Star of the French silent film Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917) is striking, sophisticated Suzanne Grandais. She was the most beautiful and refined actress of the French silent cinema. Her nickname was 'the French Mary Pickford' because of her angel face and blond hair. She died in a car crash when she was only 27.
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 1. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 2. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais and Brodsky in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 3. Photo: Eclipse. Brodsky and Suzanne Grandais in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 4. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 5. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 6. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais, Jane Danjou and Brodsky in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 7. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 8. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais and Jean Peyrière in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 9. Photo: Eclipse. Jean Peyrière and Suzanne Grandais in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917) aka Midinette was one of the typical films of the so-called 'Third Series' of Suzanne Grandais films, produced by Charles Mary for the film company Eclipse. The Spanish postcards which we use for this post, were published by the chocolate company Amatller Marca Luna. Amatller published several series on the films with Grandais.
Ciné-Journal described the content as follows: "Midinette is the simple adventure of a charming little seamstress, that belongs to a big fashion house, in which she leads the usual life of female workers, a life shared between the workshop, her little room, and her light love for a young mechanic.
Then suddenly a radical shift takes place in her life when she gets a large heritance. She turns into a wealthy lady and is courted by a debt-ridden aristocrat, who would like to recolour his blazon with Rosette's blue billets. The delicious young girl brings all of her independence and her neighbourhood esprit into the milieu. But after some time, the exquisite Rosette understands she has no real vocation for the aristocracy, so she returns to her room and her mechanic, whom she marries."
The 'midinettes' (seamstresses) were called this way, because they often lived far from their work, and at lunchtime they had to eat quickly. So they had a 'dinette' at 'midi'.
Suzanne Grandais played Rosette of course, while Jean Peyrière played the young Duke, Anthony Gildès and Marie-Ange Fériel played his parents, and Jane Danjou played Rosette's friend. It is unclear who played the mechanic; it probably was (first name unknown) Brodsky. Directors René Hervil and Louis Mercanton were also the co-writers of the film, while the regular cinematographer of Eclipse, Wladimir, took care of the photography.
Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917) premiered in Paris on 10 August 1917. While the plot was quite simple, the press lauded Grandais' performance as well as that of her co-star Danjou. The critics also liked the several shots shot on location in Paris, such as that of the walk by the lake at night.
The film came out in a particular context, because in May 1917 the real 'midinettes' raised a strike in France, refusing a reduction of their salary because of the war. Already because of the war, they were forced to work 10 hours a day. Just like in Britain, the French employers cut half a day of work on Saturday, but in contrast to the Brits, they would not pay for it. Soon, all Parisian female seamstresses were on strike. Moreover, the strike quickly spread also to female workers working in factories and banks, so within 5 days some 10.000 women were on strike.
In the end, French employers gave in and accepted the 'English week' of one and a half-day paid weekend. This was the first step in the recognition of a weekend. Up till then, few women had joined a union because of their work being mostly domestic, but because of the strike, by the end of 1917, a third of the members of the big CGT union consisted of women.
Yet, Laure Lee Downs, in her book 'Manufacturing Inequality: Gender Division in the French and British Metalworking Industries, 1914-1939' (1995), writes that the midinettes, with their flowers on their clothes and waving the national flags, were easier embraced by the bourgeois establishment than the 'munitionettes' (the women working in the weapon factories), waving red flags and behaving less gentle. The latter group would 'face arrest, interrogation, imprisonment, and victimization of those identified as ringleaders."
One may wonder what the real midinettes may have thought of the deterministic, conventional storyline of Midinettes - stay within your class. On the other hand, during a war, the government probably would not have allowed for a film that came too close to reality.
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 10. Photo: Eclipse. Jane Danjou, Brodsky and Suzanne Grandais in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 11. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais and Anthony Gildès in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 12. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais and Marcel Marquet in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 13. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 14. Photo: Eclipse. Anthony Gildès, Suzanne Grandais, Marie-Ange Fériel and Marcel Marquet in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 15. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais and Jean Peyrière in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 16. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais, Berthe Jalabert and Brodsky in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 17. Photo: Eclipse. Marie-Ange Fériel, Anthony Gildès, Suzanne Grandais and Jean Peyrière in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 18. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais, Brodsky and Jane Danjou in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917). This card shows the conclusion of the plot.
Sources: Gauchemip (French) Ciné-Journal (14 July 1917- French), Wikipedia and IMDb.
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 1. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 2. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais and Brodsky in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 3. Photo: Eclipse. Brodsky and Suzanne Grandais in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 4. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 5. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 6. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais, Jane Danjou and Brodsky in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 7. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 8. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais and Jean Peyrière in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 9. Photo: Eclipse. Jean Peyrière and Suzanne Grandais in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Her light love for a young mechanic
Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917) aka Midinette was one of the typical films of the so-called 'Third Series' of Suzanne Grandais films, produced by Charles Mary for the film company Eclipse. The Spanish postcards which we use for this post, were published by the chocolate company Amatller Marca Luna. Amatller published several series on the films with Grandais.
Ciné-Journal described the content as follows: "Midinette is the simple adventure of a charming little seamstress, that belongs to a big fashion house, in which she leads the usual life of female workers, a life shared between the workshop, her little room, and her light love for a young mechanic.
Then suddenly a radical shift takes place in her life when she gets a large heritance. She turns into a wealthy lady and is courted by a debt-ridden aristocrat, who would like to recolour his blazon with Rosette's blue billets. The delicious young girl brings all of her independence and her neighbourhood esprit into the milieu. But after some time, the exquisite Rosette understands she has no real vocation for the aristocracy, so she returns to her room and her mechanic, whom she marries."
The 'midinettes' (seamstresses) were called this way, because they often lived far from their work, and at lunchtime they had to eat quickly. So they had a 'dinette' at 'midi'.
Suzanne Grandais played Rosette of course, while Jean Peyrière played the young Duke, Anthony Gildès and Marie-Ange Fériel played his parents, and Jane Danjou played Rosette's friend. It is unclear who played the mechanic; it probably was (first name unknown) Brodsky. Directors René Hervil and Louis Mercanton were also the co-writers of the film, while the regular cinematographer of Eclipse, Wladimir, took care of the photography.
Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917) premiered in Paris on 10 August 1917. While the plot was quite simple, the press lauded Grandais' performance as well as that of her co-star Danjou. The critics also liked the several shots shot on location in Paris, such as that of the walk by the lake at night.
The film came out in a particular context, because in May 1917 the real 'midinettes' raised a strike in France, refusing a reduction of their salary because of the war. Already because of the war, they were forced to work 10 hours a day. Just like in Britain, the French employers cut half a day of work on Saturday, but in contrast to the Brits, they would not pay for it. Soon, all Parisian female seamstresses were on strike. Moreover, the strike quickly spread also to female workers working in factories and banks, so within 5 days some 10.000 women were on strike.
In the end, French employers gave in and accepted the 'English week' of one and a half-day paid weekend. This was the first step in the recognition of a weekend. Up till then, few women had joined a union because of their work being mostly domestic, but because of the strike, by the end of 1917, a third of the members of the big CGT union consisted of women.
Yet, Laure Lee Downs, in her book 'Manufacturing Inequality: Gender Division in the French and British Metalworking Industries, 1914-1939' (1995), writes that the midinettes, with their flowers on their clothes and waving the national flags, were easier embraced by the bourgeois establishment than the 'munitionettes' (the women working in the weapon factories), waving red flags and behaving less gentle. The latter group would 'face arrest, interrogation, imprisonment, and victimization of those identified as ringleaders."
One may wonder what the real midinettes may have thought of the deterministic, conventional storyline of Midinettes - stay within your class. On the other hand, during a war, the government probably would not have allowed for a film that came too close to reality.
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 10. Photo: Eclipse. Jane Danjou, Brodsky and Suzanne Grandais in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 11. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais and Anthony Gildès in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 12. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais and Marcel Marquet in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 13. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 14. Photo: Eclipse. Anthony Gildès, Suzanne Grandais, Marie-Ange Fériel and Marcel Marquet in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 15. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais and Jean Peyrière in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 16. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais, Berthe Jalabert and Brodsky in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 17. Photo: Eclipse. Marie-Ange Fériel, Anthony Gildès, Suzanne Grandais and Jean Peyrière in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917).
Spanish collectors card by Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 3, no. 18. Photo: Eclipse. Suzanne Grandais, Brodsky and Jane Danjou in Midinettes (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton, 1917). This card shows the conclusion of the plot.
Sources: Gauchemip (French) Ciné-Journal (14 July 1917- French), Wikipedia and IMDb.
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