Lemmy Caution

Lemmy Caution is a fictitious Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent — or in later stories a private detective — created by British writer Peter Cheyney (1896-1951), who published the first book about him in 1936. When This Man is Dangerous was released, Cheyney was a policeman, but the novel's success enabled him to become a professional author.[1]

After World War II many French people had a penchant for American culture and American heroes. Against that background Cheyney's books were promoted very successfully all over France, and consequently the French film business discovered them as arable material for a series of popular films.[2]

Lemmy Caution novels

Film adaptations

Bernard Borderie had the chance to produce the first French adaption. He was searching for somebody who had the looks of a gangster,[3] and picked Eddie Constantine,[4] who was already known as a singer.[5] So far he had merely played one supporting role in a film of the very same year[6] and his lack of experience as an actor is rather obvious, even without comparing La môme vert-de-gris to his later films.[7] However, he really started through as an actor.[8] Audiences liked his personality,[9] and that led to a whole series of films with "Lemmy Caution".[10]

Lemmy Caution was portrayed as a witty, crafty womanizer who never hesitated to do what he considered appropriate.[11] When playing Lemmy Caution, Eddie Constantine often approached pretty ladies with a glass of whisky in one hand and a cigarette in the other.[12]

Many people mixed up Lemmy Caution and Eddie Constantine.[13] Constantine would never be able to remedy this mix-up.[14] Neither has it ever been reported that anybody had tried to succeed Constantine as Lemmy Caution.

The film adaptions of Peter Cheyney's book showed Lemmy Caution as an optimistic strong man who would even be a winner when he was totally outnumbered.[15] So it came as a shock for many fans when they watched Eddie Constantine's interpretation of Lemmy Caution in Alphaville. Here he was a tired, aged and depressive-looking man clad in a trenchcoat like once had Humphrey Bogart, spaced out and lost in a future world.[16]

Lemmy Caution returned later on several times as a cameo in German feature films like Udo Lindenberg's Panische Zeiten (Panic Times) and others.

In 1988 there was also a French film called Le retour de Lemmy Caution[17] [18] with Lemmy Caution once again as main character but this Lemmy Caution was far away from Peter Cheyney's vision.

Lemmy Caution films

References

  1. ^ "En 1936, alors qu’il a le grade de lieutenant, il publie « This man is dangerous » où il met en scène un inspecteur du FBI, dénommé Lemmy Caution". http://www.rayonpolar.com/Films/cineaste.php?num=13. Retrieved 2011-14-09. 
  2. ^ "The films were adaptations of best selling thriller crime novels by Peter Cheyney and came at a time when American culture was well-received, if not adulated, by the French populace.". http://filmsdefrance.com/FDF_Cet_homme_est_dangereux_1953_rev.html. Retrieved 2011-14-09. 
  3. ^ "Bernard Borderie, réalisateur, recherche un type qui a "une gueule de gangster" pour incarner l’agent du F.B.I. Lemmy Caution à l'écran.". http://encinematheque.net/seconds/S36/index.asp?page=index2.htm. Retrieved 2011-14-09. 
  4. ^ "En 1953, Bernard Borderie lui confie le rôle de l’agent secret Lemmy Caution dans «La môme vert-de-gris», personnage crée par l’écrivain britannique Peter Cheyney.". http://www.cineartistes.com/fiche-Eddie+Constantine.html. Retrieved 2011-14-09. 
  5. ^ "Discovered by Edith Piaf, he became her protégé and close friend, and she helped him launch a career as a popular recording artist.". http://www.petercheyney.co.uk/Cheyney%20Site/eddie.html. Retrieved 2011-14-09. 
  6. ^ "Il débute à l'écran en 1953 et s'impose dès son second film en personnifiant le désinvolte agent du FBI, Lemmy Caution". http://www.cinemapassion.com/filmographie-acteur-Eddie%20CONSTANTINE-1053.html. Retrieved 2011-14-09. 
  7. ^ "Constantine n’avait guère d’expérience d’acteur (un seul film à son actif) et on peut le dire : ça saute aux yeux !". http://www.nanarland.com/Chroniques/Main.php?id_film=momevertdegris. Retrieved 2011-14-09. 
  8. ^ "His film career began in 1953, when he first took the role of tough American private eye Lemmy Caution". http://www.petercheyney.co.uk/Cheyney%20Site/eddie.html. Retrieved 2011-14-09. 
  9. ^ "sa gouaille et son accent américain étant fort appréciés du public dans plusieurs pays d'Europe". http://culture.lexpress.fr/personnalite/eddie-constantine_176333. Retrieved 2011-14-09. 
  10. ^ "Le succès est tel qu’il reprend le rôle de cet agent secret dans plusieurs films de série B". http://www.cineartistes.com/fiche-Eddie+Constantine.html. Retrieved 2011-14-09. 
  11. ^ "The part of the ladykiller endowed with wit, charme and above-average self-confidence appealed to the mass". http://www.cyranos.ch/sbcons-e.htm. Retrieved 2011-14-09. 
  12. ^ "Lemmy Caution, le dur à cuire, amateur de whisky, et cigarette et de jolies femmes.". http://www.rayonpolar.com/Films/cineaste.php?num=13. Retrieved 2011-14-09. 
  13. ^ "Le public adopte définitivement le personnage de Cheney dans l'incarnation qu'en propose Eddie Constantine". http://encinematheque.net/seconds/S36/index.asp?page=index2.htm. Retrieved 2011-14-09. 
  14. ^ "Eddie Constantine reste marqué par Lemmy Caution". http://www.cineartistes.com/fiche-Eddie+Constantine.html. Retrieved 2011-14-09. 
  15. ^ "the nearly caricature-like brawls filled the young audience with enthusiasm". http://www.cyranos.ch/sbcons-e.htm. Retrieved 2011-14-09. 
  16. ^ "En 1965 le film Alphaville, dirigé par Jean-Luc Godard, détruit le mythe Lemmy Caution". http://www.pause.pquebec.com/sujet/eddie-constantine.htm. Retrieved 2011-14-09. 
  17. ^ "Le retour de Lemmy Caution de Josée Dayan avec Eddie CONSTANTINE". http://www.forumdesimages.fr/Collections/notice/VDP8691. Retrieved 2011-14-09. 
  18. ^ "Le retour de Lemmy Caution". http://www.imdb.fr/title/tt0311712/. Retrieved 2011-14-09.