A Glimpse into 'Le Lapin Agile' at the Turn of the C20

Montmartre of the late C19 has always had the strongest fascination for me, particularly the establishments that emerged there to meet certain of the more basic needs of intellectuals, artists, writers, the upper classes, politicians and so on.

In 1875, a sign was painted for 'Le Cabaret des Assassins' at 22 rur des Saules in Montmartre.

It showed a rabbit jumping out of a saucepan. Hence, I thought, the name of the cafe - agility does of course keep rabbits out of cooking utensils and off dinner tables, yeah?

However ... the painter's name was Andre Gill and so locals gradually began to call the cafe 'Le Lapin à Gill' (Gill's rabbit) - which I imagine evolved, as things do, into 'Le Lapin Agile' (the nimble rabbit. Though perhaps both meanings were intended at the outset.

At the century turned over, the 'Le Cabaret Au Lapin Agile' was attracting artists and writers, such as Picasso, Utrillo and Apollinaire. Who often recorded the goings on. Classic Montmartre stuff.

Now, I very much like the notion of time travelling back - even just for a moment - to any or all of these establishments.

And it seemed momentarily possible this morning when I came across a tiny piece of early C20 French film.

It shows a bunch of people in Montmartre walking past 'Le Rat Mort' (the dead rat) and then we see the briefest camera shot of Gill's sign through the branches of a tree, an image in which we can just make out the legs of the infamous rabbit as it leaps out of a pan sitting on a bottle strewn table.

Or are we alternatively looking at an early form of Rorschach inkblot test!

The footage then leads into the outside front patio of Le Lapin Agile, with its benches and tables just as pictured in the photograph and painting above. But with with the addition of a maid, a small donkey, and the patron's dog. The requisite writers/painters/poets/whatever are there cogitating away round a table in the background.

The capped man in the middle ground tries not too successfully to drive the donkey out of frame with a little cane.

Finally we have the patron himself, Frédéric Gerard, known as le père Frédé with his back against open window shutters and puffing away on his pipe, for all the world a dead ringer for Santa Claus.

Hope you enjoy this tardis-like time travel, back 'Le Lapin Agile' at the Turn of the C20.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• time travel
• travel
• Montmartre
• Le Lapin Agile
• Frédéric Gerard
• le père Frédé

[nickwallacesmith]

hi AmethystGalleon - that is the book you mentioned elsewhere - 'Imperial Ballerina' - is it good - i'm pretty addicted to historical biographies and while i suspect Mathilde Kchessinska was self-centred and autocratic (it would be hard to be otherwise given the cirlces she moved in) i'm still interested in her

great you like the clips - hope i'm able to find more interesting things to upload

cheers

[AmethystGalleon]

There's going to be so much to do!!!

Re the Romanoffs, I am reading "Imperial Ballerina," about Mathilde Kchessinska -- even the author seems to dislike her, she was so selfish. And spoiled. And competitive. And conniving. And cruel.

I really enjoy your clips, and am amazed at the things you are able to find and post. Thanks for all of it!

[nickwallacesmith]

... that woman playing catch with her dog was not on duty the day i was there - she was probably doing a few grandes ecartes at le moulin rouge nearby - another place we'll have to visit?

my packing is nearly finished - i travel light - and of course we won't need passports cos we'll be going by time machine

[nickwallacesmith]

hi AmethystGalleon

the whole ballets russes rep it is!

i was living in paris in 2003 for four months - in le marais, down from montmartre on the seine - and i remember that little vineyard and took the obligatory photo or ten - the last in paris if i remember correctly - over the butte of montmartre near 'le lapin agile' ...

[AmethystGalleon]

Good idea. I'd like to stick around to see the whole repertoire..... I KNOW you would too, so OK, you can come.

My 2 or 3 visits to Montmartre have been among the nicest moments in Paris, because it IS like being in a time machine. That little vineyard par example. Watched a woman playing catch with her dog in front of Le Lapin.

I visited Mr. Nijinsky twice in the cemetery, in 2004 the Russians had put up an ugly statue. It is near a tombstone covered with pointe shoes in all stages of rot!

[nickwallacesmith]

hi AmethystGalleon - is there room for two in your new time machine - i'd hope nijinsky would also perform 'spectre de la rose' for us!

[AmethystGalleon]

I have a time machine on order, just so I can watch Nijinsky do "Apresmidi...."