*THE TOMBOY (La garçonne) (1936) Lesbian Theme Pre-War Belgian Poster MARIE BELL

Description

This is a vintage original 22 x 34 in. Belgian poster (which has been trimmed to 22 x 28.25 in.) for the 1930's lesbian-themed drama,
LA GARCONNE
(
The Tomboy
), released in France in 1936 and
directed by Jean de Limur
.  Adapted from a scandalous Victor Margueritte novel, "la garçonne" (aka "jalousie"), the eponymous garçonne, or "flapper," is Monique Lerbier (Marie Bell), an emancipated French woman who leaves home to escape a marriage of convenience to a man she does not love which her parents have forced on her. She then falls into all sorts of carnal temptations and artificial pleasures previously unknown to her. These include her being seduced into a lesbian love affair by a chanteuse (Arletty). The cast includes Henri Rollan, Jaque Catelain, Jean Worms, and Maurice Escande.
The design features a striking image of beautiful Monique Lerbier (
Marie Bell
) in a pensive pose as she rests her chin in the palm of one hand while holding a cigarette. She's wearing a black dress and matching long black gloves which catch the light on their shiny surface and blend-in with her bobbed dark hair, all of which is complimented by a golden-hued background. This vintage original Belgian poster is unrestored and folded as originally issued in good+ condition and has been trimmed to 22 x 28.25 in. (along the bottom of the
poster
). As was customary with
Belgian
posters, there is a tax stamp affixed in the top right of the theater imprint area with areas of surface paper loss from a snipe having been removed; two vertical and six horizontal
fold lines
; and
random
signs of wear along the bottom half
off
the left border with a lesser amount in the corners. The color tints are fresh and vibrant without any signs of fading and the beautiful golden-hued background looks even nicer in person.
Albert Dieudonné, who did the treatment (in modern parlance), is best known for playing Napoleon Bonaparte in Abel Gance's 1927 epic,
Napoleon
.  Banned in Anvers. The film was initially banned in Paris, but the Council of Ministers overturned their decision following the outcry of the press. The story was quite daring for the time: A bourgeois girl lives a life of luxury and her parents want her to marry for money, though, because of the decline of their business. She discovers that her fiancé cheats on her, having both a lover and a child. She the decides to sever all links with her milieu and her family.
She has a lot of affairs, including one with a woman, Niquette, who is played by the glorious Arletty ("les enfants du paradis"). Her blonde lesbian (Arletty was actually a brunette) easily outclasses the rest of the cast, including the lead (Marie Bell). Although the word "lesbian" is never uttered, there are really risqué scenes: one of them shows women dressed as men dancing together; another takes place in an opium den. The character portrayed by actor Jean Tissier is probably gay as well.
This is a beautiful and historic LGBTQ-themed movie poster from the Golden Age of international cinema.