In the nineteenth century and up to the Second World War, France enjoyed great international prestige. French ideas, the arts, language, and way of life exerted a powerful fascination, not only in Brazil but in many other countries. Paris was the “City of Light,” whose urbanism inspired admiration and cultural creativity attracted visitors from around the world. For some, France was above all the country of the Revolution and republican ideals, but also of a daring artistic avant-garde. Others, by contrast, were captivated by the refinement and luxury of the French elites, by fashion and gastronomy. French industrialists and merchants relied on such reputation and reinforced it by exporting velvets, jewelry, fine china, Bordeaux wines, champagne, and cognac. In Brazil, nothing was more “chic” than a French name given to a soap, a handbag, or a building.
In the same two centuries in France, Brazil was seen as a country with a future. Richly illustrated travel accounts highlighted the grandeur of Guanabara Bay, the lush tropical nature, and its picturesque fauna through European eyes. They also lingered at length on the Indigenous populations and, above all, on slavery, everything that seemed to be at the antipodes of Europe. In the twentieth century, advertisements for “Brazilian coffee” disseminated an entire narrative about the country. Soon enough, it is miscegenation and the image of a country believed to be free of racism that come to dominate the French perspective on Brazil, a notion that “la samba”, Carnival, and the victories of the national team seem to convey with particular brilliance. In the 1960s, with bossa nova, the inauguration of Brasília, and expansion into the Amazon, Brazil became a dream destination. The Man from Rio, an adventure comedy directed in 1964 by Philippe de Broca, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Françoise Dorléac, shaped the imagination of several generations of French people regarding Brazil. Yet these positive visions had their reverse: hunger, misery, the favelas, inequality, violence…
In France, during these past two centuries, Brazil is seen as a country with a future. Vividly illustrated travel accounts highlight the grandeur of Guanabara Bay, the lush tropical nature, and its picturesque fauna through European eyes. They also linger at length on the Indigenous populations and, above all, on slavery, everything that seems to be at the antipodes of Europe. In the twentieth century, advertisements for “Brazilian coffee” spread a full narrative about the country. Accordingly, miscegenation and the so-called “racial democracy” dominate the French perspective, seemingly expressed with brilliance through samba, Carnival, and the victories of the national football team. In the 1960s, with bossa nova, the inauguration of Brasília, and expansion into the Amazon, Brazil becomes a dream destination. The Man from Rio, an adventure comedy directed in 1964 by Philippe de Broca, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Françoise Dorléac, shapes the imagination of several generations of French people regarding Brazil. Yet these positive visions have their flipside: hunger, poverty, the favelas, inequality, violence…
These images construe each of the two countries as the opposite of the other. France, especially Paris, is the place of ancient civilization and sophistication; Brazil, the place of nature, adventure, and hedonism. In novels, it is not uncommon for the “villain” to wish to flee to Paris, as a supreme manifestation of his rejection of Brazil and the definitive proof of his wickedness. In French novels or films, the departure for Brazil likewise signifies a radical desire to break free and change one’s life.
Clichés
In his comedy A Estátua Maçônica (1851), Manuel de Araújo Porto Alegre criticizes the arrogance of scientists and French imperialism.
Fifteen years later, La vie parisienne (1866), a comic opera by Jacques Offenbach (music) and Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, introduces the figure of the “Brazilian” as a fictional character. This Brazilian is a naive rich man who comes to Paris for amusement and is robbed by a gang of swindlers. The famous aria of the “Brazilian” is performed here in 1959 on video by Dario Moreno, a Turkish-Mexican artist known for his French adaptations of Brazilian hits such as Madureira chorou (Si tu vas à Rio) by Joel de Almeida (1958) and Brigitte Bardot by Jorge Veiga and Miguel Gustavo (1960).
François-Auguste Biard (1798-1882)
Born in Lyon in 1798, painter François-Auguste Biard was born to a humble working family. In 1858, he embarked for Brazil, at a moment when, after a period of widespread popularity at the Paris Salons, his career was entering a phase of financial decline. Upon arriving in Rio de Janeiro, it was particularly the Black population that drew his attentive gaze. François Biard developed an original repertoire of representations of Black people in Brazil, softening the violence of slavery. In a gentle manner, he included the enslaved among the subjects that could entertain a European audience, a representation that displeased Brazilian readers.
Pelé et Brigitte Bardot
Pelé, the king of football, and Brigitte Bardot, an actress but above all a sex symbol, were the main global icons of the 1960s and 1970s. Their international notoriety made them informal ambassadors of their respective countries. Brigitte Bardot had a special connection with Brazil, particularly with Búzios, where she took refuge from the paparazzi, recorded “Maria Ninguém”, and repeatedly expressed her admiration for Pelé. In the videos, she can be seen arriving in Rio de Janeiro for the first time in 1964 and giving the kickoff for a football match in 1971 between Santos FC and the French national team.