French Stars: Mistinguett

French Stars: Mistinguett is a program of films that, for the first time, collectively reveal the work that this famous ‘Queen of the Paris Night’ undertook on film. What is significant is not only that visual proof is offered of film’s early and close relationship to the theatre, but the fact that this is the first time that these four feature films could be seen together. Moreover, the notes that were researched and written to accompany the screenings were conducted historically and with much effort: beyond the inclusion of Mistinguett’s films in Henri Bousquet’s filmography of Pathé films (1988), there is no mention of Mistinguett in film history, theatre history, or related fields. Hence, primary research was conducted at the performance collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum (London), at Richelieu (Paris) and through Gallica (BnF; online). For those who do not know about theatre or film history, Mistinguett is important as she was globally famous in a period when France dominated the world markets in film (pre WW1). In this context, we are not only demonstrating that the popular music hall materially impacted the development of the longer narrative film. We also show that women brought global audiences together around films that feature sexualized street dances, female athleticism, and portrayals of popular street characters in Paris.