Translation of French article about the 1966 CELEG Paris Exhibition

According to this article by ThePhantom.fan, the exhibition was organised by CELEG held at the American Cultural Center in Paris, France from the 3rd to the 15th of June, 1966.

In a French comic magazine GIFF-WIFF n° 21 (1966) they have written about this exhibition. I have provided an English translated version of the article. The language (writing style) is rather literary and complex so I've added a lexique to help phans. You can see a scan of the original article along with the original French version towards the bottom of this article.

Translated article into English from French

Fantomandrake in St-Germain Des Pres

You step out of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés metro station, stroll along the boulevard, cast a sideways glance at the Flore and its characteristic fauna, pass Lipp and La Pochade, and slip into the narrow rue du Dragon, dear to Audiberti and to lovers of meat cooked in wood-fired ovens (all the local joints cook with it—and the good stuff). You feel Parisian at heart, and germanopratin as if you were born here. But then, an odd little poster, signed Alessandrini, catches your eye: a masked figure, with a familiar musculature, whose lips are adorned with two fine mustachioed commas—clearly fake—tips his top hat to the passerby and invites you inside. You pass through a glassy hall filled with bespectacled students who look like Arthur Miller (or Rip Kirby), and, following the arrow, descend into a spacious, air-conditioned basement (in this mid-June heatwave, what a blessing). And suddenly, it’s complete disorientation, instant de-Germanopratinization. Traversing places and eras, traveling back in time, you find yourself in the jungle (Asian or African, it’s hard to say), then in the menacing shadow of the Pyramid of Cheops, where two sinister ambulant mummies emerge right under your nose, and finally, at the far end of the room, in the Skull Cave itself, lit a giorno by a glowing red neon. You are in the world of Fantomandrake.

Once the initial shock passes, your eyes adjust. You make out, faithfully reproduced by a photocalque, the enigmatic mask of the master of the house (as was once said of Antonin Artaud: “he doesn’t have eyes, but rays”), and a few meters away, the coattails of his companion’s tailcoat fluttering in the air. You appreciate the humor in the Identikit portrait of the magician drawn by France Soir in an edition specially printed for the event. You linger before an Italian comic strip panel showing a dressed up Diana, with special permission from the God of Bandar, dressed in the Phantom’s legendary disguise and mask, which flatter her eternally youthful figure (“Bene,” approves the real Phantom, in Mr. Spada’s native tongue). You exchange impressions with your neighbor, an old habitué of the Left Bank galleries, who wandered in by chance and suddenly feels twenty years younger: he appreciates the aggressive face and ultra-virile musculature of Sy Barry’s Phantom, while you remain faithful to the elegant and refined young gentleman in the Raffles tradition, once drawn by the brilliant Ray Moore. But both of you agree that Wilson McCoy’s linework is a bit limp and Bill Lignante’s “style” (?) downright hideous.

Soon, you succumb to the familiar game of comparisons: between Moore’s pirate women and the baroque violence of Josef von Sternberg; between the delicious palace intrigues of Phil Davis and the exoticism—again, necessarily baroque—of a Lubitsch. You begin laying the foundations for a sweeping exegesis: Lee Falk, the shared creator of two major comic-strip heroes who vie for your affection, supposedly spent most of his childhood in St. Louis, Missouri. How, then, to explain his inclination toward exoticism, a discreet eroticism, granted, but remarkably effective, toward serialized crime fiction, and voyages to the Black Indies? Compensation? Nostalgia? Influence of the Seventh Art? You ponder this, being literate yourself—though also a lover of pictures—thinking of Xavier de Maistre, Jules Verne, Pierre Véry, all exemplary sedentary bourgeois, tempted by the grand voyage toward elsewhere.

This visit to Fantomandrake the Enchanter, he of the double face, was one you made—or should have made—between June 3 and 15, during the remarkable exhibition organized by the C.E.L.E.G. and put together by the devoted Jacques Lob, with the complicity of Nicole and Alain Terreich, in the pleasantly refurbished basement of the American Cultural Center, 3 rue du Dragon (a fitting name). In one of his early appearances, fighting against Prince Ahmed, the Phantom conceals himself under a grand oriental cape adorned with a dragon motif—on the front! Not to be confused with some competing exhibition (perhaps courtesy of the Cobra...?), this opening in that sacred temple of phylacterian art brought out all of fashionable Paris. And as often happens in the stories, Mandrake met his double: Lee Falk, in fact, came face-to-face with Michel Seldow, who treated the audience to a few brilliant feats of magic.

It is with real reluctance that you tear yourself away from this wonderland, this fabulous cavern, with its masks, billowing capes, and dialogue distilled to its poetic essence—everything that can summon up the memory of childhood games. Outside, the scorching summer heat awaits you, along with the flow of convertible cars, the crusty remnants of the fake avant-garde in neighboring gallery windows, and the lost tourists, Rollei slung over shoulder, wandering the germanopratin sidewalks. A wild hope crosses your mind: that one day Fantomandrake, flying across the Seine on a magic carpet, will take up residence at the Louvre, and with a flick of his magic wand, make the Mona Lisa vanish.

(Written by) Claude Beylie

Lexique

Places & Cultural References

• Saint-Germain-des-Prés – A historic and intellectual neighborhood in Paris, known for its cafés, galleries, and literary associations.

• Le Flore (Café de Flore) – Iconic Parisian café frequented by writers and philosophers like Sartre and Beauvoir.

• Lipp (Brasserie Lipp) – Renowned Paris brasserie known for its traditional Alsatian cuisine.

• La Pochade – Name of an art gallery in Paris.

• Rue du Dragon – A small, historic street in Paris' 6th arrondissement.

• Centre Culturel Américain – American Cultural Center, formerly in Paris, hosting exhibitions and cultural events.

• Samaritaine / Monoprix – Well-known French department stores.

Artists, Writers, & Intellectuals

• Audiberti (Jacques Audiberti) – French playwright and poet known for his flamboyant style.

• Arthur Miller – American playwright, author of Death of a Salesman.

• Rip Kirby – Fictional detective from an American comic strip.

• Antonin Artaud – Avant-garde French dramatist and theorist, associated with the Theatre of Cruelty.

• Josef von Sternberg – Austrian-American filmmaker known for stylized, baroque visuals.

• Ernst Lubitsch – German-American film director known for sophisticated comedies and exotic themes.

• Xavier de Maistre – French writer, author of Voyage Around My Room, about imaginary travel.

• Jules Verne – French novelist known for adventure and science fiction.

• Pierre Véry – French writer known for mystery and children’s literature.

• Raffles – Fictional gentleman thief created by E.W. Hornung.

People

• Mr. Spada (Fratelli Spada) – Italian comic book publisher who popularized The Phantom in Italy.

• Michel Seldow – Likely a stage magician who participated in the exhibition.

• Jacques Lob – French comic writer and curator of the exhibition.

• Nicole and Alain Terreich – Organizers or collaborators on the exhibition.

Special Terms

• photocalque – A photo-based tracing or reproduction.

• queue de pie / frac – Tailcoat, formal wear typically worn by performers or elegant men.

• portrait-robot – Composite sketch or Identikit, usually used in police investigations.

• dégermanopratisation – Neologism combining “germanopratin” (of Saint-Germain) with a process of losing that identity.

• exégèse – Scholarly interpretation, usually of a text (e.g., biblical or literary).

• phylacterien / art phylacterien – A pun referring to comic books (“phylactères” = speech bubbles in French).

• Avant-garde – Radically innovative artistic movement.

• Rollei / Rolleyflex – A high-end vintage camera popular among photographers and tourists.

• à Giorno – An Italian term meaning "as bright as daylight"; used here to describe harsh, artificial lighting.

Original French

Vous sortez du métro Saint-Germain-des-Prés, longez le Boulevard, lorgnez du coin de l’œil le Flore et sa faune caractéristique, dépassez Lipp et la Pochade » et vous enfoncez dans l’étroite rue du Dragon, chère à Audiberti et aux amateurs de vin de feu de bois (tous les troquets du coin en cuisinent, et de la fameuse). Vous vous sentez Parisien dans l’âme, et germanopratin comme si vous y étiez né. Mais voici qu’une étrange affichette, signée Aleesandrini, accroche votre regard : un personnage masqué, à la musculature familière, dont les lèvres s’ornent de deux fines virgules moustachues, fausses vraisemlablement, tire son gibus au promoneuret l’invite à entrer. Vous croisez dans un hall vitré des étudiants à lunettes qui ressemblent à Arthur Miller (ou à Rip Kirby), et suivant la flèche, descendez jusqu’à un sous-sol vaste et climatisé (en cette canicule de la mi-juin, quelle aubaine). Et c’est le dépaysement complet, immédiat, la dégermanopratisation. Franchissant lieux et époques, remontant le temps, vous vous retrouvez dans la jungle (asiatique ou africaine, difficile de la situer au juste), puis dans l’ombre menacante de la Pyramide de Chéops, d’où s’échappent sous votre nez deux sinistres momies ambulantes, au fond de la pièce, enfin, dans la Caverne du Crâne elle-même, éclairée a giorno d’un néon rongeoyant. Vous êtes chez Fantomandrake.

Le premier instant de stupeur passé, vos yeux s’habituent. Vous distinguez, fidèlement reproduit par un photocalque, le masque enigmatique du maitre de céans (comme on a pu dire d’Antonin Artaud, « il n’a pas des yeux mais des rayons »), et à quelques metres, la queue de pie volant au vent du frac de son compère. Vous apprécierez l’humour du portrait-robot du magicien tracé par FRANCE SOIR dans l’édition spécialement tiré pour la circonstance. Vous vous attardez longuement devant une planche italienne montrant Diane revetue, par dérogation exceptionnelle de Dieu des Bandar, de la detroque et du loup légendaires, lesquels mettent fort joliment en valuer ses formes éternellement juveniles (“Bene”, approuve le vrai Fantome, dans la langue de M.Spada). Vous échangez quelques impressions avec votre voisin, un vieil habitué des galeries de peinture de la rive gauche, fouroyé là par hasard et qui a rajeuni de vingt ans : lui apprecie la tronche aggresive et la musculature super virile du Phantom de Sy barry, alors que vous restez fidele à l’élegant et fin jeune homme racé, dans la lignée de Raffles, dessiné autrefois par le génial ray Moore. mais tous deux vous accordez à juger un peu mou le trait de Wilson McCoy et proprement hideux, le “style” (?) de Bill Lignante.

Vous ne tardez pas à vous livrer au petit jeu des comparaisons : entre les femmes pirates de Moore et la violence baroque de josef Von Sternberg ; entre les savoureuses intrigues de palais de Phil Davis et l’exotisme, baroque encore, nécessairement, d’un Lubitsch. Vous jetez les bases d’un vaste exégèse : Lee Falk, créateur commun de deux grands héros des bandes dessinées qui se partagent vos faveurs, aurait, Lisez-vous, passé la plus grande partie de son enfance à Saint-Louis-Missouri. Comment donc expliquer cette propension à l’exotisme, à un erotisme discret, certes, mais singulierement efficace, au serial policier, au départ vers les Indes Noires? Compensation? Nostalgie ? influence du septième ? Vous evoquer car vous avez des lettres, bien qu’adorant aussi les images, Xavier, Maistre, Jules Verne, Pierre Véry, tous parfaits petits bourgeois sédentaires tentés par le grand voyage vers l’ailleurs.

Cette visite à Fantomandrake l’Enchanteur au double visage, vous l’avez accomplie, ou auriez dû le faire, entre le 3 et le 15 juin, à l’occasion de la remarquable exposition organisée par le C.E.L.E.C. et mise en place par le dévoué Jacques Lob, avec la complicité de Nicole et Alain Terreich, dans le sous-sol agréablement aménagé du Centre Culturel Américain, 3 rue du Dragon (nom prédestiné). Lors d’une de ses premières apparitions dans la lutte contre le prince Ahmed, le Fantôme se dissimule sous une grande cape orientale orné sur le devant d’un dragon ? Ne pas confondre avec telle ou telle exposition concurrente située peut-être due au Cobra… ), lors du vernissage, dans ce haut lieu de l’art phylacterien, le tout-Paris, bien sur, était là. Et comme il arrive souvent dans les épisodes, Mandrake rencontra son double : Lee Falk, en effet, fut confronté à Michel Seldow, qui executa en sa présence quelques brillants tours de magie.

C’est avec cette peine que vous vous arrachez à cette fascination, quittez la cavarne fabuleuse, ses masques,

ses envols de cape, ses dialogues réduits au plus strict et néanmoins empreints de poésie, tout ce qui peur vous rappeler les jeux de l’enfance heureuse… Au-dehors, la chaleur torride de l’été vous guette, et le flot des voitures décapotées, et les croutes de la fausse avant-garde dans les vitrines des galeries avoisinantes, et les touristes paumés, Rolleyflex en bandouliere, sur le trottoir germanopratin. Un espoir fou vous traverse : qu’un jour FantoMandrake, traverse la seine, sur un tapis volant, et aille s’installer au Musée du Louvre, d’où il fera, d’un coup de baguette magique, disparaître la Joconde ?

[Editors Note: For those who are interested in these type of articles, Chronicle Chamber has collected hundreds of similar articles and other mediums from around the world to our Phantom Preservation Project. If you have other articles, videos, audio recordings featuring the Phantom you would like to see preserved - please contact us.]