Beginning in 1931, she appeared in more than 110 films. She was one of France's great movie stars and her eight-decade career was among the longest in film history. She turned 100 in May 2017.
Darrieux was born in Bordeaux, France during World War I to a physician who was serving in the French Army. Her father died when she was seven years old. Raised in Paris, she studied the cello at the Conservatoire de Musique. At 13, she won a part in the musical film Le Bal (1931). Her beauty combined with her singing and dancing ability led to numerous other offers, and the film Mayerling (1936) brought her to fame.
In 1935, Darrieux married director/screenwriter Henri Decoin, who encouraged her to try Hollywood. She signed with Universal Studios to star in The Rage of Paris (1938) opposite Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Afterwards, she elected to return to Paris.
Under the German occupation of France during World War II, she continued to perform, a decision that was severely criticized by her compatriots. However, it is reported that her brother had been threatened with deportation by Alfred Greven, the manager of the German run film production company in occupied France, Continental. She got a divorce and then fell in love with Porfirio Rubirosa, a Dominican Republic diplomat and notorious womanizer. They married in 1942. His anti-Nazi opinions resulted in his forced residence in Germany. In exchange for Rubirosa's freedom, Darrieux agreed to make a promotional trip in Berlin. The couple lived in Switzerland until the end of the war, and divorced in 1947. She married scriptwriter Georges Mitsikidès in 1948, and they lived together until his death in 1991.
She gave a good performance in the 1951 MGM musical Rich, Young and Pretty. Joseph L. Mankiewicz lured her back to Hollywood to star in 5 Fingers (1952) opposite James Mason. Upon returning to France, she appeared in Max Ophüls' The Earrings of Madame de... (1953) opposite Charles Boyer, and The Red and the Black (1954) opposite Gérard Philippe. The next year she starred in Lady Chatterley's Lover, whose theme of uninhibited sexuality led to its being proscribed by Catholic censors in the United States.
During the late 1950s, she played a supporting role in her last American film, United Artists' epic Alexander the Great (1956) starring Richard Burton and Claire Bloom. In 1961 she went to England at the request of director Lewis Gilbert to star in The Greengage Summer opposite Kenneth More. In 1963, she starred in the romantic comedy La Robe Mauve de Valentine at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris. The play was adapted from the novel by Françoise Sagan. Then, in 1966, she played a memorable supporting role in Jacques Demy's musical The Young Girls of Rochefort. She is notable for being the only principal actor in any of Demy's film-musicals to sing her own songs. (All other actors had a separate person voice their singing parts.) During the 1960s she also was a concert singer.
In 1970, Darrieux replaced Katharine Hepburn in the Broadway musical Coco, based on the life of Coco Chanel, but the play, essentially a showcase for Hepburn, soon folded without her. In 1971 and 1972 she also appeared in the short-lived productions of Ambassador. In 1982, she worked again with Demy for his film Une chambre en ville, an opera-like musical melodrama reminiscent of the director's earlier masterpiece The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Once again, Darrieux provided her own vocals for her songs.
For her long service to the motion picture industry, in 1985 she was given an Honorary César Award. She continued to work, her career spanning eight decades, most recently providing the voice of the protagonist's grandmother in the animated feature, Persepolis (2007), which deals with the impact of the Islamic revolution on a girl's life as she grows to adulthood in Iran.
Danielle Darreux died on 17 October 2017 aged 100.
She was paid homage in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009): when Shosanna Dreyfus is preparing to take the Nazis down, her assistant calls her Danielle Darrieux.
Berger d'autrefois
Danielle Darrieux Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dans son beau château
La fille du roi
T'aimera bientôt
Surtout ne t′éveille pas
En rêve implore-la
Tout bas
"Ah, princesse, épouse-moi"
Berger d'autrefois
Mon cœur en dormant
A fait comme toi
Des rêves charmants
Hélas, les temps ont changé
Où l'on voyait légers
S′aimer
Filles de rois et bergers
Dans une vitrine de salon
Un berger de porcelaine
Près d′une princesse de carton
Gardait ses moutons
Aux pieds de la reine
Dormait le garçon
Berger d'autrefois
Dans son beau château
La fille du roi
T′aimera bientôt
Surtout ne t'éveille pas
En rêve implore-la
Tout bas
"Ah, princesse, épouse-moi"
Berger d′autrefois
Mon cœur en dormant
A fait comme toi
Des rêves charmants
Hélas, les temps ont changé
Où l'on voyait légers
S′aimer
Filles de rois et bergers
In Danielle Darrieux's song "Berger d'autrefois," the lyrics depict a story of a shepherd from the past who finds himself captivated by the princess of a kingdom. The first verse sets the scene, mentioning the shepherd's presence in a beautiful castle and his growing affection for the king's daughter. The repeated line "Surtout ne t'éveille pas, en rêve implore-la, tout bas, 'Ah, princesse, épouse-moi'" urges the shepherd to not awaken from his dream and silently implore the princess to marry him.
The second verse reveals that the shepherd's heart, like the girl he admires, has also been immersed in enchanting dreams. However, it also acknowledges that times have changed, and the once light-hearted love between princesses and shepherds is no longer as possible or prevalent. This verse emphasizes the theme of societal shifts and how they have affected the dynamics of love between people from different social backgrounds.
The third paragraph introduces a visual image of a shepherd made of porcelain displayed in a salon. He is depicted alongside a cardboard princess and sheep, which further highlights the disconnect between reality and dreams. The presence of the shepherd and the princess in different materials suggests their inherent differences and the barriers imposed by their respective social statuses. Additionally, the mention of the queen sleeping at the feet of the princess symbolizes the hierarchy and power dynamics within the royal family.
The final verse recalls the refrain from the earlier verses, emphasizing the shepherd's unwavering desire for the princess and his plea for her to marry him. The repetition reinforces his longing and determination to pursue his love, despite the changes in society mentioned earlier. The closing lines express a lament for the lost era where love between princesses and shepherds was more common and accepted. Overall, the lyrics convey a mix of romantic longing, nostalgia, and an awareness of social barriers that prevent the shepherd from realizing his dreams of marrying the princess.
Line by Line Meaning
Berger d'autrefois
In the past, a shepherd
Dans son beau château
In his beautiful castle
La fille du roi
The king's daughter
T'aimera bientôt
Will love you soon
Surtout ne t'éveille pas
Above all, don't wake up
En rêve implore-la
In your dream implore her
Tout bas
Softly
"Ah, princesse, épouse-moi"
"Ah, princess, marry me"
Mon cœur en dormant
My heart while sleeping
A fait comme toi
Has done like you
Des rêves charmants
Charming dreams
Hélas, les temps ont changé
Alas, times have changed
Où l'on voyait légers
Where one used to see lightly
S′aimer
To love each other
Filles de rois et bergers
Daughters of kings and shepherds
Dans une vitrine de salon
In a living room display
Un berger de porcelaine
A porcelain shepherd
Près d′une princesse de carton
Next to a cardboard princess
Gardait ses moutons
Was guarding his sheep
Aux pieds de la reine
At the feet of the queen
Dormait le garçon
The boy was sleeping
Berger d'autrefois
In the past, a shepherd
Dans son beau château
In his beautiful castle
La fille du roi
The king's daughter
T'aimera bientôt
Will love you soon
Surtout ne t'éveille pas
Above all, don't wake up
En rêve implore-la
In your dream implore her
Tout bas
Softly
"Ah, princesse, épouse-moi"
"Ah, princess, marry me"
Mon cœur en dormant
My heart while sleeping
A fait comme toi
Has done like you
Des rêves charmants
Charming dreams
Hélas, les temps ont changé
Alas, times have changed
Où l'on voyait légers
Where one used to see lightly
S′aimer
To love each other
Filles de rois et bergers
Daughters of kings and shepherds
Writer(s): Maurice Yvain, Louis Eugene Bernard Poterat
Contributed by Ian L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@marie-jotournier2712
cette chanson à bercée tout mon enfance. Ma mère avait un phonographe que je remontais inlassablement pour écouter cette chanson. Je la cherchais depuis longtemps. Que d'émotion et 70 ans après je me souviens de toutes les paroles merci merci merci
@labardina
изумительно.
@wallersayn7975
Magnifique
@tychaton08
Merci beaucoup!
@siempremarisol
SHE IS GREAT
@aviatorsbh
What do you think how difficult it is for me as a man to get trousers which are NOT blue jeans and still suitable for daily use? A couple of years ago, when I went to school I counted all students who wore blue jeans and the ones who didn't. The "uniformed" were more than 90%.
@brianallancobb
I don't think she was in any movies during the Occupation. Reportedly she came in for criticism for continuing to perform (perhaps live) during the Occupation. If that was a sin, it was a little one.
@barbcard
Speaking as a woman I totally agree with the comments re skirts, which I much prefer--but they're hard to find these days except for micro-mini skirts. The latter have returned and look dreadful on women young or old with fat butts and thick jiggly thighs.
@240252
@MusicMan20061210 Polish women, young and old, fat like African baobabs and thin like 100 year old skeletons, straight and crooked, with clean skin or with myriads of pimples on their arms and cleavages - they all gave up skirts once and forever and put on the leggins. For their looks - it's just HORRIBLE!!! When group of them walks down the street they look like an array of smoked hams or gammons exposed in a country meat store. Sorry, but in a 100% I have to second your opinion :-(