Singer of a scandalous song, “creator” of a Birkin bag and mother: such a different Jane Birkin

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Actress

The first glory to Birkin came precisely thanks to the cinema. Jane’s mother was an actress, but her father was a military man. He wasn’t overjoyed when the 17-year-old Birkin first appeared on stage in swinging London in “Carving a Statue” and “Passion Flower Hotel”, demonstrating vocal and choreographic abilities along with dramatic performances.

Pretty soon Birkin was invited to the movies. From an unnamed role in the film “Knack” to the first scandalous fame, acquired after the appearance of a nude in “Blow Up” by Michelangelo Antonioni, only a year passed. Despite the defiant step for those times, Jane was supported by her mother.

At the age of 22, Birkin, who does not speak French, moves to France with her little daughter in her arms. Here, with her participation, “Pool” with Alain Delon, filmed by Agnès Varda’s husband Jacques Dere, and “Slogan”, which forever changed Jane’s life, come out. On the set of Slogan, she meets Serge Gainsbourg, a partnership with whom will bring her worldwide fame.

After a short break, Birkin returns to the cinema in the film “If Don Juan were a woman”, where Gainsbourg’s former lover Brigitte Bardot becomes her partner. And then – a real successful film career. Comedies with Pierre Richard (“He gets angry, or Mustard hits the nose”, “Do not lose sight”), a role in Gainsbourg’s controversial directorial debut “I love you … I don’t have you either”, the film adaptation of Agatha Christie (“Death on the Nile “, “Evil under the Sun”), work with Jacques Doillon (“Prodigal Girl”, “Pirate”), Agnes Varda (“Jane B. through the eyes of Agnes V.”, “Kung Fu Master”) and Jacques Rivette (“Charming naughty”, “Love on the grass”) and much more. In 2017, after starring in the Oscar-nominated short film The Woman and the Train, Birkin announced her retirement from acting and concentrated on music.

Singer

Music inevitably came into Jane’s life with Serge Gainsbourg. At the time of their meeting, Serge was already a famous poet and performer. Before meeting Birkin, Gainsbourg met with Brigitte Bardot, for whom he wrote his famous song “Je t’aime … moi non plus” (“I love you … I don’t have you either”). Bardo refused to sing it because of the distinct sexual overtones, and Birkin came to replace her.

The composition caused a scandal, was banned from radio stations in Italy, Spain and the UK, but a year later became a hit. Brigitte Bardot later called Gainsbourg and asked him to sing the song – she needed money for an animal relief fund. The song was recorded, but the Birkin version is still more popular today. The composition became the soundtrack to the film of the same name by Gainsbourg.

In the 70s, under the direction of Serge, Jane released three records – almost all the lyrics and music were written by him. Although Birkin took off during this period, the title of “Siren of the Sixties” was assigned to the singer.

Even after parting, their musical collaboration did not stop. Released shortly after the breakup, the album “Baby alone in Babylone” of 11 songs authored by Serge, during the recording of which he cried behind the glass of the studio, went gold and was recognized as the most beautiful in Jane’s career. She released several more albums written by Gainsbourg, performed with new versions of his songs. The first album written by Birkin without his participation was released in 1999, 8 years after Gainsbourg’s death. In 2017, she will return to the music of her former lover for the last time in the symphonic album “Birkin / Gainsbourg: Le symphonique”, which brings together 21 cover versions of his songs, including those written for Dalida, Catherine Deneuve, Brigitte Bardot, Isabeli Adjani, Vanessa Paradis, etc.

Now Jane continues to pursue a musical career and travel with concerts, despite her illnesses and age (the singer is 75 years old).

Style icon

A rebel who appears naked almost more often than in her, Birkin has become a symbol of her era. This was facilitated by both the affair with Serge and her manner of dressing. The Englishwoman Jane, accustomed to choosing “comfortable” instead of “exquisite”, has become the personification of the “ideal Frenchwoman”, mixing swinging London and fashionable Paris in her style.

Flared jeans with plain white t-shirts, crop tops, turtleneck sweaters, men’s blazers, ballerinas, sneakers and coin necklaces are all Birkin’s wardrobe. Among her evening dresses – dresses in boho style and bold transparent mini, after the appearance in which at the premiere of “Slogan” Jane was unanimously recognized as a style icon. Her signature accessory was a simple wicker basket, with which Birkin went to the beach and social events.

The legendary story of the appearance of the Birkin bag is connected with the basket. The story goes that Jean-Louis Dumas, president of Hermès, was sitting next to Jane on a plane when the contents of her “bag” fell apart. Birkin complained that she couldn’t find a suitable handbag with pockets. Dumas offered to express his wishes to him, and a month later invited Jane to Hermès headquarters, where she chose a sketch and soon received the first copy of her personalized bag. Birkins now start at $9,000, but can go up to six figures if made from exotic animal skins or encrusted with precious stones.

With age, Birkin’s outrageousness diminished, but the desire for convenience remained. At concerts and social events, Jane prefers tuxedos and suits, in everyday life – straight jeans, cashmere sweaters and sneakers. By the way, now Birkin admits that he cannot afford the famous bag of the same name.

wife and mother

Jane has been “married” three times, had daughters three times, and became a grandmother three times (the first time at 39). Her first husband was the composer John Barry, the author of the music for the Bond film and a five-time Oscar winner. Jane was terribly in love and flattered that such a brilliant person chose her, but her parents did not share the enthusiasm. Barry was 32 when he married 19-year-old Birkin. He has two marriages and three children behind him, and his main priority is his career. Barry did not shy away from relationships with other women and did not pay much attention to Jane, who had just begun to know herself, who was so afraid of looking ugly in his eyes that she even slept with eyeliner under her pillow. The birth of Kate’s daughter did not save the situation, and the couple divorced after three years of marriage.

The next man in Jane’s life was Serge Gainsbourg, with whom, despite rumors, they were never married. Jane again plunged into love with his head, although Gainsbourg was also older, had two marriages and two children behind him. Their romance lasted 12 years. Its fruits were not only numerous films, albums and photo shoots, but also the daughter Charlotte, the future famous actress. In a civil marriage with Gainsbourg, Jane was able to liberate herself and feel attractive – the open physicality of this couple can be judged both by songs and by candid photographs.

Despite the romantic halo that has developed around this couple, their relationship can hardly be called healthy. Gainsbourg was a difficult man, he drank a lot, made scandals and could raise a hand against Jane. “He always says that I am to blame for everything; we reconcile, but I always ask for forgiveness.” “While working on Don Juan, on the eve of filming the bed scene with Bardo, Serge gave me a stormy scandal on the basis of jealousy for Vadim. Near the door we had a bear cub under a glass cap. on my head, dragged me across the floor. He did it on purpose so that the next day I could not appear on the site. ” “They feed you here, and give you water, and give you a roof over your head,” Serge said tonight. “I have nothing,” I replied. Everything here belongs to him, and I have no right to even say a word. I’m sitting on a chair and I’m afraid to move – suddenly I’ll break something, “this is how Jane describes this relationship in her memoirs” Diary of a Monkey “.

Jane could not stand this forever, so in 1980 the couple broke up. A third man appeared in Birkin’s life – director Jacques Doillon, from whom she gave birth to her third daughter, Lou Doillon, who also became an actress and model. Jacques was able to give her the love and support that the first marriages did not bring. At the same time, Serge Gainsbourg did not disappear from their lives – Birkin maintained friendly relations with him and recorded albums together. He also became Lou’s godfather, supporting this with a donated box of children’s clothes with a note “Dad Two”.

Jane and Jacques’ relationship fell apart after Serge’s death in 1991. Doillon “could not compete with her grief over Gainsbourg.” Birkin was terribly attached to her former lover – so much so that she put her talisman in his coffin – a plush Monkey monkey, carried to her through her whole life since childhood – “so that my monkey would protect him like a pharaoh in the afterlife.”

Since then, Birkin has lived alone. Her first daughter Kate tragically died in 2013, which greatly crippled Jane. Two other daughters followed in the footsteps of the famous mother and achieved no less success. Birkin does charity work, visited Bosnia, Rwanda, Israel and Palestine on a humanitarian mission – she wants to believe that her father, a hero of World War II, would be proud of her. In addition, Jane was awarded the Order of the British Empire for her services to the improvement of British-French cultural ties.