Princesse Tam-Tam: A Cultural Makeover Story

182 Princesse Tam-Tam: A Cultural Makeover Story Cheryl Leah Krueger University of Virginia The first sequence of Edmond Gréville's 1935 comedy Princesse TamTam closes with protagonist Max de Mirecourt's declaration: "Je vais partir chez les sauvages, chez les vrais sauvages; oui, en Afrique, en Afrique!" These words foreshadow themes and perspectives dominant throughout the film, most notably the continual juxtaposition of "civilized" Europeans with various "savages" (women, the poor, and more often, an interchangeable Oriental and African Other), affirming perceptual distortions introduced by a colonialist bias. While the film makes no overt references to historical events linking France to North Africa (the action takes place in Tunisia, which had been a French protectorate since 1908), the imaginary romance between wealthy French novelist Max de Mirecourt and his muse, the aptly named Tunisian shepherdess Aouina (petite source, literally "little source" or "little spring"), dramatizes notions of colonialism at every turn ofthe plot. Aspects ofproduction contribute to layers ofcultural contradiction presented within the film. The movie echoes Hollywood in style, but presents a relationship that would not have been depicted in the United States under Hollywood's self-imposed censorship system, the Hays Code.' And the thespian intertext—Josephine Baker's success with French audiences and institutions, and her relative failure in the United States2—challenges American viewers to examine their own cultural legacy. This article focuses on practical suggestions for guiding the study of Princesse Tam-Tam in "bridge" courses, that is, courses taught in French for students who have just completed intermediate-level language study. Such courses provide maximum practice and exposure to the language, with or without a formal grammar review, and often with a focus on writing, reading, conversation, or a combination of skills. When these gateway courses to the French major and minor anchor language work in authentic texts (i.e., literature, film and other media produced by and for native PRINCESSE TAM-TAM: A CULTURAL MAKEOVER STORY183 speakers), students better understand the deep connection between language and culture and the symbiotic nature ofform and meaning. After summarizing the film's plot, I briefly discuss how Princesse TamTam might be approached in various types of advanced-level courses. The remainder of the article is devoted to practical guidelines for Internet research, pre-viewing, viewing, and post-viewing topics for discussion and writing. The activities suggested in this article are geared to students who are still building language skills but who are at the same time ready to explore new topics in French Studies. The sequence of activities eases students into this encounter with a film they may find unusual and even offensive. First, students activate knowledge that will help them to situate the style, tone and topic of the film in relation to more familiar ideas and experiences. They are then offered opportunities to voice their own reactions to the film before engaging in a more critical and academic discourse. The preparation and post-viewing topics take into account the specific—and often sensitive—questions and ideas raised by the film, including: Orientalism and the "exotic"; perceptual distortions introduced by a colonialist bias; and representations of various Others (women, the poor, Africans, Indians). The goal of studying Princesse Tam-Tam in bridge courses is not to provide a comprehensive introduction to le cinéma colonial, but rather, to expose students to an example of the genre and to promote critical thinking about the questions this film raises. This guided exploration of topics in film and cultural studies may motivate students to take more specialized courses that treat colonialism, French cinema, and other related topics in greater depth. Film summary Princesse Tam-Tam opens with a close-up of Lucie de Mirecourt's wellmanicured hand slapping the face of her husband Max, a celebrity novelist played by Albert Préjean. Mirecourt blames his wife's tastes and lush lifestyle for the case of writer's block that has triggered this marital spat. To find creative inspiration (and to escape his wife's shrill accusations), Mirecourt and his "secretary" Coton (who pens most of Mirecourt's work) leave Paris for Tunisia, where they encounter the shepherdess Aouina (Josephine Baker), a house servant named Tahar, and...