Nicole Croisille & Philippe Labro: two presences, one love of Deauville

In 1966, Nicole Croisille became the singing voice of a film that forever changed the image of Deauville. Un homme et une femme, directed by Claude Lelouch and winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes, sublimates the elegance of the Planches and the vertigo of feelings, with Nicole's voice resonating to the music of Francis Lai and the lyrics of Pierre Barouh. This tender "dabadabada" quickly became the soundtrack of Deauville.

A few years later, Nicole crossed paths with Pierre Delanoë, who wrote her Une femme avec toi. The original manuscript of the song is preserved at the Franciscaines, as part of an exceptional collection from the Delanoë donation. A living testimony to a rare artist.

Philippe Labro, writer, journalist and film-maker, was involved in the creation of the Deauville American Film Festival, where he was for a long time the Master of Ceremonies in 1975. He remained one of the last witnesses to this adventure, and has never ceased to share its history.

Having lived in Pont-l'Évêque for almost 40 years, Philippe had forged a discreet and faithful bond with Deauville. A member of the jury for the Prix de la ville de Deauville Livres & Musiques, he was received twice at Les Franciscaines, to share his memories of the American festival in September 2022, then to present his latest novel Deux gimlets sur la 5ᵉ avenue in March 2025. His scheduled appearance last May had been prevented by illness.