1961-03-02 — Page 6

PARIS NEWS LETTER by SAM WHITE

THE CHINA MAIL, THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 1981.

The luckiest man in France? I'd say an auctioneer

PARIS.

A NOVEL published last month and written by Paris's leading auctioneer is likely to provoke speculation regarding the identity of one of its principal characters.

The novel. entitled "The

Hond," is written by fi0-year- IRONIC

old Maitre Maurice Rheims, and

is a kind of archaeological de- tective story.

It deals with the efforin made by collectors over 20 centuries to plece together the secret of where the great Roman vandal Verres, buried the art treasures he looted throughout Europe,

Bronze hand

Half the secret is containci in the hieroglyphics on IL bronze hand that can still be seen in The Paris National Museum.

It is the search for the second missing hand that makes the subject of the book.

The fetitious searcher-who Is described in fascinating detall is a eross between a Gelly

narla Gulbenkian.

All that brings me to the al- most equally interesting subject of Malire Rheims and his pro- fession.

Rheinis spindly, elegant man who has been married three times and whose present wife is a Rothschild, has long been the dominating Agure of the great Paris art sales at Charpentiers and Drouants.

A noted connoisseur himself, Rheim's small Paris flat, with its walls almost plastered with the masterpieces, reflects all possessive mania of the wealthy art collector.

He regards the passion that animates the grent collectors as an almost sexual one, the reasons. for which could be laid bare by any competent psychoanalyst.

"A man without problems, without complexes, is rarely a great collector," he told me.

He then added, shrewdly, that most great collectors are "elther bachelors or live like bachelors." The position of an auctioneer in France is exactly that of an immensely wealthy, medieval member of an exclusive guild.

The

title of "maitre" is an honorile one, deriving from the fact that auctioneers here are Hicensed by the Minister of Justice,

Unlike auctioneers in Britain, auctioneers in France have to give their personal guarantee as to the authentielty of the ob- jeely they sell. The number of auctioneers throughout France 3s resteleted to 70 and one cart only enter the profession through__purchase or inherit-

IT is a little ironic

that

from an ancient He comas Franco-Belgian family, and my Gotha adds that, like Prince Rainier, le 100, is a Serene Highness.

As to the other American women who can make claim to serenity, they are Princess Grace of Monaco (the fermer Grace Kelly), Princess Hohenloc have (the

former "Honeychile"

General de Gaulle, who has developed a keen dis- taste for both paratroopers and generals, should

a paratroop general in the Wilder), and a former Pitta- of Genoral Gavin, hurg heiress, Princess Aueberg. person

-London Express Service). parachuted

him on President Kennedy's Am-- bassador in Paris.

az

Be that as it may, Faris at the moment Is a dangerous place for generals who, for once, are discovering that it is they and not their troops who are expendable,

For example, in the past year General Salan has become a voluntary exile in Spuin, Gen- era! Jouhaud, former Assistant C.-in-C. in Algeria, has been retired, General Chalic, former C-In-C., been been retired at his own request, General Allard removed from Algeria has now removed from his also been command of the French forces in Germany.

Poor old General Massu is still waiting for the posting that who also used to be a big noise, never comes. General Mirabeau,

also remains jobless.

So too, does the equally re- doubtable General Faure.

As for colonels whose names were once household words, unemployment among them la now so grave that some of them have become Katanga patriots for a mere £100 a week.

QUOTE

AUTHOR GISELE PARRY ARE ONLY -"THERE

ARMS

Cummings

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

BLUE STREAK

CONSCRIPTION

G

Please pour

monty dow?%; This drain

**You must have got the wrong addross, Lord Russell. We don't have anything to do with arms here."

Thomas Wiseman's LIMELIGHT

Dirk Bogarde takes on

his most daring role...

THE somewhat belated discovery of sex by British films has been having a rejuvenat-

ing effect on the whole industry.

So much so that, sometimes, one has the distinct impression that it is being run entirely by

juveniles.

In America the phrase "made in Britain" now has the kind of boh-la-la connotation previously enjoyed and explaited only by the French and Italians.

Suddenly Britain has a repu- THREE CATEGORIES OF tation for being daring, and the HUMAN BEINGS WITH heady whift of box-office returns WHOM IT IS POSSIBLE has inspired out formerly staid DISCUS. and stuity producers to become TO HAVE A

even more daring. (It is signin SION PSYCHO-ANAL- cant that Mr Stanley Kubrick YSTS, HEAD WAITERS came to Britain to make Lolita, AND BRITISH IMMI where there is fortunately

benign and sophisticated censor.) GRATION OFFICERS.”

SERENE

SHOCK EFFECT

.thal

2

assured by Mr Relph that Mr Bogarde said that, Indeed, although in his im, Vieilm, the he had felt, some misgivings

subject of homosexually was about accepting the role, but in denit with fairly and squarely, his 15 years as a Rank contract this would not need to prevent, star he had not been offered so anyone enjoying it as a "Jolly many good parts that he could good thriller."

afford to turn this one down.

LIMITED.

This particular technique of coping with

social a serious problem was previously employ- ed by the same producer, director and writer (Janet Green) in the Mr Bogarde is now almost 40 case of Sapphire, which dealt and very conscious of the fact with the problem of colour that In Dims his acting, though prejudice but was also a jolly good of its kind, has been limited good thriller."

It was inevitable, I suppose, having already derived REPORT that yet the maximum shock-effect from another American heterosexual

3 relationships,

ance. The current purchase woman has joined the ex-producer would come along who price of an auctioneer's post is 'usive ranks of those en- perceived dramatic possibilities

in range.

In the present instance they "Larklog around as a fallen are, of course, dealing with a priest with Ava Gardner is all

he more tricky theme, and they very well," said, "when have chosen the only approach you're still a young man. But that, presumably, would be con- when you're turning forty you sidered acceptable at this time. want to do slightly more serious'

The hero of Victim is an things. eminent barrister, played by Mr Dirk Bogarde with

greying EVENINGS PERSONE temples, who has homosexual AFTER she has had her leanings but has never put them baby, Jean Simmons will into practice.

Thus it is possible to be during have to go through the and respectable at the same time, whole business all and the danger of alienating Mr again in a film called The Bogarde's

ob. following is minimised.

In the other sort. about £100,000.

titled to bo addressed Of the 70 auctioneers in

It is typical of the British France only two

genius for compromise that the ure in the "Your Serene Highness.“ Rheims class. The others, how-

She is the 28-year-old former first dlm to deal specifically with ever,

need have

Mrs Peggy Bancroft, a remark-the subject of homosexuality worries on that score, for under ably attractive blonde who is should turn up in the form of a the French system half an also u millionairess (Standard thriller and be made by the Blue auctioneer's profit from a sale Oil) and whose secret marriage Lamp team, Basil Dearden und goes into a common pool and is to the 55-year-old Prince Char- Michael Relph.

When I visited plit up among other auctioneers des d'Arenberg has just been

Pinewood every two months.

revealed,

Studios the other day, I wos

considerable female L-Shaped Room, an no financial

DOWN AMONG THE BEATNIKS

・your month

con small soap, man!'

over

1 talked to Mr Bogarde about stetrical spectacular about the possible adverse effect on his a girl having a baby. career which appearing in such a film-and such a part-might have.

WITH JAK

SIR ALEC

BOWS OUT

HAVE been hearing strange stories about Shaf- the fate of Mr Petar fer's play Five Finger Exer- cise which was a success in London and on Broadway.

I understand that Sir Alec Guinness walked out of the fim version when it was proposed to chango the selling from Suffolk to a small American town. Now I hear that Mr Jeff Chandler has been chosen to replace Sir Alce;

I would not be at all sur- prised if they cast Miss Tuesday Weld, America's baby vamp, is the English schoolgirl of the play. That kind of thing is

able to happen in Hollywood,

LAURENCE OLIVIER on why he has not yet signed up with Sam Spiegel to appear in Lawrence of Arabia. "Sam doesn't know if he wants me to play King Feisal or Lord Allen- by."

MISS CHIN

THE

UNSUBMISSIVE

WITH A JAPANESE show at the Coliseum, another one at the Pigalle, and The World of Suzle Wong drawing the crowds an a play and, film (despits the critics) i felt it was time to look into this current, craze for the Oriental So I took Miss Teal Chin, the stage Buzle, to lunch,

. "Contrary to their publicity," sald: Mise Chin, "Oriental girls are not submisalvo. fact, they are much, stronger than men. All girls are stronger than men, Their greatest strength is that they create the illusion of being weak.”

The cheongsam

She thought that our prement obsesion with Japanese and Chinese girls was only partly dus to the fact that they wear cheong- same tight-fitting skirts spilt 'all the way, to tha thighs.

"You can always tell Amerleans In“ a place Nike Hongkong," she said, "becaupo they walk around with thair eyes riveted about two fest above the ground.

London Express-Service, --

→ PICTURE BY MICHAEL WARD-

"They seem to be under the impression that cheongsamn are worn exclusively for thole benefit, whereus, of courts, the real reason that the traditional Chinese: dress reached down to the ground and without a siit in it; It would be impossible for anyons.. to walk,"

Modern ideas

Mis Chin is the daughter of an eminent. Chinese actor be lo the Laurence Olivier of China, the arid and she was brought up -- with modern Ideas of 、lifo

There is, however, one old Chipers custom for which the hue recently acquired a certain respect that of parents "choosing husband for thèle daughters

Mico Chin dhose her husband the Western- way-herself-and is now separated, from.

him,

I don't know whether any of this Holly explains our obssesion for the Oriental, but aftar my lunch with Mies Chin'i fool, that, thig la one obsession must definitely try to cultivate,

-(London. Express Service).:

When I told Mr Poter Shaffe THE MYSTERY OF THE MANY

about this he was understand-

ably surprised and perturbed,

A SURPRISE

"I had, heard," he said, "that Sir Aled turned down the part because they were proposing to Americanize the story, but that

Is all I know.

HURT COMMUNIST THUMBS

Munich.

Houtbreak of thumb Injuries has boon.. puzzling

A doctors in Communias Czechoslovakia, for sovend months. Now the puzzle has been solved-young workers are doing it on purpose to get sick leave.

In

TALKING

POINTS

** mannging, Humán affairs, there is no better, rule that self-restrainty Mana

ALAOTSE

"It may very well be that Mr Chandler is eminently rules! A newspaper in Prague pub. "Just oak foremen, directors and for the role in the morph who wrote of a

lshed a letter from a doctor group supervisors," he wrote. 19-year-old "It seems there are quite a few but I can't see him in the part worker complaining that his arilets about ready to spralu

He will do almost any, 1 wrath,

"It seems to me a very stupid right thamb hurt, was, swollen someone's thumb with othing for the poor excopt

.and ·made life Idea that you can tälle à glory

unpleasant. without payment."

POLETOT.

that is néniihily about the ↑ Ligaments' round the saint. were. The `newspaper also a kill get oft their backe

who hit his thumb with a ha

jolted the English midalevalads and transs ruptured but an X-ray showed case of a 17-year-old «opreation pose it to

no eigna of an accident, AS an Amerkan setting.

questioning the youth mer to get sick leave. It bl The final proof of great. "For one thing" the whole confessed, He admitted getting indicated that other methods of relationship between child someone to sprain is so millor, are prested in mess lies in being able to and their parent is belly at 14 days extra housy order to extend holidays or endure contumely without- alffer essayee they are keenne destur explained that detalla REPORT

avold

Work,. It did not go into románt magt turmien to this this was not an isolated, case, London Express Service). frenave, desinus."!