Françoise Burnet produced some films, starring stars such as Jean Gabin or Jean-Louis Trintignant. But Françoise, who died on Christmas Day at the age of 93, did not become famous in any of the 11 films in which she participated between 1953 and 1968. It was because I was half of the couple that kissed Le Baiser du l'Hôtel de Ville, taken by Robert Doisneau, from 1950, is one of the most famous photographs of all time. The actress died in Normandy, where she lived for years, and the news was not announced until the beginning of the new year.
In the early 1950s, Françoise was still known by her given name, Delpart – “Bournet” after her husband, the documentary filmmaker Alain Burnet. He was 20 years old and studied at Le Cour Simone School of Dramatic Arts. She was going with her friend, her colleague Jack Carto, to a café near the school. They were always kissing. One day, Doisneau was working at the magazine life With a mission to take love photos all over town, get noticed. “And when he saw that what he saw was beautiful and interesting, he asked us to do it again for him.” Françoise told the Associated Press In 2005. The couple returned to the farm a few days later, kissing in front of the photographer's camera. The session included many photos being taken around the city and paying models who posed for Doisneau.
The famous black-and-white photo of Françoise and Carto kissing in the street appeared in the magazine where Doisneau worked. It didn't make much of an impact at the time. But decades later, in the 1980s, in 1986, photography gained a new life. Sold as it is attached A huge hit, appearing on all types of surfaces, from shower curtains to duvet covers, it is a universal symbol representing love, youth and classic Paris. People thought it was a staged moment, but Doisneau quickly revealed it was staged.
The identity of the lovers was not known at that time. When the photo reappeared on the cover of the magazine TeleramaSeveral couples have claimed to be the people photographed, and there have been court cases. Jean and Denis Lavergne thought they were the couple and tried to sue the photographer for the right to the photo. In 1993, Doisneau revealed his true identity: Burnet and Carto. The photographer would die the following year, and Carto would die more than ten years later.
The actress said that the lovers were only a couple for less than a year, and each of them lived their own lives – and Cartod ended up devoting himself to winemaking. In 2005, Françoise sold, at auction, her copy, one of the first photographs ever sent to her with a stamp from the photographer. The buyer was a Swiss collector. She earned 150,000 euros from the sale, but the profits from sales and copies never reached her, since her face was somewhat hidden by the kiss, and the courts did not consider that her right to the image would be at stake. He told the French newspaper at the time Le Monde, The “sale” represents a “new beginning,” as it was not common for photographs to reach these values. She added that she would buy a copy of the photo herself so that she would not forget that moment.
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