Monsieur Mayonnaise Monsieur SYNOPSIS Into His Family’S Secret Past
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© ATOM 2016 A STUDY GUIDE BY ROGER STITSON http://www.metromagazine.com.au ISBN: 978-1-74295-964-1 http://theeducationshop.com.au SYNOPSIS Monsieur Mayonnaise is an artist’s epic adventure the French Resistance and was code-named into his family’s secret past. ‘Monsieur Mayonnaise’. But he only uncovered part of the story. Australian artist and film-maker, Philippe Mora, investigates his father’s clandestine role Now the clock is ticking and Philippe wants to in the French Résistance in World War Two find out all he can about his father’s wartime and his mother’s miraculous escape en route to missions and intriguing alias, so he sets off Auschwitz. from his home in West Hollywood to track down those who knew his father – before it’s Philippe, a Hollywood cult-horror movie too late. director and artist, adopts a Film Noir persona to tell his dramatic family story. He also packs Philippe soon discovers ‘truth is stranger than his paints and easel, embarking on a journey fiction’ as he uncovers the real story behind to create an audacious comic book about his his father’s mysterious code-name ‘Monsieur parents, their survival and the Holocaust. Mayonnaise’, his work with legendary mime artist Marcel Marceau and their connection Philippe’s mother is Parisian born, Melbourne with nuns, Nazi border guards, baguettes and artist Mirka Mora. His late father Georges was French mayonnaise… It’s the stuff of wild a restaurateur, gallery owner and modern art fiction, or comic books! And in so doing he learns pioneer. After the war, they settled in Australia much more about the father he loved so much, and Philippe grew up in the epicentre of the and misses terribly even today. 1950s Melbourne café-arts scene. His parents spoke French and loved mayonnaise. His father From LA to Berlin, Paris to Melbourne, also hated all-things German, but was enigmatic Monsieur Mayonnaise is a richly layered, road and mysterious about why, and much more… movie starring madcap artists, comic stories, real 2016 © ATOM life heroes, Nazi villains – and baguettes with As an adult Philippe discovered that his father lashings of tasty French mayonnaise! was born in Leipzig, Germany, worked for 2 CURRICULUM LINKS Imperialist Germany and Imperialist (i.e. pre- Communist Revolution) Russia. This study guide is mainly aimed at mid to senior secondary school levels, with relevance to English, We are told in the film that Leon Zelik, the father Modern European History, Media and Film Studies, of Philippe’s mother, Mirka, fled from his home- Art. land of Lithuania in April 1915 because Jews were being ‘slaughtered’ in his village. Carry out Background setting some research then discuss in class the events, and the reasons for them, that led to these events of Lithuanian Jewish persecution. (See, As background to Philippe Mora’s investigations ‘Lithuanian expulsions’, in website references.) into his family history and his creation of a comic book to explain, comment upon it and to try to Following from the previous activity, draw a make sense of it, carry out the following activities map of Eastern Europe showing the relative related to the history of the Jewish Holocaust dur- positions of the borders of Russia, Lithuania, ing the 1930s and 1940s. Germany and Poland. Carry out some research, then show on the map where the German and The Jewish Holocaust, deriving from the Russian armies were in conflict in Lithuania, ascendency to power of the Nazi Party in and the areas where Jewish populations were Germany, 1933, was not a sudden nor isolated forcefully expelled from their homes. event of extreme Jewish persecution in Europe. It occurred within a larger historical context. The Nazi Party in Germany came to national Hatred of, and prejudice towards Jews in power in January 1933, and quickly transformed Europe may be traced back centuries, therefore itself into a dictatorship, outlawing its opposition it depends on how far back into the past stu- parties. Carry out research then discuss in class dents may wish to reach to understand these when and why the persecution of German Jews events of the recent 20th century. In terms of the began in Nazi Germany and then continued and background to Monsieur Mayonnaise, though, developed with the introduction of concentra- © ATOM 2016 © ATOM the extreme and violent persecution of Jewish tion camps, first, in Germany, then elsewhere, communities extends back to World War One as German military domination spread through (1914-1918), and to the regions of Eastern Europe after war broke out in 1939. (See ‘Jewish Europe affected by the war waged between Holocaust’ in website references.) 3 After Germany invaded France in May 1940, the French government surren- dered, and France was divided into two governmental regions – Vichy and ‘Free France’. Draw a map of France showing what it looked like under Nazi domina- tion between 1940 and 1944. Carry out relevant research then comment on the treatment of Jewish citizens under Nazi occupation in Vichy France. (See ‘Vichy and Free France’ in website references.) Philippe’s mother and her family were directly affected in Nazi-controlled Paris when they became part of the ‘roundup’ of Jews in 1942. Philippe’s father Gunter was not part of the round up. He fled We are told that Philippe’s father, then known In the same Paris when the Germans invaded. as Gunther Morawski (later to become sequence of the ‘Georges Mora’), was a medical student at Following from the previous activity about the the University of Berlin in 1933. Explain why documentary, Nazi occupation of ‘Vichy’ France, carry out Gunther was suddenly dismissed from the Philippe also research on what happened in Paris on 16-17 University along with some very eminent refers to the scenes July 1942, an infamous event which has since teachers such as Albert Einstein. What was the become known as the Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup, purpose of this purge of academics? of Nazi book or the Velodrome d’Hiver Roundup. How has burning that took France dealt with this event and its aftermath In the same sequence of the documentary, place in Berlin since the end of the war and the defeat of the Philippe also refers to the scenes of Nazi book at the same time, Nazis in 1945? What role did the Parisian police burning that took place in Berlin at the same play during the roundup, and how did they later time, in 1933. Find out and explain why these in 1933. Find justify it? Does the Velodrome d’Hiver still exist book-burning events took place. Was it a out and explain today? Explain what has happened to it, and selective burning of books, and in particular, why these book- to the site on which it existed. (See “Vel’ d’Hiv of books by certain authors? Why would Nazi Roundup” in website references. Also see the members and supporters want to burn large burning events film references section for titles of dramatised piles of books publicly in the streets? What took place feature films that deal with these events.) does this suggest to us about their general world view, their attitude to education, intellect During the Nazi occupation of Vichy France, and knowledge? (See ‘Nazi book burnings’ in Georges Mora (Philippe’s father) became an website references.) active participant within the French Resistance, as did many others, such as Marcel Marceau. © ATOM 2016 © ATOM 4 After carrying out relevant research, write Finally, in this general background section, we your own account of the history of the French note from early in the program that Philippe Resistance. What was it? Why did it come into is writing and illustrating a comic book as a being? What were its aims and objectives? means of expressing and coming to grips with How did it operate and what did it do? Was it a his family history. He is not the first of the post- unified, organised group with a central head- Holocaust-born generation of Jewish comic quarters, or a disparate, widespread, unorgan- book writer-illustrators to travel this path. The ised collection of smaller groups and individu- most famous comic book biographical and per- als? What was the reaction and the response sonal history of the Holocaust is the two-part of the German invading forces to the activities graphic novel, Maus, written and illustrated by of the French Resistance? Comment on the Art Spiegelman, serialised between 1980 and legacy, the reputation and perhaps even the 1991. The first few chapters were published mythic status of the French Resistance that has in book form in 1986, and the entire collected grown and developed since the fall of the Vichy work was published in book form in 1991. Maus government and the end of World War Two. was the first graphic novel to win the Pulitzer (See ‘French Resistance’ in website references.) Prize, in 1992. (See, ‘Maus’ in both book and website references.) During the program we are told about the wartime French Resistance activities of Marcel Students may be interested in reading Maus Marceau before he became a world-famous en- and comparing it to the story and to the ap- tertainer. What was his real, or birth name, and proach presented by Philippe Mora in both the why was it changed? Carry out some research documentary film, and the development of his then write an account of the entertainer that comic book. As well as the personal experi- Marcel Marceau became. Why was he known ences of the Holocaust itself, narrated through- as ‘the master of silence’ and what did he out Monsieur Mayonnaise and Maus, you may mean when referring to ‘the art of silence’? (See also want to consider the roles that both Art ‘Marcel Marceau’ in website references.) Spiegelman and Philippe play, by inserting themselves into their own narratives.