèze, France and died in Maisons-Laffitte, Yvelines. Selected filmography * '' Should We Wed Them?'' (1932) * ''The ...

: Madame Lerbier *

Vanda Gréville Vanda Gréville (born Wanda MacEwan; 10 January 190826 December 1997) was a British film actress who mainly appeared in French productions.Driskell p.84 She was the wife of the Anglo-French director Edmond T. Gréville. Selected filmography * ' ...

: Élisabeth *

Suzy Solidor Suzy Solidor (18 December 1900 – 30 March 1983) was a French singer and actress, appearing in films such as '' La Garçonne''. Suzy Solidor was born Suzanne Louise Marie Marion in 1900 in the Pie district of Saint-Servan-sur-Mer in Brittany ...

: Anika *

Édith Piaf Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars. Pia ...

: the chanteuse *

Jean Tissier Jean Tissier (1896–1973) was a French stage, film and television actor.Goble p.440 A prolific actor, he had more than two hundred fifty appearances on screen during his career. He was married to the actress Georgette Tissier. Selected filmograp ...

: Monsieur des Souzaies *

Marcelle Géniat Marcelle Géniat (1881-1959) was a French film actress.Goble p. 121 She was born Eugénie Pauline Martin in St. Petersburg, Russia, to French parents. Partial filmography * ''Le retour du passé'' (1916) * ''L'imprévu'' (1917) - Hélène Rave ...

: Aunt Sylvestre *

Junie Astor Rolande Jeanne Risterucci (1911–1967), better known as Junie Astor, was a French actress. Selected filmography * ''Stradivarius'' (1935) * ''The Lower Depths'' (1936) * ''Women's Club'' (1936) * ''Excursion Train'' (1936) * ''27 Rue de la Paix ...

Jane Marken Jane Marken (born Jeanne Berthe Adolphine Crabbe, sometimes credited as Jeanne Marken, 13 January 1895 in Paris 10th arrondissement – 1 December 1976 in Paris 4th arrondissement) was a French actress. She was the first wife of the actor Ju ...

Crew

* Director :

* Writers:

Albert Dieudonné Albert Dieudonné (26 November 1889 – 19 March 1976) was a French actor, screenwriter, film director and novelist. Biography Dieudonné was born in Paris, France, and made his acting debut in silent film in 1908 for ''The Assassination of the ...

after the novel of the same name by

(

Éditions Flammarion Groupe Flammarion () is a French publishing group, comprising many units, including its namesake, founded in 1876 by Ernest Flammarion, as well as units in distribution, sales, printing and bookshops (La Hune and Flammarion Center). Flammarion b ...

, 1922) * Adaptation : Marion Fort * Dialogue : Jacques Natanson * Music :

Jean Wiener Jean Wiener (or Wiéner) (19 March 1896, 14th arrondissement of Paris – 8 June 1982, Paris) was a French pianist and composer. Life Wiener was trained at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he studied alongside Darius Milhaud, and worked with ...

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

: ''Quand même'', sung by

, lyrics by

Louis Poterat Louis Poterat (2 January 1901 – 6 January 1982) was a French lyricist. Career Poterat was born in Troyes, Aube. He studied law, before turning to journalism. Poterat switched to a more commercial environment and began writing for local revu ...

, music by

The lyrics give some idea of the film's atmosphere: :Mes sens inapaisés, :Cherchant pour se griser, :L'aventure des nuits louches, :Apportez-moi du nouveau. :Le désir crispe ma bouche. :La volupté brûle ma peau… ("My unappeased senses, /Seeking to intoxicate themselves, /The adventure of the decadent nights, / You bring me anew. / Desire makes my mouth tense. / Exquisite delight burns my skin…") * Cinematography: Roger Hubert, Charlie Bauer * Sound engineers : Robert Tesseire * Design : Lucien Aguettand *

Editing Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

: Jean Oser

Production details

* Production company : Franco London Films (France) * Principal photography : Began in December 1935 * Format : Black-and-white —

Monophonic sound Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction (often shortened to mono) is sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position. This contrasts with stereophonic sound or ''stereo'', which uses two separate audio channels to reproduc ...

— 35 mm

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garconne, La 1936 films French LGBT-related films Lesbian-related films Films directed by Jean de Limur Films based on French novels French drama films 1936 drama films French black-and-white films 1930s LGBT-related films Flappers 1930s French films