Josephine Baker (2016)

Synopsis

Paris, 1925. Over the course of a single evening, the Mississippi-born dancer Josephine Baker becomes the darling of the Roaring Twenties. Some audience members in the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées are scandalised by the African-American’s performance in La Revue Nègre, but the city’s discerning cultural figures – among them Picasso and Cocteau – are enchanted by her bold and uninhibited style.

In Josephine Baker, José-Luis Bocquet and Catel Muller capture the remarkable life and glorious times of a spirited, principled and thoroughly modern woman – a star who dazzled audiences in the twenties, who aided the French Resistance during World War II and who in later years adopted 12 children from different ethnic backgrounds to prove that racial harmony was possible.

From: SelfMadeHero

Notes on This Title

This title was originally published in French by Casterman in 2016. A 2017 English translation was published by SelfMadeHero.

It depicts the life of historical figure Josephine Baker. Baker’s bisexuality is referred to directly, but she is only shown to have male romantic partners.

Awards

None.

Reviews

“It is clear in every page that Bocquet and Muller (Kiki de Montparnasse) adore their subject and wish to do her justice, but they miss the chance to transform a life into an engaging story of bigotry, sacrifice, and glamour.” (Source: Publishers Weekly)

Interviews

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