YVES MONTAND

Yves Montand (Ivo Livi real name) was born October 13, 1921 in the Italian village of Monsummano Alto, fifty miles from Florence.

"My mother called me, Ivo - Montagne recalled. - Name of my father - Leavey. When I was born, I already had a brother and sister. Parents said that life was then very difficult: poverty, unemployment. In 1923, when the father of us all fled to France, I was only two years. He did not like fascism. He was afraid that his sons would not take force in units Balilla. (Detachments Balilla - Fascist youth educational organization established in 1926. - Comm. Com. ) "My sons will not go to the black shirts, they will not wear mourning for Italy . . . ". He was right. Italy was a country of black shirts, pre-wearing mourning for their children.

We stayed in Marseilles. We do not have a penny, and had to go further than that . . . ".

Ivo walked into a French school and well studied. But the school had to give up: my father is too hard, he fed three children and wife. With fifteen years, Ivo went to work. Who only was not: Garzon in a cafe, a student bartender, working at the pasta factory, and even ladies′ master.

"I worked hard not only for bread but for the sake of freedom, for the right to do what I want - Montan said. - All remaining money I spent on records by Maurice Chevalier and Charles Trenet. I was dying to be like them. To me they were great! I knew by heart all of their songs. I went to listen to them when they came to Marseilles. Houses in the mirror, I copied their gestures. I worked for hours and was happy. And suddenly one day I managed to sing in a diner on the outskirts. For me it was "Alcazar" (old French music-hall. - Comm. Com. ).

It was in this pub, I had to change the name. "Ivo Livi, - said my master, - is bad. Too typical and not heard. I took a French name, "a monta" turned in Montana.

I spoke first to the third-smallest rooms, then in the second class, and finally reached the "Alcazar". Its owner - Emil Odifred. Him I owe the start of his career. He treated me wonderfully. He said: "You′ll see, son, in Marseilles waiting for you world-wide fame.

Photo — «Yves Montand»

" And we both laughed. But the first night I′m shivering with fear . . .

When people go to Marseille in the theater, they carry with them a car honking, tomatoes, rotten eggs with the intent to use them in case if something does not like it. For me, everything went perfectly, even an ovation.

. . . The war was broken. I became a metal worker, more precisely, moulder. This is very bad for the lungs. I gave out three liters of milk a day . . . Then I began Dockers . . . ".

Keenly aware that, in Marseilles this career is not done, Montana leaned in Paris. He was lucky - in February 1944 he addressed the "ABC".

"In 1944, he fled from the mobilization of the labor front, running from Marseille to Paris and begins to look for an engagement, - wrote N. Sarnico. - He was carrying a battered suitcase, a few francs in his pocket and a faded poster Marseille: "Poet, Yves Montand, man-dynamite. " Montan shy away from the German gendarmes, amused Parisians his Marseilles accent and, with difficulty suppressing a shiver at the knees, rides the subway , which leads him to fear. He willy-nilly a lot of rolling around in Paris: he is tried nearly all the cabaret - "Beaulieu," "Folies-Belleville", "Bobino" . . . Finally comes the turn of "Moulin Rouge" (for the young singer is already a success) - then Montand meets Edith Piaf. It will help him make a career, teach to speak to impresario . . . and forever will break his heart. "

On the first meeting of Montana and Piaf in detail in his book about the great singer P. Berthod:

"The period, which was advancing, was destined to last long. Edith called him a "factory" because she herself was to form the singers. She opened their production. She started with Yves Montand.

Lulu once said Edith: "More than you will not be imposed on the actors as" the American star. Now the choice is yours.

For concerts in "Moulin Rouge" you offer Yves Montand. - No. I am about it I have no idea . . . I want Roger Dunn, an original genre. This friend, I know it.

But Roger was not in Paris.

Photo — «Yves Montand»

And no one could be invited from the province, all became too difficult. It happened one month before the liberation.

"Well, - said Edith. - Assign play your Yves Montana. I′ll come. "

Sitting in the back of the room "Moulin Rouge", Edith waited. At stage left a large dark-haired guy, the type of Italian, a beautiful but tasteless wearing: jacket in bright unthinkable cage, a small hat, like a hat of Charles Trenet. On top of that he started to sing old American and psevdotehasskie songs, imitating George Ulmer and Charles Trenet. To what was it bad! I watched Edith, being sure that it does not dosidit to the end.

Singing three songs, he came to the fore and provocatively asked: "Well, to continue or be enough?"

"Enough, - cried Edith, - wait for me. "

I was sure that he was going to explode. Edith knew that he was angry at her for a play and that he had no qualms about talking about it this way: "realist song in a street performance", "boredom is death", etc.

It was amusing to watch them from afar: he stood on the edge of the stage, she - at the bottom, so small that her nose is not reached to his knees. He found it humiliating for him to stoop to it. But Edith was not going to carry with him a long conversation: "If you want to sing in my program, come in an hour to my hotel" Alsina.

Eve gasped, pale with rage. But after an hour in my hotel room "Alsina" surrendered at discretion. Edith did not wear white gloves.

"For brevity′s start with your strengths. You′re beautiful, looks good on stage, expressive hands, his voice is good, pleasant, low. Women you will go crazy. You want to look and look smart. But everything else - zero. The costume is stupid, good for the circus. Horrible Marseilles accent, zhestikuliruesh as a puppet. Repertoire does not fit perfectly. Your songs are vulgar, your American genre - a joke. - "He is like! I succeeded with him. - "In Marseille! There is already four years have seen nothing. In Paris, the audience happy when parody invaders. It is not applauding you, and the Americans.

Photo — «Yves Montand»

But when the Americans will be here with them you′ll look like a moron. You′re already out of fashion. "

Trying to suppress anger, Ive even gritted his teeth. Edith inwardly amused.

"Thank you, Madame Piaf. I understand. I will not go up. "

"Again, not guessed. Approach, and I do not want to prevent you from earning a living. "

Piaf was the missile which led Montana to orbit a large stage. In the future, as his pop and film career Montand in no small measure must Simone Signoret, which for him had left her husband, director Yves Allegro. Yves and Simone were married Dec. 22, 1951 in the municipality of Saint-Paul-de-Vence.

Montan said: "She was such a clever, perfectly knew English, Latin, history - not something that I, a dense bum. Simon was brought up in an intellectual family, her father was friends with the playwright Jean Anuem, artist Paul Grimaud, and she communicated with Prévert and Luis Bunuel. I, the rule, but at 23 he becomes aware of Baudelaire, she is forced to read books and even at home communicate high style: "Please, feed the salt, that you have at hand," "Madame, how nice you contemplate . . . "

Under the able leadership of Signoret and attentive, he is improving his skills. In his songs, he turns to poetry, L. Aragon, GA Appolinaire, P. Eluard, J. Provera, to current political topics.

In the second half of the 50-ies Yves Montand came to the USSR. He already knew thanks to famed puppeteer Sergei Obraztsov. From Paris he brought a few plates and through radio acquainted with Montand Soviet listeners. In 1956, in the preface to the book of Montana called "Sun′s head is full of" samples, said:

"That concert, on which we came to the hall" Etoile "was not the premiere of Montana. He sang in the Chamber yesterday and the day before and a week ago. He sang for several months in a row the same song, and every day two thousand people filled the hall, and hundreds more could not get tickets.

Young, sporty, in a brown jacket with open collar, tucked in the same brown pants. Easy, but not brash, clever, and able to do during the song about acrobats "wheel", but not eccentric and not to boast of his skill.

Photo — «Yves Montand»

Behind him - big, taut curtain of tulle. For tulle small orchestra. It is visible, but does not interfere, never at a loss in the eye. Once Montand begins to sing in front of you is only one man, whose voluminous silhouette carved on a white screen tulle.

What sings Montand? Different, very different. What are they? Significant. And a very large, and that, at first glance, may seem a trifle, but that never trifle . . .

The girl, beautiful, young, swinging on a swing, and nothing from it except the swing is not necessary. In love with her man. A simple man. He began to treat candy, led watch booths. She said "merci" and ran to teeter. He waited for her downstairs and kissed her. But she ran away again to swing. Finally, he proposed to her. Married. And it still runs on the swing. Funny song. Comic Montand retains its full and does not aggravate the song of lightness, but it is colored in such a gentle, kind and friendly attitude of Montana to the heroine of the song that the song itself is beautiful as crystal.

And here is another story. Little black clean shoes with white people. Sun, he sees only when it is reflected in the brilliance of polished his shoes. Beam searchlight illuminates Montana. Black shadow is still growing and growing back the singer on a wide screen, and a song about a little Negro boy becomes a song about the fate of a great nation. You can see how not like these songs - funny and not funny. In the ridiculous affair and socially pointed, anti-racist. Not similar. But faith in the people are united by their Montana.

He sings about the drivers, the leading vehicle on the endless ribbon of roads, and you understand how ruthless is labor. He sings about a symphony orchestra conductor, who loved ordinary girl who likes just a simple dance music, and you understand that, as would be wonderful and greatly any art, it is still stronger than love, because it is beautiful.

He sings about a soldier going to war with the hopes of glory and returning unwanted, with a bundle of dirty laundry behind . . .

Then Montagne told - not sung, but quietly told - about the girl, whose name was Barbara.

Photo — «Yves Montand»

He loves her, although I had seen only once. It was a long time. She walked down the stairs, and someone called out to her: "Barbara!" . . "And she threw herself on this call, and it became clear that her boyfriend called. Since then the years passed. There was a war. Is she unhappy? Is her boyfriend killed? How sad, how terrible to think that the girl you love, unhappy! "

Brought before Muscovites, Montan fully met the expectations. However, after Montand, a staunch anti-Stalinist, appeared with his wife in a famous film in 1969 in explanation of bitter memories of the Czech communist Artur London′s "Confession", he had been unfairly attacked by the Soviet press. Participation in the film "Confession" long made him "unwelcome in the Soviet Union, he arrived only in 1989, when this film was shown in Moscow.

Along with the variety show has successfully developed and triumphs of his film career. His first film role, he received a M. Carné film "Gate Night" (1946), which has clearly looked helpless. However Montand justifies his nickname "growing". He was very industrious and are clearly progressing in the movies, where directors use it advantageous external data masculinity. The first big success brought him a painting by Henri-Georges Clouzot "Wages of Fear" (1952).

He went with convincing skill and charisma to play in such meaningful films as "Seylemskie witch", "Men and wolves," "The war is over," "Live to live," "All Good", "Red circle "," Police Pistol "Piton-357", "Confession", "Killers in the compartment," "savage".

The last role the actor played in the film J. -J. Beineix "IP-5", which appeared on the screen after his death.

In 1985, the singer Simone′s wife died, and sixty-seven years Montand first became a father. Mother was his former secretary Carol Amel, with whom he began dating during the life of Simone. Alas, Montana had a chance to talk briefly with his son, Valentin: He died on Nov. 9, 1991.