Georges Moustaki

Georges Moustaki

Born: May 3, 1934
Died: May 23, 2013
in Alexandria, Egypt
Georges Moustaki (born Giuseppe Mustacchi; 3 May 1934 – 23 May 2013) was an Egyptian-French singer-songwriter of Jewish Italo-Greek origin, best known for the poetic rhythm and simplicity of the romantic songs he composed and often sang. Moustaki gave France some of its best-loved music by writing about 300 songs for some of the most popular singers in that country, such as Édith Piaf, Dalida, Françoise Hardy, Yves Montand, Barbara, Brigitte Fontaine, Herbert Pagani, France Gall, Cindy Daniel, Juliette Gréco, Pia Colombo, and Tino Rossi, as well as for himself.

Georges Moustaki was born Giuseppe Mustacchi in Alexandria, Egypt, on 3 May 1934. His parents, Sarah and Nessim Mustacchi, were Francophile, Greek Jews from the ancient Romaniote Jewish community. Originally from the Greek island of Corfu, they moved to Egypt, where young Giuseppe was born and first learned French. They owned the Cité du Livre − one of the finest book shops in the Middle East – in the cosmopolitan city of Alexandria, where many ethnic communities lived together.

Moustaki's father spoke five languages whereas his mother spoke six. The young Giuseppe and his two older sisters spoke Italian at home and Arabic in the streets. The parents placed Giuseppe and his sisters in a French school where they learned to speak French.

At the age of 17, after a summer holiday in Paris, Moustaki obtained his father's permission to move there, working as a door-to-door salesman of poetry books. He began playing the piano and singing in nightclubs in Paris, where he met some of the era's best-known performers. His career took off after the young singer-songwriter Georges Brassens took Moustaki under his wing. Brassens introduced him to artists and intellectuals who spent much of their time around Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Out of gratitude, Moustaki adopted the first name of the only musician he called "master".

Moustaki said that his taste for music came from hearing various French singers – Édith Piaf, Charles Trenet, Henri Salvador, Georges Ulmer, Yves Montand, Georges Guétary and Luis Mariano – sing.

Moustaki was introduced to Édith Piaf in the late 1950s by a friend whose praise of the young songwriter was so flattering that Piaf, then at the peak of her fame, requested somewhat sarcastically to hear him sing his best works. "I picked up a guitar and I was lamentable. But something must have touched her. She asked me to go and see her perform that same evening at the Olympia music hall and to show her later the songs I had just massacred."

He soon began writing songs for Piaf, the most famous of which, Milord, about a lower-class girl who falls in love with an upper-class British traveller, reached number one in Germany in 1960 and number 24 in the British charts the same year. It has since been performed by numerous artists, including Bobby Darin and Cher.

Piaf was captivated by Moustaki's music, as well as his great charm. Piaf liked how his musical compositions were flavored with jazz and styles that went beyond France's borders. Moustaki and Piaf became lovers and embarked on what the newspaper Libération described as a year of "devastating, mad love", with the newspapers following "the 'scandal' of the 'gigolo' and his dame day after day". ...

Source: Article "Georges Moustaki" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Movies for Georges Moustaki...

Title: Il était une fois Champs-Élysées
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: December 21, 2022
Type: TV
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Cavanna, jusqu'à l'ultime seconde j'écrirai
Title: Cavanna, jusqu'à l'ultime seconde j'écrirai
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: June 17, 2015
Type: Movie
The life and career of French novelist and journalist François Cavanna, his leading role in the invention of satirical press in France and foundation of 'Hara Kiri' and 'Charlie hedbo' newspapers.
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Akoibon
Title: Akoibon
Character: Self
Released: April 13, 2005
Type: Movie
A disparate group of people meet at a hotel on a gorgeous and isolated Mediterranean island. Meanwhile, a woman schemes to get even with its owner.
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The Revolution on Two Horses
Title: The Revolution on Two Horses
Character: Antonio de Cuñeiro, poeta
Released: April 25, 2002
Type: Movie
It's the dawn of April 25, 1974, when Marco, a 25-year old Italian and his Portuguese friend Victor leave Paris on a yellow Citroen 2CV. The goal of their trip is Lisbon, which on that night was freed from Europe's longest dictatorship. The two are joined by Claire, Victor's former girlfriend and University classmate, who wants to take a break from her everyday life, leaving behind her husband and baby son, to form again, even for a few days, the traveling trio with her friends.
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Autour de la guitare, Olympia 2000
Title: Autour de la guitare, Olympia 2000
Character: Self
Released: December 4, 2001
Type: Movie
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Title: Vivement dimanche
Character: Self
Released: September 20, 1998
Type: TV
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Title: The Count of Monte Cristo
Character: Abbé Faria
Released: September 7, 1998
Type: TV
A TV mini-series adaptation of the classic Alexandre Dumas novel. Edmond Dantes is unjustly sent to prison for 18 years. He escapes to reclaim his fiancée Mercedes and revenge against his nemesis, Mondego.
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Der Graf von Monte Christo
Title: Der Graf von Monte Christo
Character: Abbé Faria
Released: September 7, 1998
Type: Movie
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The Cocottes
Title: The Cocottes
Character: Mathieu
Released: January 28, 1991
Type: Movie
A small village lies peacefully nestled in the hills beneath the Provence sun... until the arrival of an odd group of vacationers. Who are these gorgeous young women from the big city strolling on the village square under the watchful eye of a chaperone as beautiful as she is authoritarian? Scandal arises when it’s learned these dreamy creatures are none other than the employees of a Marseille brothel come to enjoy the good clean air of the country. All hell breaks loose as the villagers take a stand for or against the presence of these "ladies of pleasure". The mayor is called on to relay women of the moral rules of the region to the women. But the fact remains, they can’t be forced to leave: while they have no intention of plying their trade, no law exists to bring their country retreat to a premature end. Different mentalities are revealed, passions unbridled, love kindled... and doesn’t love always solve everything in the end?
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Title: La Chance aux chansons
Character: Self
Released: March 26, 1984
Type: TV
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Europe Express
Title: Europe Express
Released: January 14, 1984
Type: Movie
The film is set in Europe and depicts the love between a Japanese photographer and a princess from one of the European countries.
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Title: Champs-Elysées
Character: Self
Released: January 16, 1982
Type: TV
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Title: Rockpop in Concert
Character: Self
Released: November 18, 1978
Type: TV
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Title: Numéro un
Character: Self
Released: April 5, 1975
Type: TV
A French variety show.
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Title: Système 2
Character: Self
Released: January 19, 1975
Type: TV
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Title: Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
Character: Self
Released: January 12, 1975
Type: TV
A talk show presented by Michel Drucker
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Title: Midi Première
Character: Self
Released: January 6, 1975
Type: TV
Midi Première is a French variety show presented by Danièle Gilbert, directed by Jacques Pierre and broadcast from January 6, 1975 until January 1, 1982 on TF1. The program was generally broadcast between 12:15 p.m. and 12:55 p.m., then giving way to the 1:00 p.m. TV news. However, the broadcast schedule could change, depending on the guests, and the setting where the recording of the program was shot. Certain performances by artists who have become cult like the one where Ringo jostles with a demonstrator in interpretation (1977), that of Dalida with the title There is always a song with the soundtrack that does not start, twice, at the right speed (1978), Claude François and his Clodettes, who, in the provinces, are unable to join "the set" in order to interpret his song, the latter being taken by the crowd of delirious fans (summer 1977) . The group Supertramp performed there with the title "Dreamer" on March 8, 1975.
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Beggars and Proud Ones
Title: Beggars and Proud Ones
Released: April 5, 1972
Type: Movie
Hadjis, a philosophy professor in his thirties, put his spiritual concepts into practice when he left Europe to settle in a working-class district of Tunis, where he lived in destitution. Together with two followers of his philosophy, a medical student and a poet, they form a close-knit, wise cenacle. Unfortunately, Hadjis strangles a prostitute while on a hashish binge. The police put an officer in charge of the investigation, and he soon tracked down the murderer. But, converted by the three friends to their philosophy, he ends his investigation and leaves the police to join them.
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Title: Midi trente
Character: Self
Released: March 6, 1972
Type: TV
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Title: Le Grand Échiquier
Character: Self
Released: January 12, 1972
Type: TV
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Title: Samedi soir
Character: Self
Released: January 9, 1971
Type: TV
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Title: À bout portant
Character: Self
Released: December 16, 1968
Type: TV
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Title: Night-Club
Character: self
Released: September 13, 1968
Type: TV
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Title: Dim Dam Dom
Character: Self
Released: March 7, 1965
Type: TV
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Title: Musik aus Studio B
Character: Self
Released: October 22, 1961
Type: TV
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Title: Stars in der Manege
Character: Self
Released: April 11, 1959
Type: TV
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Title: Discorama
Character: Self
Released: February 4, 1959
Type: TV
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Title: Was bin ich?
Character: self
Released: January 2, 1955
Type: TV