Marie France

Marie-France after her show at the Bassy Club, Berlin, 21 September 2008.

Marie-France Garcia (born 9 February 1946 in Oran) is a French singer and actress. She is transsexual and a Parisian pop icon of the 1970s.

Biography

Marie-France was hired in 1969 by the Alcazar in the Latin Quarter, where she became as famous a celebrity as Marilyn Monroe. She remained one of the celebrities of that music-hall until 1987. She became a member of FHAR (Homosexual Front of Revolutionary Action), alongside Guy Hocquenghem. As a member of FHAR, she was interviewed in the magazine "Recherches" (special issue "Trois milliards de pervers" (3 billion perverts), 1973). She was a member of a small group, the Gazolines, with Hélène Hazera. The two performed in "Les Intrigues de Sylvia Couski" by Adolfo Arrieta (1974). Alain Z. Kan paid tribute to her by naming one of his songs "Marie-France" in 1976.

Marie-France was a transsexual,^[1][2] a word that she disliked, maybe because certain television hosts automatically questioned it. « When one has passed onto the other side, why do they keep this title?», she regrets.^[3]

She appeared as a singer in «Barocco» by Andre Techine in 1976, where she produced «On se voit se voir», a song written by Philippe Sarde. She pursued her acting career in theater, notably in "Le Navire Night" by Marguerite Duras in 1979.With the album "39 de Fièvre" (39 °C Fever) in 1980, through several renditions of sixties pop (Gillian Hils, Johnny Hallyday, Sylvie Vartan, Rocky Volcano) and written Jean-William Thoury originals and composed by Dynamite Yan or Vincent Palmer, she captured the style of the rock group Bijou. She reappeared in the film "Les Innocents" (The Innocents), directed by Téchiné in 1987. In 1993, she recorded a revival of Édith Piaf, in a duet with Marc Almond, who rendered two songs to her.Daniel Darc and Mirwais collaborated on her eponymous 1997 album, for which she wrote the lyrics of a few songs herself. Dave then invited her on his album “Doux tam tam” in 2003. Frédéric Botton wrote several songs for her in 2005.At the end of 2006, Léonard Lasry invited Marie-France to sing a duet entitled "Du désir au bout des doigts" (Desire at the fingertips) as an homage. This song is featured on the first Léonard Lasry album, "Des Illusions" (Illusions) (29 Music).

Marie-France also published a duet with Hélèna Noguerra on the last album which is entitled "Fraise Vanille" (“Strawberry Vanilla”) (released in October 2007). In 2008, Marie France recorded a rock'n'roll garage album entirely written by Jacques Duvallet and composed by Miam Monster Miam. The album is called “Phantom feat Marie France” and reminds her fans of the rock n roll Marie France of the 80s.

Filmography

• 1969 : Les Chemins de Katmandou by André Cayatte
• 1972 : Les Intrigues de Silvia Couski by Adolfo Arrieta (as Carmen)
• 1973 : J’irai comme un cheval fou by Fernando Arrabal
• 1974 : Le Jardin des Hespérides by Jacques Robiolles
• 1974 : Le Sujet ou le Secrétaire aux mille et un tiroirs by Joaquin Noessi/Joaquin Lledo
• 1975 : Spermula by Charles Matton (as Rita)
• 1976 : Barocco by André Téchiné (as The Singer)
• 1985 : Billy Ze Kick by Gérard Mordillat
• 1985 : Love Circles (film) La Ronde de l'Amour (as Suzy)^[4]
• 1987 : Cinématon n°949 by Gérard Courant
• 1987 : Les Innocents by André Téchiné (as The Singer)
• 1987 : Les Keufs by Josiane Balasko (as the blonde girl at Madame Lou's)
• 1991 : La Gamine by Hervé Palud
• 1994 : Une expérience d'hypnose télévisuelle (short film) by Gaspar Noé
• 1998 : Belle Maman by Gabriel Aghion (as Marie-Claude, known as la Pute ("the whore"))
• 2003 : Alain Pacadis, un héros "in" (medium length documentary) by Grégory Hervelin and Vladimir Tybin (as herself)
• 2003 : Le Fantôme d'Henri Langlois (documentary) by Jacques Richard (as herself)
• 2010 : L'Orpheline avec en plus un bras en moins de Jacques Richard

Discography

• Daisy / Déréglée (1977) – single (Romantik)
• Los Angeles / Marie Françoise se suicide (1978) – single (Phonogram)
• 39 de fièvre (1981) – album (RCA)
• Je ne me quitterai jamais / Corps Diplomatique (1982) – single (RCA)
• Champs Elysées / Est-ce que vous avez du feu? (1983) – single (RCA)
• Marie et Marc (1996) - mini-album collector limité (Freedom 001)
• Marie France (1997) – album (Last Call)
• Raretés (2006) – album (Edina)
• Phantom featuring Marie France (2008) - album (Freaksville records)
• Marie France visite Bardot (2009) (JPB Production)

Quotes

• About her, Marguerite Duras said: "It is impossible to not be troubled by her. Everyone. Women as well as men."

References

1. ^ Le « travesti égérie des années Palace », ou comment, en évoquant la chanteuse Marie France, le quotidien Libération révèle les contours réels de sa propre pensée, par Jérôme Reybaud, avril 2004
2. ^ Discriminations transphobes à la télévision : l’Existrans interpelle Dominique Baudis, Act Up, 3 mars 2006
3. ^ Interview dans L'Ordonnance, 2004
4. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098221/

• D'elle, Marguerite Duras a dit : « C'est impossible de ne pas être troublé par elle. Tout le monde. Les femmes comme les hommes »

Bibliography

• Garcia, Marie-France, Elle était une fois, ed. Denoël, 2003 (coll. X-Treme).

External links

• (French) Official Site ;
• (French) Fan Site (numerous accounts of her concerts)
• (French) Interview on L'Interdit ;
• (French) Another bio.
• (French) Léonard Lasry Site.
• (French) Review of her autobiography. (from Cercles)
• (English) Review of her album "Marie France visite Bardot"

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Name	France, Marie
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Date of birth	9 February 1946
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