Bonaparting Words
Today is the 193rd anniversary of Waterloo. As you can imagine, I have spent the day comforting Catherine Deneuve, Carol Bouquet, Juliette Binoche and Eva Green. (All right, try to imagine it.)
I just turned in a magazine article on “The Rise of Napoleon.” The editor asked for 1200 words; the least that I could write was 1600. For a small man, Napoleon defies brevity.
Napoleon had a thick Corsican accent. A Corsican accent could be described as bad Italian and worse French. In fact, Napoleon did not learn French until he was ten. When the Emperor of France met the Tsar of Russia in 1807, they spoke to each other in French; but it was noted that the Tsar had the better accent.
Does anyone really have a good french accent?
Silences sometimes seems to be the best course.
I am surprised that my lechery list of French actresses did not incite its own revolution.
I would have anticipated the following:
Hal Gordon telling me to act my age and just hit on Michele Morgan and Danielle Darrieux.
Bob Kincaid relieved at my indifference to Bridget Bardot since she turned out to be a political reactionary.
Leah G. advising me to restrict my lechery to Elsa Zylberstein, Judithe Godreche and Charlotte Gainsbourg–if only to avoid any argument over the Dreyfus Affair.