MovieChat Forums > Le chagrin et la pitié (1972) Discussion > Maurice Chevalier

Maurice Chevalier

posted 17 years ago by forestar44
4 replies | jump to latest

Im not clear on exactly what the truth is with Chevalier and his alleged colloboration. I couldnt make it out but were those german troops he was entertaining? If so, was it a propaganda film carefully edited to give the appearance that he was in front of german troops? I was thinking it might have been his performance for the prisoners that was edited with other footage of a different audience. I remember they showed footage of a German comic but I didnt make the connection until later that it might be where the audience footage was taken from (It makes more sense as to why it was shown now).

[–] shrbw 17 years ago

Maurice Chevalier was accused in the postwar French media of collaboration with the Germans. He explains that he undertook a tour of POW camps to entertain French prisoners. The problem was that the camps were situated in Germany, and the invitation came from the German occupation authorities. Photographs were also taken (including Chevalier appearing with German officers), and these were widely used by the Nazi occupation regime for propaganda purposes.

He does appear rather evasive about the matter in the film (the sequence comes from a postwar newsreel, intended for foreign consumption, as he was an international star).

Chavalier was not a real collaborator....he was just stupid.

Interestingly enough, Josephine Baker was in Paris throughout the occupation. Despite being an afro-caribbean, she remained an important star, and also undertook a tour of POW camps. However, she asked for photographs to be taken with the prisoners, and it is said that these were used by the resistance to create forged documents for escapees. She ended the war with medals.

shrbw

[–] fcalderp 14 years ago

According to the first volume of Chevalier's memoirs (they're actually wonderful, specially the part about his love affair with La Mistinguett), during the occupation he was living with a Jewish lady, and performing in France during the German occupation was a way of protecting her. Chevalier's reputation did not suffer after the war.

[–] NickNoraCharles 12 years ago

The songs chosen in the movie play on that ambiguity : they are all about returning to a golden age, wishing for better times. They could be understood as celebrating Petain's values of collaboration, or hoping that the Germans could be defeated so that France would be France again. I think Trenet played on that ambiguity too.

[–] aorourke55 12 years ago

I'm not sure what to think either, some interesting info below including Josephine Baker being critical of Chevalier ...

http://classicmoviechat.com/?p=4771