Martine Carol, unforgettable Lola Montes

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The French actress will always be remembered for this character, which ultimately marked her life

There are actresses whose life is marked by a character. Such is the case of France’s Martine Carol, who will always be remembered for her portrayal of Lola Montes.

Her real name was Marie-Louise Jeanne Nicolle Mourer, but in cinema she is remembered as Martine Carol (Saint-Mandé, France, May 16, 1920 – Monte Carlo, February 6, 1967). She studied acting under René Simon, making her debut as a stage actress in 1940 and in cinema in 1943. She made her debut as a minor character in “The Strangers in the House,” a film shot during the occupation by Henri Decoin, and her first absolute He arrived with the adventure film ‘Surprise Voyage’ (1947) by Henri Decoin, but his great consecration took place with ‘The Lovers of Verona’ (1949), by André Cayatte. That same year he collaborated with Luis Mariano in ‘Je n’aime que toi…’. By this time she was already one of the most beautiful actresses in French cinema, an aura that accompanied her until her death, often chosen to play seductive and elegant blondes. In the last years of the 1940s and the beginning of the following, she was the most notable sex symbol, as well as an erotic myth, and the most profitable actress in French cinema.

The first 50 saw a succession of films devoted to her glamor and beauty, including the Spanish-French co-production ‘El Deseo y el Amor’ (1951), co-directed by Luis María Delgado, which was partly shot in Torremolinos , mapped to the beautiful city of the Costa del Sol, ‘Adorable creatures’, by Christian-Jaque and ‘Mujeres soñadas’, by René Clair (both 1952), ‘Lucrecia Borgia’ (1953), again with Christian- Jaque, director who re-directs her in ‘Madame du Barry’ and ‘Three Fates of a Woman’, in 1954 and in ‘Nana’ (1955), to whom he was married. With the Italian Alberto Lattuada he made ‘La playa’ (1954), and with the North American Preston Sturges ‘Los carnets del Mayor Thompspn’ (1955).

But 1955 is also the year in which he stars in ‘Lola Montes’, directed by Max Ophüls, a film for which he occupies a place of honor in film history. The film collected the story of the famous courtesan and dancer (1821-1861), courtesan and dancer famous throughout Europe. Born in Ireland, Lola was a lover of great men such as the Hungarian musician Franz Liszt or Ludwig I of Bavaria. Already towards the end of his career, he worked in a circus in New Orleans, Louisiana, performing an acrobatic number while a master of ceremonies (played by Peter Ustinov) told the audience his scandalous life. One of director Max Ophüls’ masterpieces.

The decade ended with work on major international blockbusters such as Michael Anderson’s “Around the World in 80 Days” (1956) and “Ten Seconds from Hell” (1959), directed by Robert Aldrich. In addition, in 1960 she played Josefina in Abel Gance’s blockbuster ‘Austerlitz’ (1960), which recreated Napoleon’s famous battle.

Despite her fame and fortune, Martine Carol’s life was messy, with a suicide attempt after breaking up with her lover, married actor Georges Marchal, substance abuse and four marriages. She was even kidnapped by the mobster Pierre Loutrel, albeit briefly, and received some roses the next day as a token of apology. Martine Carol was married four times. Their husbands were: Stephen Crane, American actor and restaurant manager, formerly the husband of Lana Turner. They married in 1948 and divorced in 1953. Christian-Jaque, French film director. Married 15 July 1954 and divorced 1959. André Rouveix, a young doctor she met in Martinique and married 3 August 1959. They divorced in 1962. Mike Eland, an English businessman. They married in 1966 and stayed together until her death.

Martine Carol died suddenly on February 6, 1967 of an acute myocardial infarction in a hotel in Monte Carlo. He was 46 years old. She was initially buried in the Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. However, her grave was desecrated (some media outlets claimed the actress was buried with her jewelry), so she had to be buried permanently in the Grand Jas cemetery in Cannes. Before he died, he made another great movie, ‘Vanina Vanini’, directed by Roberto Rossellini. His last job was in the British thriller ‘Hell Is Empty’, which was released after his death.

Source: La Verdad

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