French postcard, no. C130. Photo: Josette Day in La belle et la bête/Beauty and the Beast (Jean Cocteau, René Clément, 1946).

French film actress Josette Day (1914-1978) is best known as Belle in the unforgettable classic La belle et la bête/Beauty and the Beast (1946). She started her film career as a child and played during the 1930s and 1940s many leading parts in French films. In 1950 she ended her successful acting career when she was only 36.

Josette Day was born as Josette Noëlle Andrée Claire Dagory in Paris, in 1914. At the age of five, she began her film career in Ames d'orient/Souls of the Orient (Léon Poirier, 1919). Till 1922 she made three films under her real name, Josette Dagory. She also performed as a dancer, including a stint in the Paris Opera. An injury curtailed her career in dance when she was only 9 years old. She did not return to the screen until she was an adult but then her film career soon took off. The sound film was recently introduced. As Josette Dagory she played the female lead in Serments/Oaths (Henri Fescourt, 1931) and Un bouquet de flirts/A bouquet of flirtations (Charles de Rochefort, 1931). Then she changed her name to ‘Day’. Throughout the thirties she made numerous films, sometimes as many as seven in a year. Among her early sound films were the romantic comedy Allo Berlin? Ici Paris/Here's Berlin (Julien Duvivier, 1932), Coralie et Cie/ Coralie and Company (Alberto Cavalcanti, 1932) starring Francoise Rosay, and Die Abenteuer des Königs Pausole/The Merry Monarch (Alexis Granowsky, 1933). The latter was a Tobis production, that was made in a German, a French and an English version. In all three alternate language versions, she was the leading lady opposite the famous Emil Jannings. Later films were Les filles de la concierge/The Daughters of the Caretaker (Jacques Tourneur, 1934), Lucrèce Borgia/Lucrezia Borgia (Abel Gance, 1935) starring Edwige Feuillère, Ménilmontant (René Guissart, 1936), and L'homme du jour/The Man of the Hour (Julien Duvivier, 1937).

In 1939, Josette Day met Marcel Pagnol and they married in 1941. Pagnol was a famous French author, producer and director who owned his own film studio. Her first great role was as Patricia Amoretti in his production La Fille du puisatier/The Well-Diggers Daughter (Marcel Pagnol, 1940) with Raimu and Fernandel. The couple also made Monsieur Brotonneau/Mr. Brotonneau (Alexander Esway, 1939) starring Raimu, La prière aux étoiles/The Prayer to the Stars (Marcel Pagnol, 1941) and Arlette et l'amour/Arlette and Love (Robert Vernay, 1943). Day divorced Pagnol in 1944. Most of her films seem forgotten through the passage of time, except for one film she will always be remembered in the history of French cinema. In 1946, she played Belle in the classic French fairytale La belle et la bête/Beauty and the Beast (Jean Cocteau, René Clément, 1946) opposite Jean Marais as the Beast. At Films de France, James Travers reviews: “This is one of the most important films in the history of cinema. By pushing film technology to its creative limits and avoiding sentimentality, Jean Cocteau succeeds in creating a film that is both visually entrancing and emotionally rewarding, whilst re-telling a familiar tale in a fresh and innovative way. (…) Of course, Cocteau is well-served by some great acting talent, in the form of Jean Marais and Josette Day as the lead characters.” Two years after La belle et la bête she also appeared opposite Marais in Cocteau’s Les parents terrible/The Terrible Parents (1948), and she also appeared in the lost film Coriolan (Jean Cocteau, 1950). Other interesting films were La révoltée/Stolen Affections (Marcel L’Herbier, 1948) with Victor Francen, and Swiss Tour/Four Days Leave (Leopold Lindtberg, 1950) with Cornell Wilde and Simone Signoret. She was only 36 years old when she suddenly ended her career. She retired to marry a wealthy Belgian businessman, Maurice Solvay. She was only once seen in one other film, as herself in the comedy L'amour, Madame/Love, Madame (Gilles Grangier, 1952) with Arletty and François Périer. For the last years of her life, she devoted herself to charitable work. Josette Day died in 1978 in Paris.

Sources: James Travers (French Films), Bob Hufford (Find A Grave), Lenin Imports, Wikipedia and IMDb.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

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French postcard, no. C 141. Jean Marais and Josette Day in La belle et la bête/Beauty and the Beast (Jean Cocteau, René Clément, 1946).

With his heroic physique, Jean Marais (1913-1998) was France’s answer to Errol Flynn, the epitome of the swashbuckling romantic hero of French cinema. The blonde and incredibly good-looking actor played over 100 roles in film and on television and was also known as a director, writer, painter and sculptor. His mentor was the legendary poet and director Jean Cocteau, who was also his lover.

French film actress Josette Day (1914-1978) is best known as Belle in the unforgettable classic La belle et la bête/Beauty and the Beast (1946). She started her film career as a child and played during the 1930s and 1940s many leading parts in French films. In 1950 she ended her successful acting career when she was only 36.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

Tags:   Jean Marais Jean Marais French Actor Acteur European Film Star Josette Day Josette Day Actress Actrice Cinema Film Kino Cine Picture Screen Movie Movies Filmster Star Vintage Postcard Carte Postale Cartolina Postkarte Tarjet Postal Postkaart Briefkarte Briefkaart Ansichtskarte Ansichtkaart La belle et la bête 1946

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French card, no. C142. Photo: Aldo. Jean Marais andJosette Day in La belle et la bête/Beauty and the Beast (Jean Cocteau, René Clément, 1946).

With his heroic physique, Jean Marais (1913-1998) was France’s answer to Errol Flynn, the epitome of the swashbuckling romantic hero of French cinema. The blonde and incredibly good-looking actor played over 100 roles in film and on television and was also known as a director, writer, painter and sculptor. His mentor was the legendary poet and director Jean Cocteau, who was also his lover.

French film actress Josette Day (1914-1978) is best known as Belle in the unforgettable classic La belle et la bête/Beauty and the Beast (1946). She started her film career as a child and played during the 1930s and 1940s many leading parts in French films. In 1950 she ended her successful acting career when she was only 36.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

Tags:   Jean Marais Jean Marais French Actor Acteur European Film Star Josette Day Josette Day Actress Actrice Cinema Film Kino Cine Picture Screen Movie Movies Filmster Star Vintage Postcard Carte Postale Cartolina Postkarte Tarjet Postal Postkaart Briefkarte Briefkaart Ansichtskarte Ansichtkaart La belle et la bête 1946 Aldo

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French card by Editions La Malibran, Saint-Dié, no CF 19. Photo: Aldo. Jean Marais, Marcel André, Michel Auclair and Josette Day in La belle et la bête/Beauty and the Beast (Jean Cocteau, René Clément, 1946).

With his heroic physique, Jean Marais (1913-1998) was France’s answer to Errol Flynn, the epitome of the swashbuckling romantic hero of French cinema. The blonde and incredibly good-looking actor played over 100 roles in film and on television and was also known as a director, writer, painter and sculptor. His mentor was the legendary poet and director Jean Cocteau, who was also his lover.

French film actress Josette Day (1914-1978) is best known as Belle in the unforgettable classic La belle et la bête/Beauty and the Beast (1946). She started her film career as a child and played during the 1930s and 1940s many leading parts in French films. In 1950 she ended her successful acting career when she was only 36.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

Tags:   Jean Marais Jean Marais French Actor Acteur European Film Star Marcel André Marcel André Michel Auclair Michel Auclair Josette Day Josette Day Actress Actrice Cinema Film Kino Cine Picture Screen Movie Movies Filmster Star Vintage Postcard Carte Postale Cartolina Postkarte Tarjet Postal Postkaart Briefkarte Briefkaart Ansichtskarte Ansichtkaart La belle et la bête 1946 La Malibran Aldo

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French card by Groupes National des cinemas de recherche (CNC). Josette Day in La belle et la bête/Beauty and the Beast (Jean Cocteau, René Clément, 1946).

French film actress Josette Day (1914-1978) is best known as Belle in the unforgettable classic La belle et la bête/Beauty and the Beast (1946). She started her film career as a child and played during the 1930s and 1940s many leading parts in French films. In 1950 she ended her successful acting career when she was only 36.

Josette Day was born as Josette Noëlle Andrée Claire Dagory in Paris, in 1914. At the age of five, she began her film career in Ames d'orient/Souls of the Orient (Léon Poirier, 1919). Till 1922 she made three films under her real name, Josette Dagory. She also performed as a dancer, including a stint in the Paris Opera. An injury curtailed her career in dance when she was only 9 years old. She did not return to the screen until she was an adult but then her film career soon took off. The sound film was recently introduced. As Josette Dagory she played the female lead in Serments/Oaths (Henri Fescourt, 1931) and Un bouquet de flirts/A bouquet of flirtations (Charles de Rochefort, 1931). Then she changed her name to ‘Day’. Throughout the thirties, she made numerous films, sometimes as many as seven in a year. Among her early sound films were the romantic comedy Allo Berlin? Ici Paris/Here's Berlin (Julien Duvivier, 1932), Coralie et Cie/ Coralie and Company (Alberto Cavalcanti, 1932) starring Francoise Rosay, and Die Abenteuer des Königs Pausole/The Merry Monarch (Alexis Granowsky, 1933). The latter was a Tobis production, that was made in German, French and English versions. In all three alternate language versions, she was the leading lady opposite the famous Emil Jannings. Later films were Les filles de la concierge/The Daughters of the Caretaker (Jacques Tourneur, 1934), Lucrèce Borgia/Lucrezia Borgia (Abel Gance, 1935) starring Edwige Feuillère, Ménilmontant (René Guissart, 1936), and L'homme du jour/The Man of the Hour (Julien Duvivier, 1937).

In 1939, Josette Day met Marcel Pagnol and they married in 1941. Pagnol was a famous French author, producer and director who owned his own film studio. Her first great role was as Patricia Amoretti in his production La Fille du puisatier/The Well-Diggers Daughter (Marcel Pagnol, 1940) with Raimu and Fernandel. The couple also made Monsieur Brotonneau/Mr. Brotonneau (Alexander Esway, 1939) starring Raimu, La prière aux étoiles/The Prayer to the Stars (Marcel Pagnol, 1941) and Arlette et l'amour/Arlette and Love (Robert Vernay, 1943). Day divorced Pagnol in 1944. Most of her films seem forgotten through the passage of time, except for one film she will always be remembered in the history of French cinema. In 1946, she played Belle in the classic French fairytale La belle et la bête/Beauty and the Beast (Jean Cocteau, René Clément, 1946) opposite Jean Marais as the Beast. At Films de France, James Travers reviews: “This is one of the most important films in the history of cinema. By pushing film technology to its creative limits and avoiding sentimentality, Jean Cocteau succeeds in creating a film that is both visually entrancing and emotionally rewarding, whilst re-telling a familiar tale in a fresh and innovative way. (…) Of course, Cocteau is well-served by some great acting talent, in the form of Jean Marais and Josette Day as the lead characters.” Two years after La belle et la bête she also appeared opposite Marais in Cocteau’s Les parents terrible/The Terrible Parents (1948), and she also appeared in the lost film Coriolan (Jean Cocteau, 1950). Other interesting films were La révoltée/Stolen Affections (Marcel L’Herbier, 1948) with Victor Francen, and Swiss Tour/Four Days Leave (Leopold Lindtberg, 1950) with Cornell Wilde and Simone Signoret. She was only 36 years old when she suddenly ended her career. She retired to marry a wealthy Belgian businessman, Maurice Solvay. She was only once seen in one other film, as herself in the comedy L'amour, Madame/Love, Madame (Gilles Grangier, 1952) with Arletty and François Périer. For the last years of her life, she devoted herself to charitable work. Josette Day died in 1978 in Paris.

Sources: James Travers (French Films), Bob Hufford (Find A Grave), Lenin Imports, Wikipedia and IMDb.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

Tags:   Josette Day Josette Day French Actress Actrice European Film Star Cinema Film Kino Cine Picture Screen Movie Movies Filmster Star Vintage Postcard Carte Postale Cartolina Postkarte Tarjet Postal Postkaart Briefkarte Briefkaart Ansichtskarte Ansichtkaart La belle et la bête 1946

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