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| Europe | |
| Poll for French greatest underway | |
| 2005-03-16 | |
| EFL. So vote early and often. And an esteemed list it is... Charles de Gaulle was the only political leader to feature on a shortlist of ten personalities from whom television viewers are to select the greatest ever French man or woman in history. The wartime hero's rivals for the billing were two scientists, two comedians, a singer, an underwater explorer and a campaigning monk. Sounds about right. But there was no place for other celebrated leaders such as Napoleon, Charlemagne, Louis XIV or Francois Mitterrand, all of whom featured too low down in the top 100 to qualify. President Jacques Chirac came in at 42. Too bad, Jake. Maybe you beat out Charlemagne? The 10 names were unveiled in a live broadcast from the upper house of parliament, the Senate, on state-owned France 2 Television. Over the next two weeks the station will broadcast half-hour documentaries in which famous modern-day figures will act as advocates to plead their cause. The public can vote via the Internet, telephone or text-messages, and the winner will be announced at a second live broadcast from the Senate whose date has to be set. Apart from de Gaulle, the candidates are: Marie Curie and Louis Pasteur, comics Coluche and Bourvil; writers Victor Hugo and Moliere; singer Edith Piaf; underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau; and -- the only living contender -- 92 year-old Abbe Pierre, who has spent half a century working for the homeless. No Jerry Lewis? Guess it's gonna be Coluche then. Or Bourvil. Tough choice. Maybe I'll wait. By the way, who are Bourvil and Coluche? In the longer roster of 100 personalities drawn up by a polling institute, Napoleon won 16th position; Charlemagne came in at 22; Mitterrand at 24; Joan of Arc at 31 and Louis XIV at 50. Revolutionary leader Robespierre was in 72nd place. Well Jake, at least you beat out Louis XIV and Robespierre. In the acting world, Fernandel (the late Fernand Contandin) was 13th, followed by Louis de Funes and Jean Gabin on 17 and 18 and Jean-Paul Belmondo on 38. Catherine Deneuve was 97th and Gerard Depardieu 99th. Gerard, you got screwed, you French sex symbol you!
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| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #23 Uh, weren't the Franks basically Germans, so that would rule out Charlemange and his pretty little capital in Aachen...wait...they're all capitulators. Never mind. |
| Posted by: Armchair in Sin 2005-03-16 7:59:23 PM |
| #22 My vote is for JFM. He's stuck there in La Belle France, but manages to find his way to the 'Burg every day. Salute! |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-03-16 7:52:09 PM |
| #21 William the Conqueror. He "emigrated" too. |
| Posted by: Zpaz 2005-03-16 7:42:19 PM |
| #20 That was the smart one. He emigrated. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-03-16 5:56:10 PM |
| #19 "Le Petomane" - wasn't he the Gov in Blazing Saddles? I vote for him. |
| Posted by: Xbalanke 2005-03-16 5:40:57 PM |
| #18 Jackal, she moved there for love. At least, that's what the romantic in me would like to believe. But in all fairness, there was more scientific study being done in France back then. That was probably a big factor, too. |
| Posted by: Desert Blondie 2005-03-16 5:04:54 PM |
| #17 Mrs. Davis, That is my cat's name! It's she, though. She told me that her name is Rene Descartes in a dream. Which would be kinda keeping with tradition--The Discourse on Method came to RD in a dream and the key to it was obtained in a dream within dream. |
| Posted by: Sobiesky 2005-03-16 4:55:42 PM |
| #16 Rene Descartes |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-03-16 4:45:42 PM |
| #15 Alain Proust |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-03-16 4:38:24 PM |
| #14 Seriously, Pasteur deserves to be in the top 10. Maybe even #1. Other than that...? Lafayette (I'll be he gets zero votes in France). Jules Verne. Alexandre Dumas. Cyrano de Bergerac. Lavoisier. Charles Martel perhaps? Or do Franks count? |
| Posted by: Jackal 2005-03-16 4:27:55 PM |
| #13 What about Aris? |
| Posted by: Jacques Chiraq 2005-03-16 4:26:31 PM |
| #12 DB: Yes. Her name was something like Slodowski. She wasn't French by birth, but she decided to move there. How sick is that? |
| Posted by: Jackal 2005-03-16 4:19:32 PM |
| #11 The good Dr, his character was named in homage of the one, the only fartiste. Wonder if he could toot Le Marseillaise? |
| Posted by: Desert Blondie 2005-03-16 4:13:16 PM |
| #10 Wasn't Le Petomane the governor in "Blazing Saddles"? (i.e.: Mel Brooks) |
| Posted by: Dr August Balls of Nice 2005-03-16 4:01:53 PM |
| #9 I vote for Henry V. |
| Posted by: Bill Nelson 2005-03-16 3:23:36 PM |
| #8 I thought Marie Curie was Polish, not French. (She married a French guy) I second Le Petomane! |
| Posted by: Desert Blondie 2005-03-16 2:52:13 PM |
| #7 how about Marshall Petain? or if we allow French Canadians, how about these: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Dragqueens.jpg |
| Posted by: mhw 2005-03-16 2:51:31 PM |
| #6 What about Kermit? |
| Posted by: Tom 2005-03-16 2:24:01 PM |
| #5 THey forgot "Le Petomane". He was an attraction at Moulin Rouge at end of XIXth century. He played the Marseillaise with his rear wind instrumant. |
| Posted by: JFM 2005-03-16 2:21:38 PM |
| #4 Pepe gets my vote. Second would be LaBeau from the series Hogans Heroes. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2005-03-16 2:17:13 PM |
| #3 Where's Pepe LePew? Much sexier than Gerard Depardieu. |
| Posted by: ed 2005-03-16 12:34:32 PM |
| #2 Where's Jean-Claude Killy? He managed to get me, a poor Texas boy from the flatlands, interested in skiing, lol! Nowadays, well without Jean Reno, I'm not interested. He's a class act(or). |
| Posted by: .com 2005-03-16 12:31:42 PM |
| #1 Some Abbé Pierre is not a campaigning monk. He has created a charity who provides work to people, before that he created an organization foir sheltering the homeless in the terribly cold 1954 winter. Before that he was in the Resistance providing spiritual succour to a maquis group. His group was anihilated nearly to a man. |
| Posted by: JFM 2005-03-16 12:23:52 PM |