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.
Le petit café
Danielle Darrieux Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nous avons fait un pèlerinage
Dans le quartier où à vingt ans
Déjà nous songions au mariage
Nous avons revu tout, tout, tout
Ça nous a fait un plaisir fou
Mais des souvenirs le meilleur
C'est le petit café-traiteur
C'est dans ce petit, petit, petit café
Là-bas au fond de cette salle
Que souvent tous deux par amour on a fait
À ce moment bien des scandales
Pendant que l' crémier de la boutique du coin
Criait "Valet, dame et roi d' pique"
Nous imaginions que nous étions bien loin
C'est charmant d'être romantique
Nous demandions régulièrement
Deux cafés-crème
C'est ce qu'on prend habituellement
Lorsque l'on s'aime
Car on se moquait de toutes les liqueurs
Des apéros, des anisettes
Puisque nous avions au fond de notre cœur
La plus délicieuse amourette
Mais hélas le petit café
Est maintenant méconnaissable
Le nouveau patron a tout refait
On a changé même les tables
On a changé jusqu'à son nom
Dans l' temps c'était "Chez Gédéon"
Aujourd'hui c'est modernisé
Ça s'appelle "Comme à l'Élysée"
Dans le vieux petit, petit, petit café
Qui n'est aujourd'hui plus le même
Comme le chagrin nous avait assoiffés
Nous n'avons pas pris d' café-crème
Nous étions tous deux presque dépaysés
Dans le petit coin de la salle
Qui jadis connut nos serments, nos baisers
Dont l'ardeur était proverbiale
Au lieu d' la caissière qui souriait
L'air angélique
Y a une caisse à enregistrer
Automatique
Et nous sommes rentrés bien tristement chez nous
Regrettant qu'il faille sans cesse
Faire des changements dans le monde et partout
Même aux souvenirs de jeunesse
The song Le petit café by Danielle Darrieux is an exploration of memories and the changes that happen over time. The singer visits the neighborhood of Menilmontant, where they once walked around at the age of 20 contemplating marriage. They revisit everything, but the most precious memory is of the small cafe-caterer which they used to visit with their loved one, surrounded by an air of romance. The cafe was their special place where they would order two coffees with cream and get lost in each other's company. The singer laments that the cafe is now unrecognizable under new ownership, with even the name changed to "Comme a l'Elysee". Though they visit it again, the magic of the place is gone, and instead of a smiling cashier, there is now an automated cash register. The song concludes by expressing regret that even cherished childhood memories are subject to change, romanticizing the idea of holding onto memories as they were.
Line by Line Meaning
L'autre jour à Ménilmontant
The singer reminisces about a recent trip to Ménilmontant.
Nous avons fait un pèlerinage
The singer and someone else went on a pilgrimage of sorts.
Dans le quartier où à vingt ans
The neighborhood where they were twenty years old.
Déjà nous songions au mariage
At a young age they were already thinking about marriage.
Nous avons revu tout, tout, tout
They saw everything they once knew again.
Ça nous a fait un plaisir fou
It brought them great pleasure.
Mais des souvenirs le meilleur
However, the best memory was of a little coffee shop.
C'est le petit café-traiteur
The name of the coffee shop is Café-Traiteur.
C'est dans ce petit, petit, petit café
They describe the café as small.
Là-bas au fond de cette salle
The café is located at the back of a room.
Que souvent tous deux par amour on a fait
The singer and their loved one often visited the café.
À ce moment bien des scandales
Their visits caused some scandal.
Pendant que l' crémier de la boutique du coin
While the local dairy store owner shouted 'Valet, dame et roi d' pique.'
Criait "Valet, dame et roi d' pique"
The dairy store owner was calling for people to come play cards.
Nous imaginions que nous étions bien loin
Despite the noise, the singer and their loved one could transport themselves to another place.
C'est charmant d'être romantique
They enjoyed being in love and romantic with each other.
Nous demandions régulièrement
They frequently ordered.
Deux cafés-crème
They always ordered two café crèmes.
C'est ce qu'on prend habituellement
Café crèmes were their usual order.
Lorsque l'on s'aime
When one is in love.
Car on se moquait de toutes les liqueurs
They didn't care for other liquors.
Des apéros, des anisettes
They were not interested in drinks like anisette and aperitifs.
Puisque nous avions au fond de notre cœur
They had a deep love in their hearts.
La plus délicieuse amourette
Their love was sweet and delicious.
Mais hélas le petit café
Unfortunately, the coffee shop has changed.
Est maintenant méconnaissable
It is unrecognizable now.
Le nouveau patron a tout refait
The new owner has redone everything.
On a changé même les tables
Even the tables have been changed.
On a changé jusqu'à son nom
The cafe has a new name.
Dans l' temps c'était "Chez Gédéon"
Its old name was Chez Gédéon.
Aujourd'hui c'est modernisé
The cafe has been modernized now.
Ça s'appelle "Comme à l'Élysée"
It's now called "Comme à l'Élysée".
Dans le vieux petit, petit, petit café
They remember the original, smaller café.
Qui n'est aujourd'hui plus le même
The café has changed a lot since they last visited.
Comme le chagrin nous avait assoiffés
They were sad about the changes and didn't feel like drinking coffee.
Nous n'avons pas pris d' café-crème
They didn't order their usual café crème.
Nous étions tous deux presque dépaysés
They felt out of place in the renovated café.
Dans le petit coin de la salle
The original café had a special corner where the couple shared their love.
Qui jadis connut nos serments, nos baisers
A place where they shared their memories.
Dont l'ardeur était proverbiale
Where their passion was well-known.
Au lieu d' la caissière qui souriait
The friendly cashier is no longer there.
L'air angélique
She had a kind, angelic demeanor.
Y a une caisse à enregistrer
Now, there is a machine to register payments.
Automatique
The registration process is completely automatic.
Et nous sommes rentrés bien tristement chez nous
The couple left the café feeling sad and disheartened.
Regrettant qu'il faille sans cesse
They lamented the constant changes that occur in life.
Faire des changements dans le monde et partout
Changes happen everywhere, no matter how much we may cherish our memories.
Même aux souvenirs de jeunesse
Even our fondest memories may change over time.
Contributed by Josiah L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.