Micheline Presle

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Micheline Presle
Presle in 1945
Born
Micheline Nicole Julia Émilienne Chassagne

(1922-08-22)22 August 1922
Paris, France
Died21 February 2024(2024-02-21) (aged 101)
Nogent-sur-Marne, France
Other namesMicheline Prelle
Years active1937–2014
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1950; div. 1954)​
ChildrenTonie Marshall
RelativesSarah Marshall (great-grandniece)

Micheline Presle (French pronunciation:

Classical Hollywood Cinema, before returning again to Europe,[1] especially French films from the mid-1960s until 2014.[1][5][6]

Biography

Early life

Born in Paris on the left bank on 22 August 1922,[1][7] Presle wanted to be an actress from an early age. She took acting classes in her early teens. She was the daughter of Robert Chassagne, a French banker (who fled to the United States amid a finance scandal) and artist Julie Bachelier.[1]

She received early education in a convent school, but took acting classes with the Belgian actor

Falbalas, a/k/a Paris Frills (1945).[1]

Early French cinema (1937–1950)

Presle made her film debut at the age of 15 in the 1937 production of La Fessée.[1] In 1938, she was awarded the Prix Suzanne Bianchetti as the most promising young actress in French cinema. Her rise to European stardom, in films such as Devil in the Flesh (1947),[1][5] led to offers in Hollywood.[1][5]

"Exquisite good looks" coupled with a "graceful transition between froth and drama" facilitated her long career, with more than 200 credited roles.[5]

Hollywood cinema

Her role in the Devil in the Flesh led to a Hollywood career, including leading roles opposite Errol Flynn, John Garfield, Paul Newman and Tyrone Power.[2] That film was controversial, even being banned in Britain for years.[3]

In 1950, Presle was signed by

20th Century Fox, led by Darryl F. Zanuck. He promised she "could avoid "ooh-la-la" eye-candy roles" with spare time so she could make a biopic about Sarah Bernhardt, a project to which she had obtained the film rights for a biography written by Bernhardt's granddaughter.[5] However, Hollywood's promise soon dimmed. Zanuck changed Presle's last name to Prell, thinking to his American ear that her name was a homonym for 'pretzel.'[5][8] It was later changed to Prelle after a soap company brought out Prell shampoo.[9] Her first Hollywood production was a starring role opposite John Garfield in the film Under My Skin directed by Jean Negulesco. That same year, director Fritz Lang cast her opposite Tyrone Power in the war drama American Guerrilla in the Philippines. In 1950, she became the second wife of American actor William Marshall with whom she had a daughter, Tonie. William Marshall had teamed up with actor Errol Flynn and his production company, and in 1951 he directed Flynn and her in the film Adventures of Captain Fabian.[1]

Disenchanted with Hollywood, since "They gave me uninteresting parts in bad pictures," she went back to work in European film.[5]

In 1945, she married tennis player

Universal Studios film If a Man Answers, which also featured Dee's husband, singer Bobby Darin. The following year, Presle acted again in English in The Prize starring Paul Newman.[1]

Return to French cinema

Presle at the 2004 César Awards

Presle did not make another English film, but after performing in more than 50 films in French, in 1989, she appeared in the French-made bilingual production

César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.[1][2]

In 1971, Presle signed the

illegal abortion.[1][10]

She received an Honorary César in 2004.[2]

Tonie Marshall, her daughter, won a César for Venus Beauty Institute in which Presle appeared.[1][2]

Death

Presle died in Nogent-sur-Marne on 21 February 2024, at the age of 101,[1][2][5][11] at the Maison des Artistes, a retirement home for artists, which receives partial government support.[3] Her death was confirmed by Olivier Bomsel, her son-in-law, without specifying the cause.[5]

Filmography (selected)

A more complete list has been compiled by the British Film Institute with 133 works.[A]

Title Year References/Note
Girls in Distress a/k/a Young Girls in Trouble 1939 [1][13][14]
They Were Twelve Women 1940 [15]
Paradise Lost 1940 [15]
Comedy of Happiness
 		1940 [16]
Ecco la felicità
 		1940 [16]
They Were Twelve Women 1940 [15]
Parade en sept nuits 1941 [17]
Foolish Husbands 1941 [18][19]
Le soleil a toujours raison 1941 [20]
La Nuit fantastique
 Fantasic Night 		1942 As a "Dream woman" opposite Fernand Gravey[5][21]
The Beautiful Adventure 1942
Free French.[23]
Un seul amour [fr] 1943 An adaptation from a story by Honoré de Balzac about a ballet-star, Clara Biondi, played by Presle.[24]
Paris Frills 1945 [1] Film critic Manny Farber in The New Republic, 16 December 1946, wrote: "This is the only movie I have ever seen in which a posturing, narcissistic personality is shown in the full run of everyday situations and is handled with a matter-of-fact understanding that makes it into a sad, creative, extremely curious and complicated character."[25]
Twilight 1945 Original Title: Felicie Nanteuil[26]
Fausse alerte
 The French Way 		1945 [1952] in United States) Spy story. "[S]helved during the war ... (a shortened version was released with the title The French Way in 1952 in the United States). The film revolves around a long-standing feud...."[27]
Angel and Sinner
 		1945 She palayed the eponymous lead, a loveable prositute and member of the resistance.
Boule de suif and Mademoiselle Fifi, which are inter-weaved, and is set during the Franco-Prussian War. A reviewer in Britain noted its "sense of humour, drama, satire and technical skill".[28]
Les jeux sont faits 1946 French fantasy film directed by Jean Delannoy, based on the screenplay of the same name by French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. Entered into the 1947 Cannes Film Festival.[29]
Devil in the Flesh 1947 World war I drama, voted one of 10 best films of the year by the National Board of Review.[1][2]
All Roads Lead to Rome 1949 [30][31]
The Last Days of Pompeii The Sins of Pompeii 1950 Adapted from
Edward Bulwer-Lytton's novel The Last Days of Pompeii. The film has also been known as Sins of Pompeii.[32][33][34]
Under My Skin 1950 Cast as a cafe owner smitten by love with a jockey.[1][2]
American Guerrilla in the Philippines 1950 Early Technicolor war film.[1][2]
Adventures of Captain Fabian 1951
20th Century Fox to play the female lead.[36]
The Lady of the Camellias 1953 [37][38]
It Happened in the Park 1953 [39][40][41]
The Love of a Woman 1953 [15]
Les Impures 1954 [42]
House of Ricordi 1954 [43]
Napoléon 1955 [44]
Thirteen at the Table 1955 [45]
Beatrice Cenci 1956 [46]
The Bride Is Much Too Beautiful 1956 [1]
The She-Wolves 1957 [47][48][49][50]
Christine 1958 [51]
Blind Date 1959 [52]
Une fille pour l'été [fr] Mistress for the Summer 1960 [53][54]
Le Baron de l'écluse [fr
] The Baron of the Locks 		1960 [55]
Mistress of the World 1960
Sabu from Hollywood, Carlos Thompson from Argentina and Gino Cervi from Italy, and Micheline Presle and Lino Ventura from France.[59]
Les Grandes Personnes 1961 [60]
Five Day Lover 1961 Based on the 1959 novel L'amant de cinq jours by Françoise Parturier. The film was entered into the 11th Berlin International Film Festival and nominated for the Golden Bear.[61][62]

The film was entered into the 11th Berlin International Film Festival and nominated for the Golden Bear, the ceremony's highest honor.[61] It lost the prize to Michelangelo Antonioni's La Notte.[63]

The Assassin 1961 [64]
Time Out for Love Les grandes personnes 1961 [65][66][67]
The Italian Brigands 1961 Internationally released as The Italian Brigands and Seduction of the South) is a
drama film directed by Mario Camerini.[68] It was shot in Cerreto Sannita.[69]
Le Diable et les Dix Commandements
 		1962 [70]
If a Man Answers 1962 Opposite Bobby Darin.[2]
Venere Imperiale
 Imperial Venus 		1962 It depicts the life of Pauline Bonaparte, the sister of Napoleon.[71][72] For her performance Lollobrigida won the David di Donatello for best actress and the Nastro d'Argento for the same category.[73]
The Law of Men 1962 [74]
The Bamboo Stroke 1963 [75]
The Prize 1963 Amidst a Nobel Prize ceremony, spy drama with Paul Newman.[1][2]
Dark Purpose 1964 [76]
Male Hunt 1964 [2]
Je vous salue, mafia! Hail Mafia 1965 From a crime novel.[77] It is a film noir.[78]
Le Roi de Cœur King of Hearts 1966 [79]

Released in France in 1966, King of Hearts was neither successful critically nor at the box office, with only 141,035 admissions.[80] However, it achieved cult film status, when United States distribution rights were picked up by Randy Finley and Specialty Films in Seattle in 1973. It was paired with Marv Newland's Bambi Meets Godzilla and John Magnuson's Thank You Mask Man and marketed under the heading The King of Hearts and His Loyal Short Subjects.[81][82] It made the rounds in the mid-1970s i repertory movie theaters as well as non-theatrical college and university film series across the United States, eventually running for five years at the now defunct film house the Central Square Cinemas[83] (2 screens) in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[84]

Peau d'Âne
 a/k/a Donkey Skin or Once Upon a Time and The Magic Donkey 		1970 A 1970 French musical fantasy comedy film directed by Jacques Demy, based on Donkeyskin, a 1695 fairy tale by Charles Perrault about a king who wishes to marry his own daughter. It was highly successful in France.[85]

It is distributed on DVD in North America by

Koch-Lorber Films. It is also available in Blu-ray format as part of Criterion's The Essential Jacques Demy collection.[86] In France, the film is considered a cult classic.[87][88][89][90][91][92]

The Legend of Frenchie King Petroleum Girls 1971
international co-production western comedy film directed by Christian-Jaque and starring Claudia Cardinale and Brigitte Bardot.[93] The film received generally negative reviews. Bardot's performance in particular was criticised by Jean Loup Passek, who noted how uncomfortable she seemed in the film's outdoors action setting.[94] Writing in Variety Gene Moskowitz dismissed the film as "predictable, naive and gauche" whilst Tom Milne called it "drearily unfunny".[95]
Devil in the Brain 1972 A 1972 Italian psychological thriller movie.[96][97]
Thieves After Dark 1984 directed by Samuel Fuller[2]
I Want to Go Home 1989 Directed by
Alain Renais, and for which she received a César nomination[2]
Fanfan 1993 [98][99]
Les Misérables 1995 [1]
Venus Beauty Institute 1999 [1][2]
Le coeur à l'ouvrage 2000 [100][101]
A Man and His Dog 2009 [102]
Going South 2009 [103]
Thelma, Louise et Chantal 2010 [104]
HH, Hitler à Hollywood [fr] 2011 A mockumentary.[105]

Television

References

Notes

  1. ^ The British Film Institute lists her filmography as including 133 works.[12]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac Telegraph Obituaries (23 February 2024). "Micheline Presle, French actress who starred in Hollywood with Errol Flynn and Paul Newman – obituary". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024 – via Yahoo!.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Haring, Bruce (24 February 2024). "Micheline Presle Dies: 'Devil In The Flesh' Star Was 101". Deadline. Archived from the original on 23 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Nossiter, Adam (28 February 2024). "Micheline Presle, Actress Known for 'Devil in the Flesh,' Dies at 101". The New York Times. A link to France's first golden age of cinema, she drew international attention for a 1947 film that created a scandal in France and was banned in Britain for years.
  4. ISBN 978-1-4766-1454-0
    .
  5. ^
    Washington Post
    . The 1947 drama about wartime adultery became an international sensation and brought her a Hollywood contract
  6. ^
    Hollywood Reporter
    . The French actress made a few films in Hollywood, including 'Under My Skin' with John Garfield and 'The Prize' with Paul Newman.
  7. Newspapers.com
    .
  8. Newspapers.com
    .
  9. Newspapers.com
    .
  10. ^ "manifeste des 343". 23 April 2001. Archived from the original on 23 April 2001. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  11. ^ Guyard, Bertrand (21 February 2024). "Micheline Presle, la dernière légende du cinéma s'en est allée". Le Figaro. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  12. ^ BFI Collection Database.
  13. ^ "NY Times: Girls in Distress". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2012. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2009.
  14. ^ Rentschler p.282
  15. ^
    Scarecrow Press
    .
  16. ^ a b Allan R. Ellenberger (2009) Ramon Novarro: A Biography of the Silent Film Idol, 1899–1968; with a Filmography Archived 25 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine, McFarland, p 143, accessed 23 January 2014
  17. ^ "Parade en sept nuits". BFI (British Film Institute). Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  18. ^ Bessy, Maurice & Chirat, Raymond. (1986) Histoire du cinéma français: encyclopédie des films, 1940–1950. Pygmalion
  19. Scarecrow Press
    . Page 639.
  20. ^ "Le solei a toujours raison". BFI (British Film Institute). Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  21. ^ The French Cinema Book; edited by Michael Temple and Michael Witt. (2004) (London: British Film Institute.) p 123. Georges Sadoul (1962) Le Cinéma français (1890–1962). (Paris: Flammarion) pp.92–93.
  22. ^ La Belle Aventure at Monsieur.louis.jourdan.net Archived 21 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine accessed 21 January 2014
  23. ^ La Belle Aventure Archived 6 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine at Louisjourdan.net
  24. ^ "Un Seul Amour". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  25. ISBN 978-1-59853-050-6
    p. 302
  26. ^ "Felicie Nanteuil". BFI (British Film Institute). Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  27. ISBN 978-1-5013-2885-5
    .
  28. ^ Hackett, Hazel. The French Cinema Since the Liberation. Sight and Sound, Summer 1946, Vol.15 No.58, p50.
  29. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Les jeux sont faits". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
  30. ^ Hubert-Lacombe, Patricia. (1996)Le cinéma français dans la guerre froide: 1946–1956. L'Harmattan. Page 76
  31. A&C Black
    . Page 65
  32. ^ Marcel L'Herbier: l'art du cinéma; sous la direction de Laurent Véray. (2007) (Paris: Association française de recherche sur l'histoire du cinéma} p.386.
  33. ^ Jaque-Catelain. (1950) Jaque-Catelain présente Marcel L'Herbier. (Paris: Vautrain) p.144
  34. ^ L'Herbier, Marcel. (1979) La Tête qui tourne. (Paris: Belfond) pp.272–273.
  35. New York Times
    . p. 20.
  36. Chicago Daily Tribune
    . p. 19.
  37. Walter de Gruyter
    . p. 137
  38. ^ Hayward, Susan. (2010) French Costume Drama of the 1950s: Fashioning Politics in Film. Intellect Books, p. 464
  39. ISBN 88-7605-548-7
    .
  40. ISBN 978-88-6073-626-0
    .
  41. ISBN 881150516X
    .
  42. ^ Travers, James (5 November 2014). "Review of the film Les Impures (1955)". frenchfilms.org. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  43. ^ "The Complete Index To World Film: Casa Ricordi". CITWF.com. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2009.
  44. ^ "Paris". Variety. 30 June 1954. p. 62.
  45. Scarecrow Press
    . p. 224
  46. ISBN 978-1-4766-2838-7
    .
  47. ^ Curti, Roberto. (2022) Italian Giallo in Film and Television: A Critical History. McFarland. p. 53.
  48. Walter de Gruyter
    p. 46.
  49. Scarecrow Press
    . p. 932.
  50. Bloomsbury Academic
    . p. 127.
  51. ^ Thompson, Howard (14 September 1958). "By Way of Report: Mr. Chayefsky's Night – The Heckart Spell". The New York Times. p. Drama-9. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  52. ^ "Blind Date". BFI (British Film Institute). Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  53. ISBN 978-1-83902-229-6
    .
  54. ISBN 978-0-06-227711-4
    .
  55. ^ "Le Baron de l'écluse". cinematheque.fr (in French). Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  56. ISBN 88-7605-593-2
    .
  57. ISBN 9788876381874
    .
  58. ISBN 1571815384
    .
  59. ^ a b Bergfelder 2005, p. 122.
  60. ^ "Les Grandes Personnes". Semaine de la Critique. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  61. ^ a b "IMDB.com: Awards for L'amant de cinq jours". imdb.com. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  62. ^ "Turner Classic Movies: Full Synopsis for The Five Day Lover". tcm.com. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  63. ^ "IMDB.com: Awards for La Notte". IMDb. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  64. ^ "L' ASSASSINO". BFI (British Film Institute). Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  65. New York Times
    . p. 10.
  66. New York Times
    . Hollywood, California. p. X11.
  67. New York Times
    . p. 31.
  68. ^ Lino Micciché, Storia del cinema italiano, Edizioni di Bianco & nero, 2001
  69. ^ Una passeggiata nella storia, Di Lauro, 2003
  70. ^ "Le Diable et les Dix Commandements. Full Cast". BFI (British Film Institute). Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  71. ISBN 978-88-6073-626-0
    .
  72. ISBN 978-88-8440-503-6
    .
  73. ISBN 88-7742-221-1
    .
  74. Yorkin Publications
    .
  75. ^ uinlan, David. Quinlan's Illustrated Directory of Film Stars. Batsford, 1996. p. 385.
  76. ^ "Dark Purpose (1964) – George Marshall | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie".
  77. ISBN 978-3-11-095194-3
    .
  78. ISBN 978-1-4766-3988-8
    . Je vous salue, mafia!—released in the States as Hail, Mafia—which is as noir-drenched a crime thriller as anything Hollywood ever produced. The unsettling monochrome tableaux of New Wave cinematographer Raoul Coutard have much to do
  79. ^ Tino Balio, United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry, University of Wisconsin Press, 1987 p. 279
  80. ^ J.P.'s Box Office
  81. ^ (Jan 27, 1975) The Milwaukee Journal retrieved 4 May 2015
  82. ^ "Randy Finley" historylink.org, retrieved 4 May 2015
  83. ^ DeLuca, Gerald A. "Central Square Cinemas". Cinema Treasures. Cinema Treasures, LLC. Archived from the original on 20 May 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2017. The most famous bit of programming here was Philippe de Broca's 1966 "King of Hearts", which ran for four years or so and spawned a huge cult following that gave the film new life across the United States. The Central Square Cinemas closed April 1, 1980.
  84. ^ Criterion retrieved 5 May 2015
  85. ^ "Peau d'Âne". JP's Box-office (in French). Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  86. ^ "The Essential Jacques Demy". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  87. ^ Frédéric Bonnaud (30 November 1995). "Jacques Demy et les Racines du rêve". Les Inrocks..
  88. ^ "Interview de Jacques Demy". INA. Retrieved 16 February 2015..
  89. ^ "Premios del CEC a la producción española de 1971". Círculo de Escritores Cinematográficos (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2015..
  90. ^ Andrée Tournès (March 1971). "Critique du film" (PDF). Jeune Cinéma. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 January 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2021..
  91. Le Nouvel Observateur. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 5 January 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2021..
  92. ^ Jean de Baroncelli (December 1970). "Critique du film" (PDF). Aden/Le Monde..
  93. ^ "Les Pétroleuses (1971)". British Film Institute. 1971. Archived from the original on 29 December 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  94. ^ Crawley, Bébé, p. 233
  95. ^ Crawley, Bébé, p. 234
  96. ISBN 88-7248-039-6
    .
  97. ^ "Il Diavolo nel Cervello". Italian Horror Movies. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  98. ^ Travers, James (2006). "Fanfan". Films de France. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  99. ISBN 978-2-7242-6087-8
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  100. ^ gen_cfilm-25005film.html "Le Coeur à l'ouvrage – film 2000". AlloCiné. Retrieved 29 February 2024. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  101. ^ "Le Cœur à l'ouvrage – Film (2000)". SensCritique. 11 July 2000. Retrieved 26 February 2024. Le "Coeur à l'ouvrage" est une histoire d'amour où les sentiments ont la part belle.
  102. ^ "French Star as He Is, Stroke and All". New York Times. 21 January 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  103. ^ "Going South and back into the past". Cineuropa. 18 February 2010.
  104. ^ Pétré, Benoît. "Thelma Louse et Chantal". Cineuropa. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  105. ^ Allouache, Julia (3 May 2011). "Critique : HH – Hitler à Hollywood, de Frédéric Sojcher". Critikat. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  106. ^ "Micheline Presle". TV Guide. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  107. ^ "Clochemerle: 1: The Magnificent Idea of Barthelemy Piechut". BBC Programme Index. 10 August 1973. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  108. ^ Gibson, Alan. "Tales of the Unexpected 4/045 Kindly Dig Your Grave (1981)". Cinefania. Retrieved 26 February 2024.

Further reading

External links

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