A Brief History of France. By Tim Lambert. Prehistoric and Ancient France. During the last ice age humans called Cro- Magnons lived in France. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To: Contemporary CEP 4048, C 3532 Red Pepper Blues - Imagination: Contemporary C 3532 Waltz Me Blues - Straight Life: Contemporary CEP. With Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, Hermione Gingold. Weary of the conventions of Parisian society, a rich playboy and a youthful courtesan-in. They dwelt in caves and they hunted animals such as mammoths and reindeer. They must have been resourceful people to survive in such a harsh climate and they also created art. The Cro- Magnons are known for the paintings they made on the walls of caves. They also carved figurines from ivory. After the end of the ice age the hunter- gatherer lifestyle came to an end in France. The agricultural revolution began in the Middle East but farming began in France about 6,0. BC. However the changed to farming from hunting and gathering food happened gradually. For a long time hunting was still an important source of food. Nevertheless by about 4,5. BC the stone age farmers had created a sophisticated society. They built impressive stone tombs and they also erected menhirs (standing stones). The early farmers in France used stone tools but about 2,0. BC bronze was introduced into France. Then about 9. 00 BC a people called the Celts or Gauls migrated to France. They brought iron tools and weapons with them. Supporting the Veterans, Soldiers and Friends of the 4th Infantry Division Since 1919. Here is Leslie Caron's track synched to the released film (in which she was dubbed by Betty Wand). This track fit perfectly for the first chorus but. Biographic movie about the last year of the famous Italian painter Modigliani. Modigliani, a poor painter in Paris of 1919, falls in love with a daughter from a. At the top of Celtic society were the aristocrats. Below them were the farmers and craftsmen. Celtic craftsmen were very skilled workers in iron, bronze and gold. Furthermore trade flourished in Gaul and the Gauls built communities known as hill forts, which could be considered the first French towns. Then about 6. 00 BC the Greeks founded Marseilles and Gaul increasingly came into contact with the Mediterranean world. However the Gauls were hopelessly disunited. They were divided into about 6. Romans to conquer them. Roman France. First, in 1. BC, the Romans took control of part of southern France. They called it the province (In Latin provinicia). Today it is called Provence. Then in 5. 8 BC Julius Caesar began conquering the rest of Gaul. The Gauls failed to unite against him until 5. BC when a man called Vercingetorix led them. However the Gauls were crushed at the battle of Alesia and eventually they were forced to submit to Roman rule. Afterwards the Romans built a network of roads across Gaul to enable their army to march quickly from one area to another. Then in 4. 3 BC they made Lugdunum (Lyon) the capital of Gaul and under the Emperor Augustus many more towns were built. Slowly the Gauls adopted the Roman way of life (at least to a certain extent). Latin became a common language. Moreover some Gauls were made Roman citizens. Many Gauls came to fill government posts in Gaul and in 4. AD they were allowed to become Roman senators. Christianity arrived in France as early as the first century. Christians suffered terrible persecution. In 2. 50 AD a man named Denis was beheaded. He later became patron saint of France. However from the mid- 3rd century the Roman Empire was in decline. There was raging inflation and epidemics struck. Worse Rome imposed crushing taxes. To escape them some peasants abandoned their farms and became outlaws. Meanwhile, in the late 3rd century some Germanic peoples raided France. The Emperor Diocletian (2. Gaul. As a result Roman France lasted for another century. However in December 4. AD a group of Germanic tribes entered France and settled there. The Romans were unable to stop them. Nevertheless at first the Germanic settlers accepted Roman rule. However as the Roman Empire broke down they gradually formed independent kingdoms. The Franks Rule France. By about 5. 00 AD a people called the Franks ruled northern France (they gave their name to France). From 4. 81 to 5. 11 a man called Clovis ruled them. He converted to Christianity and his people followed. Once they shared the same religion there was less difference between the Franks and the native Romano- Gallic people. Slowly the two intermarried and their cultures merged. Clovis also issued a body of laws called Salic law and in 5. AD he made the little town of Paris his capital. After his death in 5. Franks ruled all of France. However the first dynasty of Frankish kings, known as the Merovingians had little power over the outlying parts of France. Provence and Burgundy kept some autonomy. They became figureheads and were known as the do nothing kings. Increasingly it was a powerful family called the Carolingians who ruled France. They were a rich family who owned vast estates. They also held the hereditary post of 'mayor of the palace'. More about barbarians. Finally the Carolingians overthrew the Merovingian kings and in 7. Carolingian king, Pepin the short, took the throne. Pepin's son Charles Martel halted the Islamic advance into Europe at the battle of Poitiers in 7. He also defeated the Bavarians and the Saxons. His son Charlemagne carried on his work and created a great European empire. He also forced pagan Germans to 'convert' to Christianity. Finally in 8. 00 AD the Pope crowned Charlemagne Emperor. Thus Charlemagne claimed to be the successor of the old Roman Emperors. Charlemagne was keen to keep the church's support so he founded many monasteries and he gave gifts of land to the church. Furthermore under Charlemagne there was a revival of art and learning called the Carolingian Renaissance. Charlemagne died in 8. His successor Louis the Pious announced that after his death the empire would be split among his sons. Louis died in 8. 40 and after some fighting his sons made the treaty of Verdun in 8. This divided the Frankish realm into three. The western part was ruled by Charles the Bald from 8. In time it evolved into France. However from the end of the 8th century Arabs from North Africa raided France. More serious were raids by Vikings in the 9th and 1. The French kings were unable to stop them and they lost power to local magnates who offered protection to the local people. France began to fragment, especially in the south where the regions became steadily more independent. In the Northwest Brittany continued to be autonomous. Eventually in 9. 11 Charles the Simple made a treaty with the Viking Chief, Rollo. He took Normandy in return for converting to Christianity and promising loyalty to Charles. France in the Middle Ages. That ended the Viking threat but by the time Hugh Capet became king in 9. Capetian dynasty) French kings had little power over most of France. Counts and Dukes were largely independent. The Capetian kings directly ruled only a small area around Paris. The situation became more complicated in 1. William Duke of Normandy conquered England. Under the feudal system he was subordinate to the French king. Yet as king of England he was the French king's equal. Worse the mid- 1. Henry Count of Anjou married Eleanor of Aquitaine. In 1. 15. 4 he became king of England. Afterwards the kings of England controlled huge parts of France. However in 1. 20. French king Philip II went to war with the English King John and he captured most of the English kings lands in France. By the time Philip died he had greatly increased the area over which the French kings directly ruled. The process was continued by his grandson Louis IX (1. French kings had control of most of France. However the English still controlled Aquitaine and Brittany and Burgundy were still semi- independent. However Philip the Fair (1. French king's control to the east by purchase and by marriage. Meanwhile the French economy boomed. Trade and commerce expanded and towns prospered. By the late 1. 1th century Paris was booming. The arts - architecture, sculpture and literature flourished in France. Learning also flourished and many universities were founded, Paris in 1. Toulouse in 1. 22. Montpellier in 1. Avignon in 1. 30. Orleans in 1. 30. Angers in 1. 33. 7. The Valois Rule France. Meanwhile the last Capetian king, Charles the Fair, died in 1. Philip of Valois became Philip VI. However Edward III of England claimed the throne because his mother was king Charles the Fair's sister. So in 1. 33. 7 a long and terrible series of wars began between England and France. The English won a naval battle at Sluys in 1. In 1. 34. 6 the English won a famous victory at Crecy with the longbow. Then in 1. 34. 8 both England and France were devastated by the Black Death, which killed about one third of the population. Nevertheless the English went on to win the battle of Poitiers in 1. French king John II in 1. The English demanded a huge ransom for John. Heavy taxes had to be raised to pay for it and the discontented peasants rose in rebellion in 1. This rebellion was called the Jacquerie and it was crushed. The peace treaty of Bretigny was signed in 1. France was forced to surrender much of its territory. However the peace was only temporary. War began again in 1. This time France was successful and by 1. English were driven back until they held no more than a few ports. However in 1. 39. French king Charles VI became insane. As a result different factions in France began vying for power. One faction was led by Jean sans Peur (John the Fearless), Duke of Burgundy and the king's cousin. The other faction was led by the king's brother the Duke of Orleans. However the Duke of Orleans was assassinated and in 1. English invaded again. They won a great victory at Agincourt in 1. The Duke of Burgundy was assassinated in 1. However the Burgundians then made an alliance with the English. They recognized Henry V of England as heir to the French throne. They also forced Charles VI to give his daughter to Henry in marriage. King Charles's son the Dauphin fled to the south leaving northern France in the hands of the English and the Burgundians. In 1. 42. 2 when his father died he claimed the throne of France but he ruled only southern France. However in 1. 42. A woman named Jeanne D'Arc (Joan of Arc) led a French revival. Joan of Arc was a very strange person. Joan claimed she heard voices. She also wore men's clothes. Joan claimed that from about the age of 1. We are not sure what caused to hear 'voices'. Today doctors could probably treat her but in the Middle Ages medicine was very primitive. Gigi (1. 95. 8 film) - Wikipedia. Gigi is a 1. 95. 8 American musical- romance film directed by Vincente Minnelli processed using MGM's Metrocolor. The screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner is based on the 1. Colette. The film features songs with lyrics by Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, arranged and conducted by Andr. The American Film Institute ranked it #3. AFI's 1. 00 Years.. Passions. The film is considered the last great MGM musical and the final great achievement of the Freed Unit, headed by producer Arthur Freed, although he would go on to produce several more films, including the musical Bells Are Ringing in 1. Set in turn- of- the- 2. Paris, the film opens with Honor. Being a charming old rou. The one thing Gaston truly enjoys is spending time with Madame Alvarez (Hermione Gingold), whom he calls Mamita, and especially her granddaughter, the precocious, carefree Gilberte, aka Gigi (Leslie Caron). Following the family tradition, Madame Alvarez sends Gigi to her Great Aunt Alicia (Isabel Jeans), to be groomed as a courtesan to learn etiquette and charm. To Alicia, love is an art, and a necessary accomplishment for Gigi's social and economic future. But Gigi shows disdain for such trivial love that a man and his mistress usually have. Remaining true to her girlish, yet charming personality, she finds herself having the most fun when she is with Gaston, whom she regards as an older brother. Like his uncle, Gaston is known as a wealthy womanizer. The whole of Paris watches his every move, and Parisian high society shows unrestrained judgment towards him and his mistresses. Gaston's latest mistress attempts to run off with her ice skating instructor, in response he publicly humiliates her, resulting in her attempted suicide. After this ordeal, Gaston wishes to retreat to the country but his Uncle insists on him staying in Paris and attending more parties. Gigi makes a wager during a card match with Gaston, suggesting that if he loses, he has to take her and her grandmother to the sea with him when he goes on vacation. Gaston agrees, and they all travel to the country. While Gaston and Gigi spend countless hours having fun together, Honor. Meanwhile, other women at the resort are shown holding perfect poise constantly, and giving off an air of boredom and disdain for anything unfamiliar. Gigi on the other hand, is pulling Gaston out of his depressive rut with her carefree, fun attitude. Once Gigi and her grandmother return, Gaston goes to Monte Carlo for some time. During this time, Gigi's aunt and grandmother discuss the possibility of Gigi becoming Gaston's mistress, thereby fulfilling their goals for her. Madame Alvarez, though dubious at first, agrees to let Gigi train around the clock to prepare for Gaston's return. Gigi accepts this as a necessary evil. When Gaston returns, he is underwhelmed when Gigi appears in her new dress. Gaston stammers out that she looks like a giraffe and that he misses her old outfits. He storms out, realises his folly, and rushes back to apologize. He tells her that she looks lovely, and that he will prove it to her by taking her to tea. Gigi's grandmother refuses and tells Gaston that this may ruin her reputation to be seen unchaperoned with Gaston before her reputation has even begun. Gaston, angered, storms out once again. As he walks, he starts to reflect about Gigi. He stops and realizes suddenly, that she has become a woman whose charms, wit, and personality have sent his head spinning, and comes to the conclusion that he has developed a romantic desire for Gigi. Although he has doubts due to their enormous age difference, he also realizes that he loves her even more than he thought (unheard of between a man and a mistress) and he wants to be with her. He proposes an arrangement to Madame Alvarez and Aunt Alicia for Gigi to become his mistress. They are overjoyed, while Gigi isn. Gaston talks to Gigi and she tells him that she isn't the type of girl who wants publicity and to be dumped by him one day, then having to become someone else. After Gaston accidentally reveals that he loves Gigi, she admits that she has feelings for him too, but wants their relationship to remain platonic. Gaston leaves angered, but Gigi later calls him up admitting she would rather be with him than without him and agrees to accompany him in public. Gigi dresses in finery for their date, and when Gaston arrives he is entranced by her beauty. They go to a restaurant, where Gigi acts the role of courtesan perfectly, but Gaston is uncomfortable and concerned for Gigi because of the unrelenting judgment of other patrons. Gaston, too in love with Gigi to give her this appalling life of uncertainty and judgment, leaves without a word after dragging her home crying. However, he stops a little way down the street and realizes his love for her is too strong so he does something he never thought he would do; proposes marriage to Gigi. The final sequence reverts to Honor. The couple are elegant, beautiful, and happily married with a sense of fun and love that has been unseen when looking at other relationships high society has to offer. Production. When Lerner arrived in Hollywood two years later, Freed was battling the Hays Code in order to bring his tale of a courtesan- in- training to the screen. Another roadblock to the project was the fact Colette's widower had sold the rights to her novella to Gilbert Miller, who planned to produce a film version of the 1. Anita Loos. It cost Freed more than $8. Miller and Loos. He and Freed discussed casting; Lerner favored Audrey Hepburn, who had starred in the Broadway production written by Loos, but Freed preferred Leslie Caron, who had co- starred in An American in Paris for him. Both agreed Maurice Chevalier would be ideal for aging boulevardier Honor. Lerner agreed to write the lyrics if Freed could convince Bogarde and designer Cecil Beaton to join the project. He decided to approach Loewe once again, and when he suggested they compose the score in Paris, Loewe agreed. When Chevalier, who already had agreed to appear in the film, first heard . When he discussed his waning interest in wine and women in favor of performing for an audience in cabarets, Chevalier inadvertently inspired the creation of another tune for his character, . The lyrics for another of his songs, the duet . Lerner disliked the melody, but Loewe, Freed, and Minnelli voted to include it in the film. The producer then asked him to fly to London to speak to Leslie Caron, who was living there with her husband Peter Hall. Lerner was surprised to discover the star had become Anglicized to the point of losing her French accent. She had recently starred in an unsuccessful stage production of Gigi, but when she heard Lerner's interpretation of the story greatly differed from that of the play, she accepted his offer. Her singing voice was dubbed by Betty Wand, though Caron filmed mainly to her own tracks (a brief clip of Caron's voice is heard in the DVD extras.) Dirk Bogarde expressed interest as well, but ultimately was unable to free himself from his contract with J. Recalling Louis Jourdan from his performance in Three Coins in the Fountain, Freed offered him the role of Gaston. The weather had become unseasonably hot, and working in non- air- conditioned hotel rooms was uncomfortable. Minnelli began scouting locations while Freed and Lerner discussed the still incomplete script. Lerner had taken liberties with Colette's novella; the character of Honor. Gigi's mother, originally a significant character, was reduced to a few lines of dialogue delivered off- screen. Lerner also expanded the focus on Gigi's relationship with her grandmother. Loewe was at the piano while Lerner was indisposed in the bathroom, and when the former began playing a melody the latter liked, he later recalled he jumped up, . And that melody ended up being the title song for Gigi. Lerner was unhappy with the look of the scene as it had been shot by Minnelli, and at considerable expense the restaurant was recreated on a soundstage and the scene was reshot by director Charles Walters, since Minnelli was overseas working on a new project. Audience reaction was overwhelmingly favorable (8. Lerner felt it was twenty minutes too long and most of the action too slow. The changes he proposed would cost an additional $3. Freed was loath to spend. The songwriting team offered to buy 1. Impressed with their belief in the film, MGM executives agreed to the changes, which included eleven days of considerable reshooting, putting the project at $4. At a preview in Encino, audience reaction changed from . It premiered at the Royale Theatre, a legitimate theatrical venue in New York City, on May 1. It is not only a charming comprehension of the spicy confection of Colette, but it is also a lovely and lyrical enlargement upon that story's flavored mood and atmosphere. The Metrocolor rates recognition for its soft pastels under Joseph Ruttenberg's lensing; the Beaton costumes, sets and general production design are vivid physical assets at first sight. The skillful integration of words- and- music with the plot motivation makes this Gigi a very fair lady indeed as a boxoffice entry. No doubt inspired by the finicky, claustrophobic sets and bric- . The exception is Gingold, who inhabits, as always, a world of her own. The winner is Chevalier, in a performance that makes one feel as if you're gagging on pastry. In tribute to Gigi's domination of the Oscars, the MGM switchboard answered calls the following day with . Gigi, eventually along with 1. The Last Emperor, would hold the record as the film(s) with the most Academy Award wins in every category in which it was nominated, until 2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King broke the record at the 2. Oscars ceremony with 1. Oscar nominations and 1. Oscar wins. Academy Awards. Best Picture (winner)Best Director (Vincente Minnelli, winner)Best Adapted Screenplay (Alan Jay Lerner, winner)Best Art Direction (E. Keogh Gleason, Henry Grace, and William A.
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