Film of La Belle Otéro - Carolina Otéro (1868-1965)

As a kid, I had a late C19 postcard titled La Belle Otéro the woman portrayed appeared fabulously and erotically beautiful in a way that old postcards do not usually allow.

Unbeknown to me, in August 1898 in St Petersburg the French film operator Felix Mesguich (a Lumiere Brothers employee) shot a one minute reel of this extraordinary actress/dancer/theatre personality/Folies Bèrgere star/courtesan performing La Valse Brillante.

And like the postcard, the footage powerfully transmits her great vitality, exuberance and abandon.

So when I came across some of this footage today a post seemed inevitable.

Puente de Valga, Galicia (Northwest Spain) born, Carolina Otéro worked her way through cafes, bordellos and music halls to become employed at the Folies Bèrgere in Paris in 1889, creating the gypsy character La Belle Otéro. Not unlike Louise Weber developing La Goulue (The Glutton) at the Moulin Rouge.

It was at this famous music hall that Carolina crystallized her indistinguishably meshed private and public image in part through a wardrobe of outlandish clothing, including her famous jewel and pearl encrusted brassieres.

And from there, Otéro launched herself on the world travelling and performing in all corners of the globe - Moscow, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Paris . And becoming, it was thought, the lover of King Edward VII, Tzar Nicholas II, the Grand Duke Peter, the Duke of Westminster !

She amassed and lost a fortune in the approved manner. And the high life was still her addiction, if in memory only, to the end a neighbour of her last years in Nice said She was constantly talking about her past. It was always the same: feasts, princes, champagne.

At the height of her career, Otéro tellingly declared Women have one mission in life: to be beautiful. When one gets old, one must learn how to break mirrors.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• La
• Belle
• Otéro
• FINAL

[raul8989]

VERTEXXGG Sabes si hay algun video mas completo con audio o canciones donde se la pueda

Oir...?

[nickwallacesmith]

@raul8989 - no, esto es todo lo que hay: <

[siempremarisol]

@nickwallacesmith que divina fue

[nickwallacesmith]

@siempremarisol - ¡Por supuesto!

[vertxxgg]

@raul8989 -en mi web puse un PATHE de ella cantando imperativamente (á grand voix que era su estilo) 'La fille du Tambour Major' de Offenbach...nunca se han editado sus pocos discos porque son de una calidad escasa y dificil restauracion y de 2 minutos todos

[nickwallacesmith]

hi VinMonroe - how interesting to have this amazing connection with Otero - thanks fro telling me more of your story!

[VinMonroe]

@nickwallacesmith Yes she's my little cousin Monsieur! oui !! Aha and I'm proud of her and yep my grand-mother and mother are Spanish .. my grand-mother's name is FLorentina Otéro , But I was so happy 'cause I never seen her in a film, only in pictures! My grand-mother and mother have not seen her in a show but at home!!! it's my family .. and I'm so proud of someone free and rebel like she was at that time (where it was less easy to be a free and wild woman) ^^

have a nice day nick!

[nickwallacesmith]

hi VinMonroe

Good to hear from you!

Carolina Otero was in fact Spanish, being born Agustina Otero Iglesias in Valga, Pontevedra, Galicia (Spain).

You are right she is great!

Lucky for your grand-mother and mother seeing her!!! Very!!!

[VinMonroe]

oui, elle était Française .. c'est ma petite cousine .. And Yeah she's great!!! it's the first time I see this .. I've never seen her for real in my life but my grand-mother and mother did!! (Aha I know from where I took my sweet madness!!

[vertxxgg]

sus pocos discos son en frances Pathe y Gramophone..hay cuples de Christine y Mayol..colgare algo en mi web