EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: The portrayal of Coco Chanel in Apple TV’s The New Look defies the historic conception of the French fashion icon as a Nazi traitor
Juliette Binoche’s portrayal of Coco Chanel in Apple TV’s The New Look defies the historical view that the French fashion icon is a Nazi traitor.
“Her involvement with the Nazis is a fact, but you should know that she did not kill anyone,” Binoche told Radio Times.
“It would be easy to say that Chanel was a collaborator, period, and you should throw her in the trash. But it is much more complex than that.’
French actress Juliette Binoche who plays Coco Chanel in Apple TV’s The New Look
Coco Chanel was a French fashion icon who collaborated with the Nazis
By omitting the fact that Chanel was a Nazi intelligence agent in Paris, Binoche also sidesteps the question of how Chanel, who slept with a German officer during the conflict, avoided post-war vilification.
She offered free fragrance to American soldiers, with Malcolm Muggeridge noting, “They were queuing to get the bottles of Chanel No. 5 and would have been furious if the French police had touched a hair on her head.”
Chanel was a Nazi intelligence agent in Paris, Binoche also sidesteps the question of how Chanel, who slept with a German officer during the conflict, avoided post-war vilification
The Nazi flag flies from the Arc de Triomphe during the German occupation of France during World War II
Royal writer Ingrid Seward claims the late Queen was ‘shocked’ by US Bishop Michael Curry’s impassioned sermon at Harry and Meghan’s wedding.
But she doesn’t reveal why. Curry struck a nerve. Concluding his sermon, he invoked the virtues of fire, said that it made human civilization possible, and shouted the word fifteen times.
Was he aware that the wedding reception took place at St George’s Hall, which was destroyed by flames during the Queen’s annus horribilis in 1992?
Joanna Lumley attends the opening of Burberry’s takeover of Harrods on February 1, 2024
Gyles Brandreth claims Joanna Lumley is one of three women he is paired with in the Channel 4 series Celebrity Gogglebox, who have been named Ladies.
He names the other two as Sheila Hancock and Maureen Lipman, adding: ‘My wife says it’s because the Queen watched Celebrity Gogglebox and thought, ‘These poor women who have to sit on his sofa watching unspeakable programs like Naked Attraction, we have to reward them in some way.”
Why didn’t she give fellow sufferer Gyles a gong?
Irritated by idiotic calls to ban rugby in schools after it was branded ‘child abuse’, Boris Johnson fondly recalls a 1982 Eton Chronicle report on his exploits as Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson alias the Blonde Behemoth, captain of the King’s Scholars against the rival team the Oppidans.
The chronicle evoked the chants of the Peacemen, “LBJ, how many children did you kill today?”, and asked, “Hey, hey, ABJ, how many Oppidans did you kill today?”
Ian Lavendar at the premiere of the movie Dad’s Army. He recently passed away at the age of 77
The last TV appearance of Ian Lavender, the last man of Dad’s Army, who has died aged 77, was in EastEnders in 2017.
After battling cancer, suffering a heart attack and being diagnosed with sepsis, Ian glumly suggested: ‘I don’t think they can get me insured now.’ Rest in peace Private Pike.
Friends of Fairytale Of New York composer Shane MacGowan claim his enthusiasm for Lucky Jim writer Kingsley Amis inspired the song’s lyrics, which include: ‘You’re a bum/You’re a punk/You’re an old slut on junk’.
Kingsley’s tune, sung by the book’s hero Jim Dixon, includes the lines: “You ignorant bastard/you stupid old fool…You long-winded old, dirty old scum/you grasping old, old bastard.” Discuss.