Miss Europe postcards

The 1930 French film, Prix de beauté (also known as Miss Europa), tells the story of a typist named  Lucienne (played by Louise Brooks) stuck in a dull job whose life changes when she wins a beauty contest. The film was based on a screenplay by Augusto Genina, René Clair, Bernard Zimmer, and Alessandro de Stefani from an original story idea by René Clair and G.W. Pabst.

The story plays out against the backdrop of a "Miss Europe" beauty contest, an actual event just beginning to take hold in the European consciousness. According to its Wikipedia entry, "Miss Europe" was a beauty pageant among female contestants from European nations established in February 1929 by Maurice de Waleffe. It was first held at the Paris Opera where delegates from 18 countries participated. Here is another page about the history of the contest. And this page has a lot of images of vintage postcards. More images will show up on a Google image search.

For many years, "Miss Europe" proved a popular event. And picture postcards depicting the various participants were issued on annual basis. (A handful of cards from around the time of Prix de beauté are shown below). RadioLulu even features a Polish song from the 1930's celebrating "Miss Polonia" (Miss Poland).

 

Miss Denmark, 1929

 

Miss Poland, 1929

Miss Greece, 1930
also Miss Europe, 1930

 

Miss France, 1931
also Miss Europe, 1931

A musical homage to Miss Europe, featuring Suzy Solidor

Louise Brooks starred in the 1930 French film, Prix de beauté, which is sometimes called Beauty Prize or Miss Europe, in English speaking countries. Since the late 1920s, a European beauty pageant proved popular, and the Brooks' film ties in to it. RadioLulu even features a song by a male vocalist titled "Miss Polonia" (Miss Poland).

Here is a video tribute to some of the women named Miss Europe. They include:

-1929: Erzsébet Simon (Hungary)
-1930: Aliki Diplarakou (Greece)
-1931: Jeanne Juilla (France)
-1933: Tatiana Maslow (Soviet Union)
-1937: Britta Wikström (Finland)

The music is by Suzy Solidor, herself a beauty and a woman sometimes referred to as the “most painted woman in the world”. She was photographed by Man Ray (famously in the nude), and she posed for some of the most celebrated artists of her day including Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Raoul Dufy, Tamara de Lempicka, Marie Laurencin, Jean Cocteau, Francis Picabia, and Kees van Dongen.

Prix de beauté - A round up of reviews

Prix de beauté was officially released in France on this day in 1930. The film was shot as a silent, and then adapted for sound. The sound version is available on DVD. On rare occasions, the silent version is screened, as it was in New Zealand earlier this month.

The film stars Louise Brooks as Lucienne, Georges Charlia as André, H. Bandini as Antonin, and Jean Bradin as Prince de Grabovsky. The film was based on the screenplay by Augusto Genina, René Clair, Bernard Zimmer, and Alessandro de Stefani from an original story idea by René Clair (and G.W. Pabst). The film was directed by Augusto Genina and released by SOFAR Film (La Societe des Films Artistiques).Notably, Louise Brooks' costume design was by Jean Patou.

Prix de beauté was very popular in France, where it was made,and it was screened all around Europe. The Louise Brooks Society archive contains reviews and advertisements from Germany, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Iceland, and The Netherlands. The film wasn't shown in the United States until the late 1950s. Here are a few multinational reviews from the LBS archive.

anonymous. Le Journal des Débats Politiques et Littéraires, March 30, 1929. 
 --- "René Clair, le brillant réalisateur de Chapeau de paille d'Italie, travaille actuellement au découpage de son nouveau: Prix de Beauté, qu'il va tourner pour la Sofar. Il compte prendre les premières prises de vues au début d'avril. On sait que la vedette féminine de cette production sera Louise Brooks, l'étonnant interprète de A girl in every port."

anonymous. "Miss Europa." Corriere della Sera, April 13, 1930. 
 --- "II film è pregevole specialmente nelle parti descrittive più adatte alle particolari qualità dello stile geniniano: le scene del concorso di bellezza, la fiera, certe notazioni d’ambiente e d’officina, sentono tutto il suo tipico realismo spontaneo e pulito. . . . Bisogna menzionare Ia trovata finale, esempio di ingegnosa applicazione dci metodi sonori."

anonymous. "Prix de Beauté." Le Figaro, May 18, 1930.
 --- " . . . Une très jolie femme - Louise Brooks - et une tr&ès jolie idée: l'artiste qu'une balle de revolver abat landis qu'elle chante sur l'écran, et vit, et sóurit, et que, truvée, sanglante, morte, continue, à trois mètres de là, sur l'écran, à chanter, à sourire, à vivre"

Vincent, Carl. "Prix de beauté." L’Indépendance Belge, June 13, 1930.
--- article; "C’est Louise Brooks qui interprète le rôle de Lucienne. Elle le fait avec intelligence et le talent dont elle a fait preuve à travers plus d’un film américain et plus récemment dans deux oeuvres de Pabst: Loulou et Trois pages d’un journal."

Gilbert, Morris. "Paris Cinema Chatter." New York Times, June 15, 1930. 
 --- Brooks is mentioned as appearing in Prix de Beauté in article in New York City newspaper  

H., H. "Miss Europa." Lichtbild-Bühne, August 12, 1930.
--- "Louise Brooks' Spiel ist erfüllt von Anmut und Innerlichkeit . . . . Eine Meisterleistung der Regiekunst."

n. "Miss Europa." Film Kurier, August 12, 1930.
--- "Und Louise Brooks, die bei jeder Geste auf den Regisseur angewiesen bleibt, vermag ihn gerade in diesen Momenten nicht zu unterstützen."

Magnus. Variety, September 3, 1930. 
 --- "The acting is very good. Louise Brooks looks charming and she knows how to move."

anonymous. "Premio de Belleza." Popular Film, July 16, 1931. 
 --- illustrated feature; "Dos escenas de Premio de belleza, el film ablado en francés con fragmentos y canciones en español, del programa Gaumont, estrenado con buen éxito en el elegante cinema Fantasio. Los principales intérpretes de Premio de belleza, son la gentil y bonita Louise Brooks y el excente galán George Charlia. La realización es de Augusto Genina".

Palma, A. "Prix de Beauté." La Rivista Cinématografica, March 30, 1932. 
 --- "Augusto Genina . . . da valoroso artista quale egli è, ha saputo intessere una appassionante trama per lo schermo dallo spunto offerto dall'annuale concorso di bellezza muliebre, e prescegliendo a protagonista Louise Brooks, la quale oltre a campione di bellezza si è dimostrata anche una valida interprete cinematografica . . . Ottima la recitazione della Brooks"

Kennedy, James. "National Film Theater Anthology." Guardian, July 24, 1964. 
--- "Augusto Genina's Prix de Beaute (1930), remarkable for the performance of Louise Brooks."

Lundegaard, Bob. "Prix de Beauté offers quintessential Brooks." Minneapolis Tribune, October 21, 1983.
--- "But we don't go to a Brooks film for plausible character studies. We go to see la Brooks, and for that purpose Prix de Beaute doesn't dissapoint."

Prix de beauté - early American newspaper reference

This newspaper clipping, from September 13, 1929 may represent one of the earliest, if not the earliest, American newspaper reference to Prix de beauté, the 1930 film starring Louise Brooks. This article references the film as it was being shot in 1929 (the film was in production from August 29 to September 27), but before it was released almost a year later, on August 20, 1930. It also claims that Prix de beauté was the first French talkie. Had it's release not been delayed, it could have been the first or second.

Seeking expert in French Musette

I wonder if an expert in early French popular music could offer any clues as to the name of the small orchestra playing a Tango in this scene from Prix de beauté (1930).

Please email the Louise Brooks Society directly (at LouiseBrooksSociety AT gmail DOT com) or post something in the comments section. I hope to include this song on RadioLulu at http://www.live365.com/stations/298896. Thank you.

Prix de Beauté burlesque performer - Homage to Louise Brooks

Prix de Beauté is a Los Angeles-based burlesque performer and producer who takes her name from the 1930 French film, Prix de beauté, starring Louise Brooks. She performs solo and in groups, and specializes in dances of the Jazz Age, as well as numbers inspired by different themes. As this performer's website states, she takes her inspiration and her look from Louise Brooks.

One of Prix de Beauté's acts is called "My Canary has Circles Under his Eyes," based on the song of the same title by Janet Klein. The concept revolves around classic feather fan dance in tribute to the Louise Brooks’ movie Canary Murder Case.

Prix de Beauté also appears in Chromataphore (embedded below), a Louise Brooks / Busby Berkeley inspired music video by Princess Pangolin. Check out Prix de Beauté's website for more burlesque fun.