# Who is the Crying Frenchman? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 21, 2006, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman/369537 "2006-08-21T02:19:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dry\_oatmeal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@dry\_oatmeal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dry_oatmeal)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman/369537/1 "2006-08-21T02:19:01Z")
Who is the crying Frenchman that always appears in documentaries about WWII? Whatever happened to him? ---
**Author:** ![dry\_oatmeal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@dry\_oatmeal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dry_oatmeal)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman/369537/2 "2006-08-22T01:48:55Z")
Bring Up My Post ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman/369537/3 "2006-08-22T02:33:47Z")
Could you cite a doc? Or give a bit more context concerning his appearances? ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman/369537/4 "2006-08-22T02:39:49Z")
Do you mean this pic? [![](https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y233/foxylibrarian/crying-frenchman500x393.gif) ](https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y233/foxylibrarian/crying-frenchman500x393.gif) ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman/369537/5 "2006-08-22T02:39:53Z")
This guy? > **[Slot Gacor Hari ini Yang Memukau Banyak Orang di Indonesia](http://www.ralphmag.org)** > > Situs judi online yang bisa anda mainkan menggunakan 1 ID saja dengan minmal deposit dan withdraw hanya 25 rb Rupiah untuk pendaftaran baru ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman/369537/6 "2006-08-22T02:41:32Z")
[QUOTE=Cat Fight] Could you cite a doc? Or give a bit more context concerning his appearances? [/QUOTE] Yes, some sort of photo would be good. I have trouble picturing this ubiquitous Frenchman. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman/369537/7 "2006-08-22T03:00:57Z")
I recall that photo from a book of famous _Life_ magazine photos. It was of a French [“Poilu”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poilu) (so described in the caption, though the man might well have been an ordinary patriot who had never worn a uniform) watching the German troops enter Paris. ---
**Author:** ![dry\_oatmeal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@dry\_oatmeal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dry_oatmeal)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman/369537/8 "2006-08-22T03:07:02Z")
[QUOTE=Amp] Do you mean this pic? [![](https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y233/foxylibrarian/crying-frenchman500x393.gif) ](https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y233/foxylibrarian/crying-frenchman500x393.gif) [/QUOTE] Yas. That is him. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman/369537/9 "2006-08-22T13:24:36Z")
I don’t know who he is, but the photo/film footage of him crying was taken (according to what I’ve read) before the Germans entered Paris, at les Invalides as the flags of France including Napoleon’s eagles were being removed so that the Germans couldn’t take them as trophies. This footage is often spliced together with that of Germans later marching past the Arc Triomphe, which is almost two miles from les Invalides and across the Seine, as an artificial reaction shot. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2006, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman/369537/10 "2006-08-30T01:24:58Z")
So, is this guy’s name lost to history? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2006, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman/369537/11 "2006-08-30T02:42:42Z")
There’s an alternative description in [this old eBay listing for an “original” print](http://cgi.ebay.com/44284-Famous-1941-Picture-of-Week-Crying-Frenchman_W0QQitemZ330006781561QQihZ014QQcategoryZ4077QQcmdZViewItem): > [@](#): > > This is a photo feature with the famous image of the Frenchman crying as the flags of defeated French regiments we carried down to the docks in Marseille to be sent to Algeria after France was occupied by the Germans. > … > From: Life Magazine - March 3, 1941. ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2006, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman/369537/12 "2006-08-30T04:51:23Z")
I think he was related to the Flying Dutchman, but I could be mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2006, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman/369537/13 "2006-08-30T05:39:57Z")
I first read it as [“Crying Freeman”.](http://www.hillcity-comics.com/anime/crying_box.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2006, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman/369537/14 "2006-08-30T08:17:23Z")
[![](https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y2...hman500x393.gif) ](https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y2...hman500x393.gif) That is one sharp-looking tie! mm ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2007, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman/369537/15 "2007-09-29T01:42:40Z")
[QUOTE=Revtim] So, is this guy’s name lost to history? [/QUOTE] I was just thinking about this photo earlier today. I wonder if there’s a French version of _History Detectives_?