France in the Great War: The Divide between Home Front and Front Line — and How a Song Bridged the Gap

Now, as we mark 100 years since the end of the “Great War,” this presentation looks back at a music-hall march that became the most popular and memorable French song of the war. Why was that song (about a lovable barmaid) so successful? An answer lies in understanding the broad historical context of French popular culture and the war experience. Images and song excerpts from the period will help illustrate how the French behind the lines imagined combat, how the troops experienced it, and how the nation chose to remember it.