J'attendrai newsreel history

brandoneon

Does anyone know any history about the Django/Stephane "J'attendrai" newsreel footage? For example, where and when was this originally shown? Was it shown often, and was it popular? Just curious.

Thanks!
Brandon

Jack

From Michael Dregni's posting on YouTube:

Here's Django Reinhardt in a short film from 1938-1939. Forget the short clips from this movie---here's the whole thing, all 6 minutes, putting the scenes with Django and the QHCF in context. This short film was made about 1938-1939 as an advertisement for Django's brand of music before a tour of Great Britain to educate music-hall audiences on what jazz was all about. In those days, many people thought improvisations were due to bad musicianship---musicians who culdn't play in tune! This film was "lost"---even forgotten---for decades until a French fan of cartoons with jazz soundtracks found it in a brocante junkshop in a marché aux puces in a film can simply marked "Jazz Hot"; the price was right, so he bought it, and voilà, here's the film!

and the film:


hope that helps,
Jack.

Shawn

Thanks for posting that Jack, I have been wanting to see the ENTIRE clip for awhile now, but couldn't find it anywhere. Every video on youtube I found was the shortened version that starts when Django appears.

Much appreciated!

brandoneon

Thanks Jack!

I own the Grappelli Life in the Jazz Century DVD which reproduces this video (without the historical background), so I've never had to search for it on youtube.

best,
Brandon

spatzo

That reel was accidentaly blindly bought by Serge Bromberg (Lobster FIlm) in a lot containing many other film footage. Serge Bromberg immediatley begun to show that film after having it restaured but he soon had some problems with Django's heirs that pretended to have a high commission on each show.

Bromberg finally won and introduced the footage in "Retour de Flamme" several times presented even at Samois some years ago.

I asked several times to Serge if he had the other two tunes Delaunay remembered but we stopped talking after he mentionned the Geneva Convention...