She is fascinating. Totally fascinating. When I was reading from her biography, I couldn't help but have a lump in my throat when the author writes about her death, despite knowing she was far from being an angel - she was literally so free she could sometimes be cruel, especially to her lovers. And yet you can't help but admire her. Total freedom, yet a strong "no nonsense" attitude. The way she doesn't let the interviewer interrupt her is priceless. I can't imagine myself even TRYING to interrupt her.
i regret so much we have no film, no recording of Renée Vivien who died to earlier to let traces of her in the audiovisual archives.... It's an incredible loss for female writing !
My mother died in the same year that this interview took place. I'm sure she knew of and admired Natalie Barney. I have so many regrets- not taking more interest in the things my mother tried to share and impart with me. Too late. I'm 84 and ready to listen. Ironic.
I would have very much like to have met this woman and her circle of friends throughout her lifetime. What an interesting life she led. You can tell that she comes from money and a literary circle by the way she speaks - the differences from the 2021 vernacular are pretty remarkable.
Thank you for posting this. How refreshing to listen to an interview wherein the interviewer actually let's the subject speak without cutting them off.
I'm sure it's not that, Because today have been made many successful movies and series of lesbian themes It is probable that Barney's life is very thick To get a quick script So it will take time to do. But I am sure that in the not too distant future, Someone will do a movie about Barney And maybe not a only movie, may that a series of movies, Because Barney's life is full of Interesting stories ... just read her biography. I'm surprised it's not more famous.
I'm glad to have been born the same day as her. Otherwise, I would have never heard of her. I'm sure I'm not the only one who felt chills when she spoke directly to the camera about "Idleness" & "Friendship"...
Natalie Barney didn't live in the Latin Quarter. She lived at 20 rue Jacob (where this was filmed) in St Germain des President, just off rue Bonaparte.
Thank you Pheidias. FYI this recording is misdated. I have done research with primary witnesses and cross-checking, and I can say with certainty that it was made during the summer of 1967.
the film was first shown on BBC2 on 25th May 1966. I have a number of regrets. It should have been a longer interview conducted by me. I was very in experienced at the time. I kept in touch with Natalie by letter.
OMG Alice B Toklas made a real cutting remark about Ms. Barney. When someone said how does Natalie get these young girls and love affairs at her age. Even at 60 she was going strong sexually. Anyway Alice B. Toklas said she picks them up in their Metro bathrooms. Very very cutting at that time. There is a great old vieo called Paris was a Woman. They are all there. Djuna Barnes, Dolly Wilde and Natalie's long time companion Berthe.
Fascinating - a window into an incredibly creative bygone era. It seems she was evicted from the house by a buyer who wanted to rip up and modernise everything. (Ironic after NB had been one of the great modernisers of the early 20th C. She died in a hotel 6 years after this video.
Pourquoi on demande toujours aux femmes de parler des "grands hommes qu'elles ont connu" ? On dirait l'article de Breton sur Frida Kahlo... Quelle honte. Natalie Barney a une oeuvre ! Elle a écrit des aphorismes et on le nie complètement ! Elle mérite de figurer auprès des meilleur.es autorices d'aphorismes, comme Joubert, Juvénal, etc. !
Read her biography wild heart .she was as jealous as can be when she wasn't dictating .ironic since she claimed the great Sappho lived with many women in harmony.
What a sad way to live your life, revolve it entirely around your sexuality. A lot of self-indulgent individuals people attention of each other, what a "great" mix. They never sorted their problems out. Or in other words, they unnecessarily brought a lot of this shit upon themselves. You have to wonder why she had so many sexual relationships with other women and be so prolific about it... A lot of this behaviour has to do with the circumstances of one's childhood.
@@elisanemello9013 I'm a male and I've never spent my life solely focusing on sexuality. What I said about her can also be said about heterosexual men of her time like Ernest Hemingway and Ezra Pound who spent a great deal of their time wooing sycophantic women who they knew would never challenge them.
@@the19thcentury81 I'm a lesbian and I agree with you. I wish we lived in a world were true and profound love was admired instead of shallow sexual adventures. We have examples of beautiful long-term monogamous lesbian relationships from history (like Ladies of Llangollen, Edith Somerville & Violet Martin, and Michael Field), but they never get enough attention as people prefer cases like bisexual poly-amorous Vita Sackville-West.