I'll Not Be Buying This...

[Pete C]

For some reason photographs of her always make her look 56, but in real life, she's as good looking as the day I met her. Go figure...

[Jazzmoose]

Well, a simpler explanation would be that I'm just blinded by love, but you know, there's that room of the house that she won't let me into...

[BruceH]

She's a fucking bigot.

She is; she's really nasty.

BB is a staunch supporter of extreme right-wing French politician Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Yikes!

I'm beginning to feel like I'm in that Andy Richter show.

[mikeweil]

Seriously, though... how do we each (individually) draw the line between art and the artist? (Not saying that BB is necessarily all that "artistic," but the point remains.) Miles, after all, could be abusive. Is it okay for one to despise BB and her work because one disagrees with her politics? Sure, why not. But it's only a matter of degees in then disliking Miles and "Kind of Blue" because of how Miles treated, for example, women. Just wondering...

I, personally, find it hard to separate the man (or woman) and the artist. Tastes too much like split personality to me - I think every attitude is, somehow, mirrored in the artistic output.

[Brad]

Maybe some of us older posters should post pictures of what we looked like at 30 and now. I know in my case it wouldn't be that flattering (although I'm still about the same weight)

[Tony Pusey]

I´m with Mike Weil on this ,

Shes a fascist and I dont care good she looked.

[brownie]

Louis-Ferdinand Celine was a WWII collaborator, a fanatic anti-semite, one of the most despictable character ever. He is also one the best authors of the 20th Century. I hate him. His book 'Journey to the End of the Night' is a masterpiece, that I keep enjoying reading.

[J.A.W.]

Louis-Ferdinand Celine was a WWII collaborator, a fanatic anti-semite, one of the most despictable character ever.  He is also one the best authors of the 20th Century. I hate him. His book 'Journey to the End of the Night' is a masterpiece, that I keep enjoying reading.

You're absolutely right, Céline was indeed a despicable character. As for "Journey to the End of the Night", I also plead guilty... I have the edition with the wonderful illustrations by Jacques Tardi. Not to be missed.

Edited April 19, 2004 by J.A.W.

[couw]

Louis-Ferdinand Celine was a WWII collaborator, a fanatic anti-semite, one of the most despictable character ever.  He is also one the best authors of the 20th Century. I hate him. His book 'Journey to the End of the Night' is a masterpiece, that I keep enjoying reading.

You're absolutely right, Céline was indeed a despicable character. As for "Journey to the End of the Night", I also plead guilty... I have the edition with the wonderful illustrations by Jacques Tardi. Not to be missed.

you mean you don't have the other two volumes w/ Tardi illustration (Mort a credit & Casse Pipe)? Heheheh, the puking on the boat scene of Mort is hilarious!

I have quite a collection of LFC books. Very impressive writer. A despicable guy in real life I know, but the anti-semitism doesn't show in his fiction works (not talking about the pamphlets here!)

LFC did not write political books, he wrote books on society and other made their politics with it (notably the communists between WW1 & 2). BB did not make political films, so I can enjoy her films without being bothered by her politics too much. They do bother me though in both cases. Riefenstahl made political films, it is hard to judge her on artistic merit alone.

[couw]

Oh, and I believe the Céline book w/ Tardi illustrations has recently been republished.

[brownie]

Great fan of Tardi, too. His illustrations of the Celine book are outstanding. Also recommended is 'La Der des Ders', a book on the First World War with text by Didier Daeninckx!

[couw]

Great fan of Tardi, too. His illustrations of the Celine book are outstanding. Also recommended is 'La Der des Ders', a book on the First World War with text by Didier Daeninckx!

BIG Tardi fan here. For Hans: that's "De Laatste der Laatsten" in Dutch translation, a good one. Purely from a Tardi perspective, this is somewhat like a cross between the Malet (Nestor Burma) books and the Guerre des Tranches (Loopgravenoorlog) stuff: defeatist detective story really; much like the Griffu, but with strong ties to the whole WW1 preoccupation

The guy has an amazing line

Edited April 19, 2004 by couw

[Tony Pusey]

Yeah Celine, another one for the Hall of Infamy up there with other big shits like Ezra Pound and little shits like Marc Eemans...just say no! or as Benjamin Peret said "ne mange pas de cèst pain La!"

[brownie]

Brigitte Bardot was in court today after the publication of her best-selling controversial book. She looked in not so good shape and needed a cane to walk.

Brigitte Bardot Defends Herself Over Book

PARIS - (AP) - French film legend Brigitte Bardot defended herself in court Thursday against charges that she incited racial hatred in a best-selling book.

"I never knowingly wanted to hurt anybody. It is not in my character. If I did hurt someone, I'm sorry," the former screen siren turned animal rights campaigner said at the Paris hearing.

But Bardot, 69, also spoke out against racial mixing and expressed worries about the "infiltration" of France by Islamic extremists.

"Among Muslims, I think there some who are very good and some hoodlums, like everywhere," said Bardot, who leaned on a cane and wore a black jacket and pants, with red plastic flowers in her hair.

Her book, "Un cri dans le silence" (A cry in the silence), topped French nonfiction best-seller lists last year. It took on issues such as racial mixing, immigration, the role of women in politics and Islam. Bardot wrote that she opposed "the Islamization of France."

The prosecutor asked Thursday for Bardot's conviction but left any penalty for the court to decide. The maximum punishment is one year imprisonment, but Bardot is expected to escape with a fine if found guilty. A verdict is expected in June.

Bardot acknowledged her literary shortcomings.

"Certainly, I'm not Balzac," she said, referring to master 19th century French novelist Honore de Balzac.

"The court noticed," replied chief judge Catherine Bezio.

Bardot has previous convictions for inciting racial violence after she criticized in print the Muslim practice of slaughtering sheep.

[J.A.W.]

Published on the BBC website today:

Bardot fined for 'race hate' book

French film legend Brigitte Bardot has been fined 5,000 euros (£3,301) for inciting racial hatred in a book.

The charges against Bardot, 69, related to her best-seller, A Cry In The Silence, in which she said she "opposed the Islamisation of France".

Last month the former actress apologised in court, and said: "I never knowingly wanted to hurt anybody."

In her book she wrote about issues such as racial mixing, immigration, the role of women in politics and Islam.

The book also contained a section attacking what she called the mixing of genes and praised previous generations who, she said, had given their lives to push out invaders.

Bardot's comments prompted anti-racism groups to launch legal proceedings against the actress, who now campaigns for animal rights.

The court said: "Madame Bardot presents Muslims as barbaric and cruel invaders, responsible for terrorist acts and eager to dominate the French to the extent of wanting to exterminate them."

It awarded a symbolic one euro in damages to France's anti-racism movement MRAP and to the League for Human Rights who brought the case to court.

The court also ordered a 5,000 euro fine against the head of Bardot's publishing house, Le Rocher, and ordered both to pay for advertisements in two newspapers announcing their convictions.

Bardot has previous convictions for inciting racial violence after criticising in print the Muslim practice of slaughtering sheep.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/worl...ope/3794513.stm

Published: 2004/06/10 14:30:01 GMT

© BBC MMIV