French actress Martine Carol (1920-67) was considered their Marilyn Monroe — a major blonde sex symbol — in the 1940s-50s. She starred in a number of key historical films, including the Dear Caroline (Caroline Chérie) series, and played Madame du Barry, Lucrezia Borgia, and Empress Josephine. Let’s run down her frock flick oeuvre!
There’s only one film for which I can’t find an image of Carol in:
- Bobette Minou in La fleur de l’âge (1947)
Otherwise, on y va!
Madeleine Bitterlin in Trente et quarante (1946)
In the 1850s or 1860s, a father tries to block his daughter’s suitor but ends up gambling in the Monte Carlo casino, which complicates matters.
Bettina Verdi in The Lovers of Verona (1949)
Stand-ins on a Romeo and Juliet film fall in love.
Caroline de Bièvre in Dear Caroline (1951)
An adaptation of a novel set in 1782 that spawned a series of sequels, in which an aristocrat falls in love with a soldier during the French Revolution.
Edmée 1900/Edmée de Villebois in Beauties of the Night (1952)
A piano teacher/composer has literal dreams of seducing women in various historical time periods, then meets his neighbor who resembles one of the dream women…
Caroline de Bièvre in Caroline Cherie (1953)
The sequel to Dear Caroline, with the continuing life and love adventures of an aristocrat during the French Revolution.
Lucrèce Borgia in Lucrèce Borgia (1953)
A biopic about Lucrezia Borgia with crazytown costumes.
Lysistrata (segment “Lysistrata”) in Daughters of Destiny (1954)
A comedy/drama film with three segments, each about women and war.
La duchesse de Bouillon (scenes deleted) in Royal Affairs in Versailles (1954)
The episodic panorama of the palace of Versailles across history. The duchesse de Bouillon appears to be Marie Anne Mancini, who was involved in the affair of the poisons.
Jeanne Ranson-B̩cu РMadame du Barry in Madame du Barry (1954)
A biopic of Louis XV’s famous and last official mistress, who rose from shopgirl to countess.
Nana in Nana (1955)
An adaptation of the Emile Zola novel, about an actress/prostitute who ruins the aristocratic men in love with her, and which has spawned some epic Snark Week memes!
Lola Montes in Lola Montès (1955)
A biopic of the Irish courtesan and dancer who lived 1821–61 and had affairs with several famous men of her era.
Girl in Paris Railroad Station in Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
An adventure/comedy adaptation of the Jules Verne novel, written in 1873, in which an English gentleman races to complete a trip around the world.
Joséphine de Beauharnais in The Battle of Austerlitz (1960)
As the Empress Joséphine in this film about one of Napoléon’s most famous battles.
La contessa Vitelleschi in The Betrayer (1961)
An Italian drama that’s an adaptation of an 1829 novella.
Have you seen any of Martine Carol’s films? Which ones are your faves?
![Portrait of a lady said to be Jeanne de Valois, comtesse de la Motte [I would be shocked if this was accurate] by Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, c. 1780 [I'd say post-1783], via Wikimedia Commons](https://i0.wp.com/frockflicks.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Jeanne_lamotte_valois.jpg?fit=300%2C175&ssl=1)
Unfortunately most of the movies are really boring. Although that was not her fault. I did like the “Lola Montez”-movie and her scenes with Peter Ustinov.
As a francophile, I feel like I should have heard of her, but I hadn’t. However, Criterion Collection thinks enough of Lola_Montez to include it, and a local library has a DVD copy, so I will watch it. Also found a YouTube video (which I haven’t watched yet) which claims it deserves more attention.
I sat through “Lola” because Max Ophuls is a favorite director, but I’m still unclear what Martine Carol was doing in it. Speaking of French stars, where is Danielle Darrieux’s WCW? I’m pretty sure she made a number of frock flicks (including the first sound-film “Mayerling”), and became a fine actress after starting out as an adorable blond sweetheart type.