Bambi

Bambi's real name is Marie-Pierre Pruvot, she was born male in 1935 in Algeria, moved to Paris in the 50's to work as a drag performer at Le Carrousel, the famous alternative nightclub. Then in the 60's, with the clock running out on her looks, she transforms herself into a public school teacher in the town of Garges-les-Gonesse (can there really be such a place?). She finally retires in 2001, still pretty fabulous looking--she bears more than a passing resemblance to Mireille Darc.

Marie-Pierre has an honesty and freshness in front of the camera that I found wonderful. Some of the stories she tells of police harassment are startling, until we remember that France wasn't tolerant of people who were different in those days.

This is a very nice and personal story, all whitewashed by an ambitious director. The uglier scenes with the police are kept for the bonus track of the DVD or just edited out. Bambi has a very touching story. And she knows how to express it so well. But the ugliness of the staunch catholic France of today is even worse than what is kept into the film after the director filtered it out. Back in the 1950s and 1960s probably was far worse. But why stir controversy when you can parade with your mention at a Berlin festival.

And packed with it you have the French regular chauvinism: the DVD comes packed with English and French (?!) subtitles. Berlin festival was not relevant enough to put some German subtitles. This way a good story becomes a lost gem, hard to reach to most people.

Contact me with Questions, Comments or Suggestions ryitfork @ bitmail.ch