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 Nord, Le jour se lève (1939) and Children of Paradise (1945). She was found guilty of treason for an affair with a German officer during World War II.

Early years Arletty was born on 15 May 1898 in Courbevoie (near Paris), to a working-class family. After her father's death, she left home and pursued a modeling career. She took the stage name "Arlette" based on the heroine of a story by Guy de Maupassant. She was not interested in acting until she met Paul Guillaume, an art dealer. He recommended some theaters and, at the age of 21, she was hired.

Her early career was dominated by the music hall, and she later appeared in plays and cabaret. In 1928 she performed in Maurice Yvain's operetta Yes at the Théâtre des Capucines which was written as a starring vehicle for her. Arletty was a stage performer for ten years before her film debut in 1930. Arletty's career took off around 1936 when she appeared as the leading lady in the stage plays Les Joies du Capitole and Fric-Frac, in which she starred opposite Michel Simon. She later starred as Blanche in the French version of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Marcel Carné was known for his poetic realism filmmaking style. Arletty's role of Raymonde in his film, Hotel du Nord, garnered attention for her "Atmosphere! Atmosphere!” performance. In 1945 Arletty appeared in her most famous film role, the central part of Garance in Les Enfants du Paradis, her fourth role for the director. For this role she earned one of the highest salaries ever in French cinema.

Collaboration Arletty was imprisoned in 1945 for her wartime liaison with a German Luftwaffe officer, Hans-Jürgen Soehring (1908–1960), during the occupation of France. She allegedly later commented on the experience, "My heart is French but my ass is international." The quotation in French is "Si mon cœur est français, mon cul, lui, est international". Although other French women fell in love with German soldiers, her romantic affiliation with Soehring during the German occupation prompted a charge of treason.

James Lord wrote of her special treatment:

Arletty was too well known for the mere humiliation of having her head shaved, her naked skull tarred with a swastika and in this abject state paraded through the streets to confront the jeers and spittle of the mob. Prison would be none too good for her, people said, looking forward to severe retribution for the moral treason of which they found her guilty.

Filmography

The Sweetness of Loving (1930) as Une dactylo A Dog That Pays Off (1932) as Josyane Plaisir The Beautiful Adventure (1932) as Madame Desmignières Abduct Me (1932) as Lulu Mademoiselle Josette, My Woman (1933) as Unknown role Je te confie ma femme (1933) as Totoche Une idée folle (1933) as Anita - une danseuse Un soir de réveillon (1933) as Viviane Court Waltzes (1933) as La chocolatière Le voyage de Monsieur Perrichon (1934) as Anita Mathieu Pension Mimosas (1935) as La môme Parasol Vertigo (1935) as Emma Madame Angot's Daughter (1935) as Ducoudray Lovers and Thieves (1935) as Agathe La Garçonne (1936) as Niquette Adventure in Paris (1936) as Rose Blondel de Saint-Leu The Bureaucrats (1936) as La belle-soeur de la hourmerie Le Mari rêvé (1936) as Eve Roland Let's Make a Dream (1936) as Une invitée (prologue) Mais n'te promène donc pas toute nue (1936) as Clarisse Feu la mère de madame (1936) as Yvonne The Pearls of the Crown (1937) as La reine d'Abyssinie Désiré (1937) as Madeleine Crapicheau, la femme de chambre Aloha, le chant des îles (1937) as Ginette Gina Mirages (1938) as Arlette The Little Thing (1938) as Irma Borel Mother Love (1938) as Bernadette Mezin Hôtel du Nord (1938) as Raymonde Daybreak (1939) as Clara Fric-Frac (1939) as Loulou Extenuating Circumstances (1939) as Marie Qu'a-d'ça Thunder Over Paris (1940) as Ida Madame Sans-Gêne (1941) as Catherine Hubscher The Woman I Loved Most (1942) as Simone, l'actrice locataire Bolero (1942) as Catherine The Lover of Borneo (1942) as Stella Losange Les Visiteurs du soir (1942) as Dominique Children of Paradise (1945) as Claire Reine, dite Garance Madame et ses peaux-rouges (1948) as Mademoiselle Pascale Portrait of an Assassin (1949) as Martha Gigolo (1951) as Madame Alice Love, Madame (1952) as Herself The Father of the Girl (1953) as Edith Mars Flesh and the Woman (1954) Blanche The Air of Paris (1954) Blanche Le Garrec Huis clos (1954) as Inès, une lesbienne My Priest Among the Poor (1956) as Nine Explosive Vacation! (1957) as Arlette Bernard The Stowaway (1958) as Gabrielle And Your Sister? (1958) as Lucrèce du Boccage Sunday Encounter (1958) as Juliette Armier Maxime (1958) as Gazelle Paris la belle (1960, short) as Récitante / Narrator (voice) Les Primitifs du XIIIe (1960, short) as Récitante / Narrator (voice) The Dance (1962) as La mère d'Albert Girl on the Road (1962) as Gabrielle, maîtresse de Rameau The Law of Men (1962) as Loune de Lindt The Longest Day (1962) as Madame Barrault Destination Rome (1962) as La marquise The Trip to Biarritz (1963) as Fernande Dina chez les rois (1967) as Récitante / Narrator (voice) Jacques Prévert (1977) as Herself Carné, l'homme à la caméra (1985) as Herself (voice)