In the past, baking tarte flambée was a way to estimate the temperature of a wood-burning oven without a thermometer: Today, tarte flambée is a …
Yves Montand: Chanson, Charm, Chic (2.)
In 1966, Yves Montand starred in the Formula One film Grand Prix, which was originally planned to feature Steve McQueen. To this day, Grand Prix remains a unique film: the realistic footage of the racetrack, shot at enormous expense, still amazes.
Montand plays the fictional Ferrari driver Jean-Pierre Sarti in the film.
Although the sixties were an era of professional success for Yves Montand, two strokes of fate occurred in that decade…
Yves Montand: Chanson, Charm, Chic (1.)
His big idol was Fred Astaire: Yves Montand (civil name Ivo Livi) was born on October 13, 1921 in Tuscany and grew up in humble circumstances. In 1924 Yves Montand’s family fled to Marseille: the political situation in Italy destroyed the Livis’ existence…
Jean-Paul Belmondo: Legend of the French cinema
He was a legend of French cinema: Jean-Paul Belmondo. From the 1960s, Jean-Paul Belmondo was one of the most famous actors of his generation.At the …
The Baguette: French National Icon
There is nothing that represents France as much as the baguette: the long white bread with the aromatic taste is famous all over the world. …
Cognac: The art of brandy
“The ocean was here!” is something you may hear from winemakers in Cognac to this very day. 80 million years ago, the ocean was indeed …
Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief
The summer of 1954 is a unique event in the life of actress and later Princess of Monaco Grace Kelly: from the end of May …
Dalida: The exotic chanteuse (3.)
Iolanda wanted to present her new musical style at the Olympia: But the owner of the Olympia, Bruno Coquatrix, did not believe that she would attract the audience with her new style. Dalida herself was also doubtful: she was not sure if her audience, used to chansons like Bambino, would accept melancholic chansons.
Dalida: The exotic chanteuse (2.)
The success of Bambino was enormous: she received a gold record for 300,000 sold records of Bambino. But at this point Dalida’s journey of success was far from over.
Lucien Morisse, her lover and also her manager, landed a second hit with her: Gondolier.
The song was written in French and Italian – which improved the chances for success. The plan worked: Gondolier became Dalida’s second big hit – this time the song also enjoyed great success in Italy.
Dalida: The exotic chanteuse (1.)
It was a life marked by the longing for love: the life of Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti. Under her stage name Dalida, she became world famous.
She sang in no less than ten languages and was admired by a wide audience.
Her image: the “Madonna”. There were critics who compared Dalida to a beauty from ancient Egypt.
But who was Iolanda Gigliotti?